Buzzing Reed- Classical Music & Clarinet Culture

This weekend’s concerts of the Columbus Symphony include Tchaikovsky’s 6th Symphony, “Pathetique”, the unusual Beethoven Leonora No. 2, and Jonathan Leshnoff’s Double Concerto for violin and viola, with our Concertmaster, Charles Wetherbee on violin and Roberto Diaz, viola.

Jonathan was there for the rehearsal today, and he is the nicest composer you could ever meet. I also love his music. So when I complain about the following passage, it’s only lightly.

The passage in the photo below is nearly impossible to play well, since the tempo is so fast and the notes so constant as to prevent breathing. Luckily the two clarinet parts are identical in several measures, and as you can see from the following photo, we will alternate playing parts of the long sixteenth passages.

Stravinsky’s “Firebird” – InstantEncore.

Live streaming recordings of our program last weekend. Carneiro’s Firebird (1945 version) was WILD, and fun!

The program also included two pieces by Augusta Read Thomas, worth a listen. And the Poulenc Gloria in G major.

Enjoy!

Podcast: Download

David and Mariko Niwa

David and I discussed, among other things, his musical family and the perks which came with it while growing up in the midst of the Chicago Symphony; his studies with two great violinists Aaron Rosand and Szymon Goldberg at Curtis and Julliard, respectively; his “live national TV debut”, a story in itself, and the benefits and blessings of being a musician. (You can download the podcast to listen to later, or you can also find it in iTunes)

The fun music you hear a bit of at the beginning of the podcast, and the whole (3 minute) movement at the end is: “Banjo and Fiddle” by William Kroll, performed by the Niwa Duo (David with sister Gail).

Violinist David Niwa’s extensive performing career has included feature appearances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Columbus Symphony, the Symphony Orchestra of the Curtis Institute, the Park Ridge Civic Orchestra, the Chicago Youth Symphony. He has been the featured in recital at the Sunday at Central series, as well as, the Corcoran Gallery, the Terrace Theatre of the Kennedy Center, the Cloitre des Jacobins, and Landgraf. Since 1990, he has been featured regularly as soloist with the New York Symphonic Ensemble throughout Japan and Southeast Asia. He appeared annually with the Chamber Orchestra of the Palisades and the Plainfield, NJ Symphony, where he also served as concertmaster.

An active chamber musician, and an active proponent of 20th and 21st century music, Mr. Niwa was honored to perform Gunther Schuller’s “Paradigm Exchanges” and present the United States premiere of Penderecki’s “Sextet” in collaboration with the Ohio State University. His other engagements include concerts with The Niwa Duo, (formed with his sister Gail), The High St. Four, (David is a founding member), The Lighthouse Chamber Players, The Snake River Chamber Players, The Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Society and Chamber Music at Great Gorge. David has also performed numerous functions for Chicago’s Polish Arts Club. Previously he has performed in Reno, Miami, New York City, and Nice. In 1987 and ‘88, he was the invited guest artist-in-residence at the festival de la Gesse in southwestern France.

A native Chicagoan, Mr. Niwa began his studies at the age of five. While under the tutelage of his father, Raymond Niwa, he was awarded top prizes in all five divisions of the prestigious Society of American Musicians Competition. He was a three-time winner of the ISMTA competition, a winner of the St. Paul Musical Arts Competition, and was awarded scholarships by the Union League Civic and Arts Foundation. In 1982, Mr. Niwa was a prizewinner in the NFAA Recognition and Talent Search, and a finalist in the 17- general Motors National Concerto Competition. In 1985 he made his live national TV debut with Tchaikovsky Concerto on NBC. Mr. Niwa currently serves as Assistant Concertmaster of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, and as the Artistic Director for the prestigious Sunday at Central series.

Mr. Niwa holds degrees from the Curtis Institute and the Juilliard School, where his teachers were Aaron Rosand and Szymon Goldberg, respectively. His other mentors include Nathan Milstein, Lorand Fenyves, Samuel Rhodes and Felix Galimir.

He enjoys cooking and eating, golfing, skiing, and, is an avid tennis player.

Joana Carneiro chose the rarely performed 1945 suite version of Igor Stravinsky’s ballet The Firebird. More often, it’s the 1919 version, which is about 10 minutes shorter. Most orchestra auditions require excerpts from the 1919 version.

There are often confusions about note details and articulations, since each version has slightly different edits made by Stravinsky. In this post I compare some of the practical differences between the 1919 and 1945 versions.

Joana Carneiro

But first I’d like to mention what a pleasure it has been to work with the young and vibrant Joana Carneiro. This is Joana’s first time conducting the Columbus Symphony. Of course, there haven’t been many opportunities for her to conduct us in the past, since she would have been a bit too young. When I came to Columbus in 1989, she would have been 13 years old.

Women conductors have certainly made great strides in the music world in the past few decades. Most notable is the Music Director of the Baltimore Symphony, Marin Alsop. Then there’s JoAnn Falletta, the Music Director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. And we have had several appearances of the young and talented Alondra de la Parra.

But from the moment Joana Carneiro began rehearsing the Firebird with us yesterday, I knew she meant business. She is a conductor and a musician who happens to be a woman.

Her confidence is the first thing you notice. She never flinches, never hesitates.

