by Kenneth Woods | Jul 6, 2006 | A view from the podium, Nuts and bolts
In my last post, I started to discuss the question of sustaining from a conductor’s point of view. Now that we’ve looked at the general concept of sustain, lets apply it to an actual piece of music, one that we studied in some depth at the RCICW. Take, for example,...
by Kenneth Woods | Jul 6, 2006 | A view from the podium, Nuts and bolts
It’s been my intent since starting this blog to avoid autobiographical content as much as possible. I find it hard to believe that anyone is going to be particularly interested to know how excited I was to have my first authentic Cincinnati-style chilli in 4 years...
by Kenneth Woods | Jun 19, 2006 | A view from the podium, Nuts and bolts
Beethoven- Why do we talk about him in such simplistic terms? Why do we have to choose sides between old school loud, slow and flabby and new school fast, shrill and cold? Is absence of vibrato really a sophisticated sound concept? Is vibrato on every note really a...
by Kenneth Woods | Jun 18, 2006 | A view from the podium, Nuts and bolts
This issue will be one of many that is sure to come up this week at the RCICW We all know that the first movement of Beethoven 8, the first movement of Beethoven 3 and the Egmont overture tend to inspire debate among musicians as to whether they should be in three or...
by Kenneth Woods | Apr 5, 2006 | Explore the Score, Mahler, Mahler 2 Notes, Nuts and bolts
Mahler’s Second Symphony is in five movements and was completed in 1894, but the first of those was composed and published several years earlier in 1888 (at the same time as the First Symphony) as a tone poem called “Totenfeier” or “Funeral Rites.” It wasn’t until...
by Kenneth Woods | Mar 25, 2006 | Explore the Score, Mahler, Mahler 2 Notes, Nuts and bolts
The third movement of this symphony ended with nothing less than “the appalling shriek of this tortured soul.” How magical, then, is the moment that follows? Mahler instructs us that the third, fourth and fifth movements should be played without any break, and so from...
Recent Comments