by Kenneth Woods | Mar 25, 2011 | A view from the podium, Lists
Welcome back! We hope you are enjoying our survey of the real 20 greatest conductors of all time- you can read part one here. On to numbers 6-10. Who are your favorites? Do share your comments. Remember, all rankings are potentially arbitrary and or perverse. 6 ....
by Kenneth Woods | Mar 25, 2011 | A view from the podium, Lists
The current issue of BBC Music Magazine has a featured list of the “20 Greatest Conductors of All Time,” including one fantastic misprint in the press release version of the list now circulating- “Terenc” rather than “Ferenc” Fricsay 1. Carlos Kleiber (1930-2004)...
by Kenneth Woods | Mar 21, 2011 | A view from the podium
Perfection It’s a powerful word. Can it apply to music? Should it? Even when it does, is it the point? Is perfect music inherently better music? I don’t think a performance can be perfect. Technically flawless- yes. Magical- yes. Perfect? No. All too often, the price...
by Kenneth Woods | Mar 21, 2011 | Performing Life
I had hoped to avoid any unwanted drama surrounding my Lancashire Chamber Orchestra concert on Saturdayday by avoiding any travel that morning. . ‘Twas not to be. A couple of hours before our dress rehearsal, I had a call from Georgina, the orchestra’s chair and...
by Kenneth Woods | Mar 15, 2011 | A view from the podium
Conductor Yakov Kreizberg has died at the unfathomable age of just 51 after a long illness. There are details on Norman Lebrecht’s blog and from his agent here. Here is an excerpt of her letter announcing his passing: It is with deep sorrow that we must announce...
by Kenneth Woods | Mar 15, 2011 | A view from the podium
Composer Aldo Clementi passed away last week at the age of 85. There have been nice tributes at The Rambler , Ravishdears and Boulezian. I came into professional contact with his music only once- we recorded two of his early works, Ideogrammi I and Ideogrammi II, with...
by Kenneth Woods | Mar 15, 2011 | A view from the podium
One of my favorite guessing games this year is “who will be the next Mahler?” The goal of this game is not to decide whether Schoenberg or Shostakovich was Mahler’s true musical heir (it’s likely they both thought they were). Rather, the question is over which...
by Kenneth Woods | Mar 14, 2011 | A view from the podium
I’m a little frustrated that I haven’t had a chance to post in what looked on the calendar like a quiet week. This is often the case- a week without a concert ends up with so much off-the-podium activity crammed in that it feels even busier. Just as by a quirk of...
by Kenneth Woods | Mar 8, 2011 | A view from the podium
I did a short interview with the Orchestra of the Swan media team yesterday in preparation for the orchestra’s Spring Sounds Festival May 27-29. I’m conducting Copland’s Rodeo and Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue on the first concert and they asked...
by Kenneth Woods | Mar 7, 2011 | A view from the podium
Volume One of our survey of the symphonies of Bobby Schumann and Hans Gal is getting tantalizingly close to reality. The disc itself is in editing as I write this, and the cover has now been added officially to Avie’s upcoming releases catalogue. It’s...
by Kenneth Woods | Mar 7, 2011 | Nuts and bolts
The response to our guest post from trombonist Nige Hughes has been quite overwhelming, so we thought it might be of interest to readers to offer you a window into exactly how it is done. There is also the hope that somewhere in the world, someone takes a clue from...
by Kenneth Woods | Mar 3, 2011 | A view from the podium
Regular Vftp readers will have read before about my colleague at the Wrexham Symphony Orchestra, Nigel Hughes. Nigel is the orchestra’s principal trombonist. He is also blind. (He also designed the orchestra’s excellent website). The fact that someone can play...
by Kenneth Woods | Mar 3, 2011 | Lists, Music and Media, News and Reviews
It is with a mixture of pride and sheepishness that I write to call readers’ attention to the occasion of Vftp’s 1000th post. It is a sign of the sheer magnitude of time wasting that has gone into this project since 2006 that it is hard to say definitively which post...
by Kenneth Woods | Mar 1, 2011 | A view from the podium, Favorite posts
I was on my way to work over the weekend when I heard an extended interview with violinist Daniel Hope on BBC Radio 3’s “CD Review.” Mr Hope and host Andrew McGregor were discussing Daniel Hope’s new album, “The Romantic Violinist,” a tribute to the musical legacy of...
by Kenneth Woods | Feb 23, 2011 | Lists, Mahler, Mahler- Performer's Perspective, Not quite the news, Satire
Top Ten Signs You May Have Just Written a Mahler Symphony 10. Somewhere in the world, someone is already arguing over which order the middle movements should be played in. 9. You have set a new world record for most grace notes in a first violin part. 8. 15 year-old...
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