DAVID LOCKINGTON, music director of the Grand Rapids Symphony since 1999, and the Modesto Symphony in CA since 2007, conducted Tchaikovsky’s 4th symphony with us. He didn’t seem to make a lasting impression on me or the orchestra. Lockington seemed detached from the music and its emotions, though the orchestra, in our usual fashion, added what was missing and played well, despite not having played together for months.

EDWIN OUTWATER, music director of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, led us in Beethoven 8th Symphony, a Mozart piano concerto and David Diamond’s Rounds for Strings. He is known for his innovative programming ideas, as that program showed. His abilities off the podium are also impressive. But the orchestra had trouble playing well under his guidance. Beethoven’s 8th is very tricky for conductors, with “in the cracks” tempos and style, neither here nor there. Too slow and it’s logy, too fast and it’s comical. Outwater tried too hard to make the music his own, in my opinion, rather than letting it develop on its own with our help.

French Canadian JEAN-MARIE ZEITOUNI, who conducts Les Violons di Roi, conducted Rossini’s Semiramis Overture, Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony, Elgar Violin Concerto. If you read this blog regularly, you know my opinion of him. (I wrote about him HERE and also HERE and HERE.)

If we need to hire someone young and upcoming to save money, Zeitouni is our man. He is brilliant, speaking some 7 languages. His ear is excellent. It’s rare that a conductor will suggest pitch corrections to orchestra members, knowing the potential backlash, especially if they’re wrong. But Zeitouni had the confidence to do so, successfully.

Though much of the music was new to him, we wouldn’t know it by working with him. He sized up the pieces and their necessary rehearsal structure without blinking.

The Semiramis Overture of Rossini is notoriously difficult both for conductor and orchestra. He didn’t baby us with his tempos, asking for “Toscanini” speeds. But he also kept the players from rushing their parts, a great temptation in fast tempos. (funny, you’d think the opposite would be true, to drag when asked to play fast, but that’s not usually the case)

In one short conversation I had with him, he told me he had sized up the situation in Columbus as well, and already knew how he would proceed if he were asked to head the CSO.

Several key players in our orchestra predict a star-studded career for Jean-Marie Zeitouni. I agree. With his gifts, his relative lack of experience won’t slow him down.

The music director from the San Diego Symphony, YAHYA LING, took the driver’s seat for Dvorak 8th and the Brahms 2nd Piano Concerto, soloist Emmanuel Ax. Ling is the real thing: calm, sure, stable. He inspired us with detailed analysis of the music’s style and performance tradition. Having worked with the Cleveland Orchestra for many years, he has inherited their great tradition.

THIERRY FISCHER did a French program (Debussy Noctunes, Frank D minor Symphony). I was very impressed with him. His European training and upbringing molded him into an effective and confident musician. Unfortunately, along with that high tradition came some professional condescension and patronizing, not a good way to win respect in our Midwestern culture.

Hailing form Mexico, via private schooling in England and New York, ALONDRA DE LA PARRA recently formed her own orchestra in NYC- Philharmonic of the Americas, which features new music and players from the American Continent. She also did a 20th Century program with us, Jennifer Higdon’s stunning and relatively new Concerto for Orchestra, Copland Danza Cubano and Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F. In my review of that week, I barely mentioned de la Parra, instead focusing on Higdon’s music, which I LOVE.

De la Parra donned a smartly tailored suit with sparkling rhinestone buttons in the performance. She is certainly impressive to watch, and seemed to have the undivided attention of all the men in the orchestra (and perhaps the audience). Her astounding confidence was infectious.

But her confidence was not infectious enough to help us navigate some very dicey rhythms in Copland’s Danza Cubano. When she sang the rhythms to us in demonstration, they were extremely fast and rushed, surely not the way she wanted us to play them. Several orchestra members, including myself, went to speak to her about the critical importance of rhythmic stability to keep the ensemble together. Luckily she listened. But it left me wondering.

