Kenneth Woods- A View From the Podium

There is a nice interview with me in the Birmingham Post today. Chief critic Chris Morley managed to take the conversation to a few places I’d  never been asked about, particularly my affection for the music of William Walton, whose Facade I’m conducting with Orchestra of the Swan on May 31st in Compton Verney as part of the  Spring Sounds festival.

“I’ve always loved Walton’s music. He and Elgar have held a special place in the pantheon for me since I was very young.

‘‘I doubt you would find many people who listened to the Walton Cello Concerto (composed in Ischia) more times between the ages of 14 and 18 than I did.When my cello teacher finally told me he would work with me on it, I was overjoyed.

‘‘The only tragedy with Walton is that there isn’t a huge output, and most of the works are both very difficult and written for quite a large orchestra. That makes his music a tough sell in America, where he’s not well known.

“Still, I adore the three concertos, the First Symphony is an absolute masterpiece, and so are the Variations on a Theme of Hindemith, which I’m conducting for the first time this summer. I’ve been trying to programme that piece for 15 years,” Kenneth adds.

“Facade really stands apart from the rest of his output because of the extremely witty and colourful poems, which he sets with incredible sharpness and fantasy. You wouldn’t expect the man who wrote the last movement of the Cello Concerto to be so good at comedy, but genius is like that.

‘‘It’s a pity he didn’t get more commissions that would have pointed him towards other unexpected paths during his life – he was one of those rare talents who could just compose whatever a situation demands.

Read the whole thing here.

Details on Orchestra of the Swan Spring Sounds Festival and my concert on the 31st.

Date : Monday, 31 May 2010

The final orchestral concert of Spring Sounds 2010, join us at this beautiful Palladian house set in the rolling Warwickshire countryside.

Walton’s Facade
Monday 31st May 2010, 3pm
Compton Verney

Joanna Lee: The Chronicles of Archy – world premiere
Walton: Facade – an entertainment

Sarah Leonard: soprano
Ken Woods: conductor

A pre concert talk will take place at 2.15pm

Tickets: £15 – includes gallery admission
Compton Verney Members: £5 - includes gallery admission
Available at www.comptonverney.org.uk or 01926 645500

If one happens to be thumbing through the February issue of Gramophone, you might notice a nice mention of my Orchestra of the Swan appointment on page 14- we even got a picture. You can find me right next to the piece on James Galway. I only mention this because I’ve never been in a position to say- “you can find me right next to the piece on James Galway.”

In other media news, heaven help me, I’ve finally started to use the Twitter account someone talked me into setting up over a year ago. It is strangely addictive and a nice way of sharing links to interesting bits of new and writing. My profile is here- http://twitter.com/kennethwoods.

From the East Oregonian

Maestro Kenneth Woods’ Swan Song
Seven years after moving to Wales, Kenneth Woods conducts the Oregon East Symphony in his farewell performance

By KATHY ANEY
The East Oregonian

Conductor Kenneth Woods lives for those moments when he and his orchestra slip into a musical realm beyond tempo and timbre into something almost spiritual.

“You can’t make it happen,” Woods said, “but when it does, it’s the ultimate thrill ride.”

Occasionally, he finds himself conducting with tears in his eyes. He’s had plenty of those in-the-zone moments as maestro of the Oregon East Symphony and may find himself in that place again Saturday as he waves his baton in Pendleton one final time.

Woods didn’t quit OES when he resigned as Eastern Oregon University professor and moved to Wales with his wife in 2002. Though his home in Cardiff is 5,000 miles from Pendleton, he returned regularly to Oregon for a flurry of back-to-back rehearsals ending in a performance. He racks up so many thousands of air miles that he knows many airline personnel by name.

The crazy commuting schedule isn’t the reason he’s saying goodbye to OES. Rather, the move stems from the fact his wife, violinist Suzane Casey, gave birth to their first child last year.

“I want something for Sam that more closely resembles a normal life,” Woods said.

Read more…

For readers who want to know more about Orchestra of the Swan, as it happens, their latest disc is a focus of Michael Kennedy’s weekly column in the Sunday Telegraph (alongside Rattle’s Brahms cycle and an aria disc by soprano Cheryl Barker). Good company, to be sure…

Bax, Ireland- Piano Concertos

Bebbington (piano), Curtis (conductor), Orchestra of the Swan, Somm Records

Bax’s Concertino, intended for Harriet Cohen, was abandoned in 1939 and has been edited and orchestrated by Graham Parlett. It is typical of the composer in its blend of romantic fervour and restless gloom until his spirits rise in the finale. Mark Bebbington and the conductor David Curtis are wholehearted in the advocacy of this fascinating piece. Bebbington is also impressive in Ireland’s attractive concerto with its brilliant jazzy episodes and its lyrical intensity.

