by Kenneth Woods | May 4, 2010 | Mahler, Mahler- Performer's Perspective
Hi everyone As you know, Sunday night was Mahler 8 night in Manchester. I don’t do reviews, but I can tell readers a little about the concert, if you are content with just the facts…. Who was playing in the orchestra? The combined forces of the BBC Philharmonic and...
by Kenneth Woods | Apr 30, 2010 | A view from the podium
The Bridgewater Hall- Mahler in Manchester Sir Mark Elder conducts the musicians of the Halle and the BBC Philharmonic, the Halle Choirs and the CBSO Chorus as well as a starry line up of soloists this Sunday, May 2nd in a performance of Mahler’s Symphony no. 8...
by Kenneth Woods | Apr 27, 2010 | Mahler, Mahler- Performer's Perspective
The Bridgewater Hall- Mahler in Manchester “The Founder of the New Symphony as I understand it” Gustav Mahler on Hans Rott Let’s face it- we conductors will do just about anything to sell a record or promote a concert. And there is nothing that attracts...
by Kenneth Woods | Apr 27, 2010 | Study with Ken
Sixth Annual Rose City International Conductor’s Workshop July 5-11, 2010 The Priority Application deadline has passed for the 2010 Workshop, and with all Priority places full, we now have a select number of positions available for the Final Round of applications,...
by Kenneth Woods | Apr 21, 2010 | Mahler, Mahler- Performer's Perspective, Nuts and bolts
Ken’s first summer at Colorado MahlerFest is just around the corner, and so it seems time to add to the Mahler- A Performer’s Perspective library here at Vftp. This year’s festival centers on Mahler’s 7th Symphony with performances on the 21st and 22nd of May....
by Kenneth Woods | Mar 14, 2010 | A view from the podium
(The ghosts of Leningrad, now St Petersberg, as captured by the great Alexey Titarenko I think it is fair to say that a great composer never wastes an idea- be it a musical motive or a technical concept. Everything is explored and developed. We all know that the...
by Kenneth Woods | Mar 13, 2010 | A view from the podium
(The ghosts of Leningrad, now St Petersberg, as captured by the great Alexey Titarenko) By this point in my life, the vast majority of works I’m conducting are ones I’ve already been thinking about for a long time, and already have very strong convictions about....
by Kenneth Woods | Mar 11, 2010 | Music and Media, Nuts and bolts
Some months ago, my trio, Ensemble Epomeo, had just given a rather pleasant and exciting concert the night before, and I was enjoying my morning espresso on the slopes of Mount Epomeo just that little bit more with the first performance of a challenging new program...
by Kenneth Woods | Mar 8, 2010 | Mahler, Mahler- Performer's Perspective, Nuts and bolts
I am often asked to rank the Mahler symphonies. Which one do you think is the greatest? Which is the hardest to conduct? Which is hardest to play? Which is a good one to start with if I am new to Mahler? Which one sells the most tickets? Not surprisingly, my...
by Kenneth Woods | Mar 1, 2010 | Mahler, Mahler- Performer's Perspective, Nuts and bolts
The Bridgewater Hall- Mahler in Manchester Hi everyone- I have a crazy turnaround between gigs this week and I need to write something about Shostakovich 7 while the experience is still fresh, so we’re callin’ in the reserves. I mentioned to Peter Davison the other...
by Kenneth Woods | Feb 28, 2010 | Mahler, Mahler- Performer's Perspective, Music and Media, Nuts and bolts
First, let me say hello to the many new readers who have found their way here from the BBC after my chat (which you can hear here) with Nicholas Kenyon on yesterday’s Today programme. In that very brief segment, we managed to touch on a few topics very dear to my...
by Kenneth Woods | Feb 26, 2010 | Mahler- Performer's Perspective, Music and Media, News and Reviews
VFTP readers who have been following my current Mahler in Manchester series may interested to listen in tomorrow, Saturday the 27th of Feb at 8:20 AM GMT to Today on BBC Radio 4. We will be discussing my recent post, “Mahler 5, a tempo,” and the whole...
by Kenneth Woods | Feb 24, 2010 | News and Reviews, Study with Ken
Rose City Chamber Orchestra announces 6th Annual Rose City International Conductor’s Workshop July 5-11, 2010 Concordia University Portland, Oregon Priority Application Deadline- April 21, 2010 Emerging Artists Program An intense professional workshop for...
by Kenneth Woods | Feb 22, 2010 | Mahler, Mahler- Performer's Perspective, Nuts and bolts
The Bridgewater Hall- Mahler in Manchester The Halle and their music director, Sir Mark Elder, will be performing Mahler’s Symphony no. 5 on Thursday, the 4th of March at 7:30 PM in the Bridgewater Hall. Also on the programme is the premiere of Uri Caine’s Scenes from...
by Kenneth Woods | Feb 21, 2010 | Mahler, Mahler- Performer's Perspective
Well, Hans Rott seems to be in the zeitgeist this week. My old school mate, Tom Consolo, has written a brilliant piece for Music in Cincinnati describing the events leading up to the first performances of the Rott Symphony in E in Cincinnati and Paris in 1989. The...
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