In the piano concerto, de la Parra had trouble following the soloist, at times stepping on his toes with an orchestral entrance after a piano solo section. During some orchestra tutti passages with solo lines, de la Parra seemed impatient for the music to happen faster than it was. It left us uneasy, not a productive feeling for seasoned players capable of so much.

Overall, her verve and style created a very exciting performance.

Finally, GEORGE MANAHAN ended our season with a bang, or I should say, a fateful knocking at the door. He directed us in Beethoven Leonore #3, the Piano Concerto #3, and the 5th Symphony.

Manahan is my kind of conductor: experienced, knowledgeable, efficient, clear, respectful and also worthy of respect. And the cherry on top? He achieves exciting performances.

Friends of mine who regularly attend our concerts told me how great the orchestra sounded, how well he followed the soloist, and how exciting the overall effect was.

A decade of running the NYC Opera has honed his extensive experience running a large arts organization in the US. He’s also an American who regularly conducts and runs American orchestras. He knows how they tick, inside and out.

Listen to his interview with Christopher Purdy HERE, to hear him speak. He is confident, informative and interesting.

So, don’t let me sway you. Who would you pick for our next music director?

To me, Drucker IS the Corigliano Clarinet Concerto! (written for him) If you haven’t heard his version, get it. I first heard him perform it in a broadcast when I was eighteen.

In today’s über-competitive music world, students must consider the mountain they are climbing. You cannot just be talented, or just work hard, or just have a good teacher. You must have all these, plus a vision of what you wish to become.

A failing of many students these days is to ignore the traditions and accomplishments of great players of the past. Most students take for granted all the modern tools they have at their disposal, such as recordings, electronic metronomes, tuners, machine made mouthpieces, numerous reed and reed tool choices, lots of great teachers, plus the added benefit of books on how athletes train, and the Alexander Technique for how to use the Self. 50 ears ago, recordings were a luxury. Now they are ubiquitous and accessible with a click of a finger.

Few or none of these existed 100 years ago, yet some players broke through the crowd to map new territory for their instrument’s technique. How did they stand out? Were they simply geniuses? Lucky?

On the contrary, they worked their asses off PLUS they thought outside the box. They didn’t just settle for being the best. Instead they created a whole new level of “best” for everyone else to match.

Students these days often wait for a teacher to solve all their problems for them. If not, the teacher must not be good enough. I try to teach students to identify, isolate and solve their own problems, with my guidance.

The article/lecture outlines and details five traits of truly revolutionary players. Though many of the descriptions are somewhat obvious and mundane, the basic message is clear.

Great players set their goals high and broad, then find a way to fill in all the details through patience and perseverance.

Here is the introduction, including the five traits:

This lecture explains why it is important for musicians to study the greats of the past, understand what made them stand out from their peers and how to apply these traits to themselves. Through brief profiles of Carl Baermann, Ernesto Cavallini and Buddy DeFranco, 5 traits are introduced which today’s musicians can develop to improve their musicianship and artistry. Also included is an article called Internalizing the Music which describes the process of learning that these great players go through when practicing.

Five Traits for Today’s Musicians to Develop:

1. Playing with spirit and emotion
2. Having a deep theoretical, historical and overall knowledge of music
3. Playing with flawless technical command of instrument
4. Developing an individual style and sound
5. Internalizing the music

My views follow-

1. Play with spirit and emotion- Why are you a musician? What does music do for you? If your answer is “Because I love music.”, then why? Keep asking, and when you get to more questions than answers, you are ready to begin the real search for spirit and emotion in music. Listen to every recording of the Mozart Concerto, or whatever piece represents your instrument for you, and pick your favorite one, or two. Then ask yourself as you listen, “Why does this appeal to me?” and/or “What would I do differently?”.

2. Have a deep theoretical, historical and overall knowledge of music- This search becomes obvious after pondering the first trait.

