The coach goes to his bench….

by | Oct 11, 2007 | A view from the podium

I recently conducted a concert where nearly half the members of the regular wind section were missing for a variety of reasons. In a Beethoven sized group, we had completely different horn, trumpet and flute sections, and were missing our usual principal bassoonist....

Slatkin to Detroit

by | Oct 9, 2007 | A view from the podium, Music and Media

Congratulations to my old teacher and mentor Leonard Slatkin on his appointment as Music Director of the Detroit Symphony, where he is succeeding Naime Jarvi beginning in the fall of the 2008-9 Season. Leonard offered the following comment in a press release from the...

Programming thoughts after the programme

by | Oct 8, 2007 | A view from the podium

Back at Vftp International Headquarters, I’m starting to recover (slowly) from a busy concert weekend with the Surrey Mozart Players. I actually thought it was an unusually satisfying program. Mozart- Impresario Overture Fauré- Pelléas and Melisande Suite Saint-Saens-...

A rehearsal moment….

by | Oct 4, 2007 | A view from the podium

We had a very interesting moment tonight in rehearsal with the Surrey Mozart Players- I’m curious if anyone besides me even noticed it…. We were rehearsing the Saint-Saens 2nd Cello Concerto for the first time with our soloist, Parry Karp. Parry is a rare cellist who...