The Stratford-Upon-Avon based Orchestra of the Swan have announced the appointment of American musician Kenneth Woods as their Principal Guest Conductor from 2010.

Woods, who just completed his tenure as Music Director of the Oregon East Symphony made his debut with Orchestra of the Swan conducting a Haydn anniversary concert at the Shakespeare Summer Proms in June. Woods recently made his first recordings with Northern Sinfonia for Avie Records and has been an active collaborator with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the Contemporary Music Ensemble of Wales. In 2001, Leonard Slatkin selected Woods as one of four “Debut Conductors” in the National Conducting Institute, where he conducted the National Symphony in a performance that led the Washington Post to hail him as “a true star” and an “up and coming conductor.” He is particularly known for his performances of Haydn, Schumann and Mahler, and his interest in contemporary music.

Artistic director David Curtis announced Woods’ appointment, saying “We are absolutely delighted that Ken has accepted this appointment with Orchestra of the Swan.  His performance with OOTS last season was acclaimed by orchestra and audience and I know the players are looking forward to working to working with Ken in the future.  This is a very ambitious time in the orchestra’s development and Ken’s skills on the podium combined with his energy and creative vision for the orchestra’s future make this a very exciting appointment.”

Woods expressed his excitement at the opportunity to work with one of the UK’s most flexible and ambitious ensembles, commenting that “It was immediately obvious when I started working with the orchestra in June that this is an outstanding group of musicians and artists, with an unusual degree of commitment and cohesion. They’re deeply invested in the orchestra, and that engagement comes through in their performances. It’s a huge tribute to David’s leadership and vision that this young organization combines such artistic maturity with such energy and creativity. I couldn’t be more excited about working with them musically or more optimistic about what the organization can accomplish.”

Woods is expected to make his first recordings with the orchestra in Spring of 2010, and the orchestra indicated that concert dates will be announced in the coming months.

Under the direction of Artistic Director David Curtis, Orchestra of the Swan has achieved national recognition for outstanding performances combined with innovative programming and a highly accessible style of presentation with pre-concert talks, introductions from the podium and post concert ‘conversation club’. 

Orchestra of the Swan is a major champion of new music, commissioning more new work than almost any other chamber orchestra in the UK.  Over the last 5 years OOTS has commissioned over 50 new works from composers including John Woolrich, Tansy Davies, Joe Duddell, Joseph Phibbs, Errollyn Wallen, Paul Patterson, Alexander Goehr, John Joubert and many others.

The Orchestra’s home is at the Civic Hall, Stratford-upon-Avon where it has been based since its inception; however it has also had residencies in Cheltenham, Redditch and Bedworth and performs at major concert venues and festivals including Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Warwick Arts Centre, St John’s Smith Square London, the Three Choirs Festival, St George’s Brandon Hill Bristol, Lichfield Festival and Deal Festival. Orchestra of the Swan is now an Associate Ensemble for the Town Hall, Birmingham and is the driving force behind the new Spring Sounds Festival which took place in Stratford-upon-Avon with Tasmin Little as Artistic Director in May 2008.

 The orchestra’s performances receive widespread critical acclaim in the national and regional media and are frequently chosen as Pick of the Week in The Guardian and Daily Telegraph. Their debut recording on the Somm Classical lable has received widespread critical acclaim and in June 2008 Orchestra of the Swan appeared on The South Bank Show with Tasmin Little.

 Orchestra of the Swan will be making their London debut on Wednesday, October 28 in Cadogan Hall in a concert featuring clarinettist Sarah Williamson. The programme includes works of Copland and Barber and the premiere of a new concerto by Phibbs, to be recorded alongside those of Finzi and Copland the following week. More information is available at www.cadoganhall.com

More on Orchestra of the Swan at www.orchestraoftheswan.org

 More on Kenneth Woods at www.kennethwoods.net

 More on David Curtis at www.davidconductor.com

Questions and requests for comment to-

Orchestra of the Swan

E-mail:  info@orchestraoftheswan.org