3. Play with flawless technical command of instrument- keyword “mastery”. It’s not about getting the notes, it’s about playing the instrument as easily as you walk (which can be an exploration itself). A lot of soul searching is required to face this minefield path. Patience, perseverance, and intelligent problem solving are the keys. Without such exploration, injury and limiting habits are guaranteed. Again, use questions to guide you. “What is causing this technical limitation?” The answer is not merely “more practice”, but instead “more practice with better understanding of causes”. The cause is often far removed from the symptom, and may stem from mis-use of your whole self. Great players mine these questions with scientific precision and patience, though they may not broadcast it.

4. Develop an individual style and sound- Don’t copy; emulate. Marcellus told me that many of his students suffered because they tried to sound like him (including me). Trusting your own internal concept takes courage. You may not sound the way you want right away. But don’t give up and return to imitation. I again suggest listening critically to many recordings to create your own “recipe” for sound and style.

5. Internalize the music- Cipolla offers a number of suggestions for doing this. I recommend memorizing a passage almost immediately to engage the more primal memory of the body. I also recommend singing passages to train your ear. (this is especially important for wind players, who, unlike string players, can more or less “push a button” and get a note without hearing it first.

The lecture/article is called Historical Perspectives of Excellence for Clarinetists, by John Cipolla, from the ICA ClarinetFest® 1999, Oostend, Belgium, July 10th, 1999.

Go read it now. Then practice with a new attitude.

I took a few lessons with Alan during the 80’s while I still lived in Washington, DC. Though I had graduated from Northwestern U in 1982, having studied with Marcellus and Brody there, Balter taught me some things I never got from any other teacher.

When I played a note perfect Mendelssohn Scherzo for him, he commented how well I had played it, and then said it was missing one key element of the music, its dance like quality.

He encouraged me to learn to “spin the air” as I played, which freed up my air for more expressive subtlety, and also for a touch of vibrato when I desired it.

He helped me focus on the quality of motion of my right hand index finger, the weakest link in my finger technique.

I still apply these ideas and others to my playing and teaching to this day. I will always be thankful for what he taught me.

Unfortunately, I cannot thank him personally. Alan Balter passed away in 1998 from complications caused by some disease he had battled for over a decade.

He played 8 seasons as principal clarinet of the Atlanta Symphony and then went on to conduct after winning the MIN-ON International Concours for Conductors in 1976.

That’s what George Manahan did tonight with the Columbus Symphony. Neither ego nor excessive choreography were needed for him to impress or convince. He directed tonight’s concert with thoughtful leadership and detailed rendering of the music. And he had a blast while doing so! He’s not over the hill; he’s on top of it.

In the Leonora Overture Opus 72a (1806) of Beethoven, Manahan crafted the opening fragmented Adagio to highlight its neurotic parts rather than trying to mold it into a single mood. The ensuing Allegro emerged from pianissimo into a blinding crescendo using more than just dynamics. In Manahan’s hands, it began hesitantly and gained momentum as it grew in power.

Throughout the rest of the overture, Maestro Manahan encouraged the various and complex moods of Beethoven’s music to evolve, ending with one of the most unbridled Allegros I’ve ever played in that piece.

He then shifted to the role of accompanist with ease in Orli Shaham’s powerful and expressive performance of Beethoven’s 3rd Piano Concerto in C minor, Opus 37.

Ms. Shaham’s rendition of the heart-wrenchingly beautiful second movement Largo indulged its introspective and spiritual beauty. This music of Beethoven must have been created in the spirit of deep love and affection. At least that is the sweet emotion it inspires in me. At times it has the romantic Eastern European flavor of Chopin (which it preceded by decades).

One favorite part of mine in this movement is where the bassoon (Betsy Sturdevant) and flute (Randy Hester) pass off fragments of melody while the piano accompanies with rolling chords. Time seems to stop as the two wind instruments entwine their lines in some heavenly dream.