Maestra Carneiro’s beat patterns (the motions she uses to show details of her rhythm) are, for lack of a better word, “baroque”; meaning ornate, curly shapes with many little twists and flips. At first it was a bit tricky to follow, but her remarkable rhythm and confidence easily led the way.

She has a remarkable ear for pitch and tone. She hears every detail, and insists on clarity and precision.

Her rehearsal demeanor is mature, very polite and considerate. (Yet she still means business all the way!)

Augusta Read Thomas

I look forward to our performances with her tomorrow and Sunday. For more information, please see the Columbus Symphony website. We’re also playing a wonderful coloristic piece by composer Augusta Read Thomas, and the vivid Poulenc Gloria for chorus, orchestra and soprano solo, with Kendra Colton, soprano and the spectacular Columbus Symphony Chorus!

Now for some Stravinsky Firebird excerpt comparisons. Here’s the first excerpt of the 1919 and 1945 versions. Note the slight different in lick with 3 ascending runs, (end of the last line in the first excerpt and end of the first line in the second). The 1945 is much trickier to get the first run without dragging the tempo. (click on the photo for a larger version)

Firebird 1919 excerpt 1

Firebird 1945 excerpt 1

Here’s a second excerpt from the Infernal Dance. There is one lick which in the 1945 version is chromatic ascending, and in the 1919 is not, making the 1919 much trickier. It’s the 4th line down in each excerpt.

Firebird 1919 excerpt 2

Firebird 1945 excerpt 2

Podcast: Download

Gene Standley with daughter Rosemary

I had an enjoyable chat with Gene Standley on the phone via Calliflower.com, a wonderful (and free) tele-conferencing system. You can see the podcast player above, which you can play here or download if you choose. You can also find it on iTunes. Just search David Thomas podcasts.

I am also including a sample of his playing below. The following music excerpt includes french horn highlights from recent performances of Symphony #4 by Anton Bruckner.

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Among other things, we discussed the highlights and pitfalls of playing in a top level orchestra. Gene’s experience playing with the Philadelphia Orchestra under Riccardo Muti in the 80′s certainly honed his skills and temperament in that respect.

I neglected to ask Gene about his thriving LP hobby/business. He buys old LPs from various sources such as estate sales, and sells them on Ebay to audiophiles all over the world. Many of the recordings are extremely rare and valuable, some of which will never be re-released.

Gene Standley:

Born & raised in Pittsburgh, PA through high school.

Schooling: The Curtis Institue Of Music during the 1970s (brass & wind classes, orchestra, music courses, etc)

Main Teachers: Forrest Standley, Dale Clevenger, Mason Jones

Jobs: Active freelancer in Philadelphia from 1976-1993 with most of the 1980s as full time extra with the Philadelphia Orchestra under conductors Eugene Ormandy, Riccardo Muti & Wolfgang Sawallisch. Became appointed Principal Horn with the Columbus Symphony in September, 1990 and was appointed to the full time position by Christian Badea in 1991.

Current instruments: 1930s Schmidt (Weimar, Germany), Conn 12D Descant Horn

Solos Performed: Mozart Concertos Nos 1, 2 & 3, Strauss Concerto No 1
Chamber Ensembles: The Columbus Symphony Brass Quintet, Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra (extra musician)
Church jobs: Ron Jenkins, First Community Church (3-4 times annually)

Sideline: Selling classical LPs on Ebay
Family: Married to Jocelyn Standley with home-schooled children Avery (10), Forrest (9), Rosemary (4) & Lucas (3).
Residence: 14 acre farm property just outside of Granville, OH (Alexandria) with 8 cows (1 milker), 36 chickens, 2 Great Pyrenees, 1 goat & 2 rabbits.

The brays and snores in classical music scores | Philadelphia Inquirer | 04/06/2010.

Classical music, endlessly cryptic, sometimes even goes over the heads of orchestral musicians, as Gerard McBurney found out. McBurney is creator of Beyond the Score, a musical exploration of individual scores with the help of texts, visuals, and the real thing played by an orchestra.

The Columbus Symphony will be performing a special concert Friday May 1st, featuring the innovative and accessible program concept, Beyond the Score.

MOZART: Beyond the Score®

Jean-Marie Zeitouni, conductor
Michael Chertock, piano

Mozart – Piano Concerto No. 27, K. 595

Proof that classical music remains a relevant art form in modern society, Beyond the Score® redefines the traditional orchestral concert experience. Listeners explore the historical and theoretical complexities of a single work through theater, narration and live musical example. The drama is accompanied by a carefully crafted presentation of animation and images pulled from museums and collections worldwide. When returning for the second half to hear the work in full, the interdisciplinary experience affords a new perspective of the repertoire, challenging notions and redefining the listening experience.

I was recently interviewed on the blog Harmonious Bodies by Diana Rumrill. Her blog is mostly podcasts, and she has interviewed musicians, teachers, authors and doctors, all on the subject of healing and avoiding injuries for musicians.

She has also written an article on Violinist.com, on Treating and Preventing Violin-related Injuries.

Diana is a physical therapist who specializes in helping musicians recover from injuries. She lives and works in Washington, DC. I met Diana on Twitter (@harmoniousbody). After I mentioned that I had studied the Alexander Technique to help me recover from pain and misuse, she asked to interview me on my journey to recovery from pain.

You can find the podcast interview with me HERE. You can also find it on iTunes for free download. (search “david thomas clarinetist”)