by Kenneth Woods | Sep 11, 2008 | A view from the podium
In spite of the significant technical challenges for all the players in Philip Sawyers Gale of Life Overture, rehearsals moved along at a quick pace. The main reason for our smooth progress was the immense care Philip had obviously taken in making his writing as...
by Kenneth Woods | Sep 9, 2008 | A view from the podium
It’s hard to accept that the Proms season is nearly over, and that this will be the first year in a long time that I haven’t been to a concert at the Albert Hall in person. I’m doubly sad about that because it seems like it’s been an awfully good year at the Proms. As...
by Kenneth Woods | Sep 8, 2008 | A view from the podium, Performing Life
We’re coming to you today from the beautiful island of Procida, off the coast of Naples. This week, our piano trio is performing the first concert of the “Fish and Music” festival in the grande marina. I’ve never played at an occasion named for a food before, although...
by Kenneth Woods | Sep 5, 2008 | A view from the podium, Nuts and bolts
As we got to terms quickly with the difficulties on the Sibelius, we also had a lot of work to do on the first half on the concert. The opening of the Tristan Prelude is one of the hardest passages for wind intonation ever written. Many of the recordings I’ve heard...
by Kenneth Woods | Sep 4, 2008 | A view from the podium
The Sibelius symphonies are full of difficulties for the conductor, instrumentalists and even the audience. Though the whole of his Fifth Symphony is shorter than the Finale of Mahler 2, it’s just as difficult a work to put together, and in some ways more so. For the...
by Kenneth Woods | Sep 2, 2008 | A view from the podium
There’s a great feature over at the Guardian by Tom Service on Pierre Boulez’s annual conducting masterclasses at the Lucerne Festival. It includes a nice video interview with some brief footage of his work at the institute. I’ve been told in the past by some of our...
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