The rollicking Rondo Allegro last movement contains several potholes which often snag inexperienced conductors, where the orchestra must enter with a strong tutti passage following a blur of notes from the solo piano. Manahan caught them with a sharp eye and ear. (We had a less successful experience with another conductor recently, in a different piano concerto, but the same kind of dicey traps.)

Manahan conducted the Overture and the 5th Symphony from memory. I’m always impressed with this skill, even though these are “war horses” in the symphonic literature.

For the second half, Maestro Manahan drew a fresh and vigorous reading of the most recognizable symphony in the history of music, Beethoven’s Fifth (also in C minor, like the concerto). His confidence on the podium was never forced or strained. He conveyed excitement without tension, just the kind of energy which translates into good playing. After the orchestra relaxed into it, we all trusted his good energy.

In general, he kept the pedal to the metal, bringing out the maniacal rhythmical drive of the music. (Beethoven invented minimalist music WAY before Phillip Glass!) Some conductors will ride the brakes once in awhile to keep the performance civilized. Manahan wasn’t shy about guzzling gas. Nor was he a reckless driver. I suspect his considerable experience behind the wheel has sharpened his judgment for knowing the difference.

The Ohio Theater looked quite full from my view on stage. And they seemed thrilled with the concert.

On a side note- I am happy to say I was playing on a synthetic reed tonight. (a Legere reed, made in Canada) This is the first time I’ve ever done this. And I was quite happy with the result. I also found out that plastic reeds squeak just as well as cane ones! I’ll report more about these in another post.

Working with George Manahan this week has been a pleasure for me. I have enjoyed his detailed yet efficient rehearsal technique. He is quite specific about articulations in Beethoven, reminding us to take close notice of Beethoven’s markings. He conducts what the score says, which is not always the case with such a famous piece as Beethoven’s 5th symphony. His tempos are also authentic, which translates into brisk, since Beethoven’s tempo markings are quite fast. (Beethoven was one of the first composers to put metronomic tempo markings, using the newly invented metronome to stipulate them accurately)

I am particularly impressed with Maestro Manahan’s “stick technique”, his skill with the baton and all his gestures. (You may remember I mentioned that he conducted in both 3 and 4 during one part of Stravinsky’s Petrouchka during his last appearance with us 5 years ago). Of course, in Beethoven he doesn’t have anything like that to do. But he is vividly clear about every beat, every entrance, every cut-off. And within that clarity he also indicates his musical intentions.

As a performer, I couldn’t ask for more from a conductor.

There is an interesting interview with Maestro Manahan with Christopher Purdy’s blog on WOSU. You can listen to it HERE.

The program opens with Beethoven’s Leonora #3, the most often played of the 4 versions. The following is part of a detailed description of all 4 versions from a website called Music with Ease.

Beethoven’s only opera, “Fidelio,” was first produced in Vienna, November 20, 1805, under the title of “Leonora,” with the overture now known as “Leonora No. 2.” Subsequently the opera was shortened and produced with a new overture, the “Leonora No. 3.” After a few performances it was withdrawn, but in 1806, anticipating its production the name of “Fidelio,” he wrote a third overture, usually called “Leonora No. 1.” The performance did not take place however, but in 1814 a revision of the opera was given in its present form as “Fidelio,” with an entirely new overture. The chronological sequence of these overtures is as follows: Leonora No. 2 in C, op. 72, 1805; Leonora No. 3 in C, op. 72, 1806; Leonora No. 1 in C, op. 138, 1807; Fidelio in E, op. 72, 1814.

The clarinet part for the overture and part of the symphony is written for C clarinet. Most clarinetists do not owns Cs, and transpose those parts to play on their Bb instruments. Since I own a C instrument (which I bought for the occasional extremely difficult C parts, such as in Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier), I will use it. C clarinets are notoriously bright, which is why they fell out of use. I recently found a sweet Backun barrel for mine, which mellows the sound nicely.

Our piano soloist this weekend is Orli Shaham, who offers a spirited and lyrical rendition of Beethoven’s 3rd concerto. She’s also quite fun to work with. When she came on the nearly empty stage during our lunch break to practice, I was there with my colleague Woody. She said in an exaggeratedly loud tone, “Now that’s what I like to see, musicians on stage practicing!” During the rehearsal, she made one small request through the conductor about note length, and said something like, “Yeah, I’m the culprit messing with details again.”

At one point in the concerto’s heartbreakingly lyrical slow movement, the pianist holds down the “sustain” pedal through a long passage, blurring all the notes together. I later asked her if Beethoven had indicated this, and she said he had, that he was always experimenting with different sounds and colors. The effect is such that the music sounds as if it’s floating, hovering suspended as each note swirls around the next.

It’s amazing how fresh and new even such well known music can sound. Of course, Beethoven was the ultimate modernist. But don’t tell anyone. They might decide they don’t like his music anymore.

Over the past few weeks we played several short educational concerts in various Columbus elementary schools.

Yesterday we played at West Broad Elementary. At each concert Peter Stafford Wilson, who conducts all these concerts, asks the children to name the “families” of instruments after pieces featuring them. In most schools, the kids had trouble answering correctly, but at West Broad, they nailed all the answers. Kudos to the teachers at W Broad Elementary!

This week we play another set of educational concerts in the Ohio Theater for Columbus children. The kids always seem to love coming to the ultra-fancy Ohio Theater to see the Symphony.

I remember going to see the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center while in Middle School. It was one of my first introductions to the symphony. I remember learning about the radical style of Berlioz through hearing parts of his Symphonie Fantastique. Did that experience help prompt my decision to become a musician? Yes.

Last week we played Ravel’s Tombeau de Couperin along with his G Major Piano Concerto and Brahms 1st Symphony, in the Palace Theater. Guest artist Christopher O’Riley served double duty as soloist and conductor.

I liked O’Riley’s idea of having members of the orchestra make a few comments about the piece we were about to play. It helped the audience connect a face and a personality to the music they were about to hear. I hope we do more of that.

By his own admission he had never conducted an orchestra. Not only did that take guts to admit, it took even more guts to do! He fared well in general, with some help from us. But that’s what it’s about, isn’t it? I think we play better as an orchestra when we have to rely on our best musical instincts, our internal rhythm, and our (remarkably vast) combined experience. Together we pulled it off. O’Riley is certainly an amiable guy, an earnest musician and accomplished pianist.

On May 29 and 30 we perform an all Beethoven concert with conductor George Manahan. I remember his stellar performance of Stravinsky’s Petrouchka here several years ago. Not only did he piece together the notoriously fragmented score into a cohesive whole in the performance, but he conducted in both a three and four pattern beat simultaneously in one spot!

Manahan is primarily known for his successful and seasoned leadership at the New York City Opera. In my opinion, that’s a terrific foundation for dramatic and vivid interpretations of symphonic music.

I look forward to playing the mind-blowing music of Beethoven (including his 5th symphony) with such a seasoned artist.

In his eleventh season as Music Director of New York City Opera, the wide-ranging and versatile George Manahan has had an esteemed career embracing everything from opera to the concert stage, the traditional to the contemporary. He has been hailed for his leadership at City Opera, where he “gets from his players the kind of heartfelt involvement unthinkable in the City Opera orchestra pit 20 years ago…these musicians operate with such consistent energy and involvement.” (New York Times)
George Manahan has distinguished himself throughout the world as one of… more the foremost conductors of our time, and is especially known in the opera world for his musical guidance of diverse productions including productions of ‘La faniculla del West’, ‘Daphne’, ‘Ermione’, ‘Dialogues of the Carmelites’, ‘Cendrillon’, ‘Die tote Stadt’. He has also toured Japan with NYCO’s production of ‘Little Women’.

Mr. Manahan’s guest appearances include the symphonies of Atlanta, San Francisco, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Charlotte, and New Jersey, where he served as acting Music Director for four seasons.