by Kenneth Woods | Jul 11, 2008 | A view from the podium
I’m sorry for the lack of new content here this week- I’ve been in my hometown of Madison, Wisconsin for a few days, and there has been a lot of sentimental favorite beers and coffees that had to be consumed, as well old friends and family to visit. Musically, Madison...
by Kenneth Woods | Jul 4, 2008 | A view from the podium, Performing Life
Well, my week at Round Top has been going by much too fast. This Texas Festival Orchestra is a marvelous group, one of the best they’ve ever had here, if not the best, and I’ve enjoyed rehearsals immensely. I remember many years ago hearing Ivan Fischer, who I admire...
by Kenneth Woods | Jul 2, 2008 | A view from the podium
I’m on the ground for an all-too-short to Festival Hill at Round Top, my first visit here in several years. The food is still great, and the grounds are as beautiful- an inimitable mixture of the immaculate and the rough-and ready, with stone monuments and incredible...
by Kenneth Woods | Jun 29, 2008 | A view from the podium
Friday’s SMP rehearsal was quite encouraging, especially the contributions of our soloists, Oliver Heath and Gary Pomeroy from the Heath Quartet. What a treat to work on the piece with two good musicians who know each other’s playing well and understand the style...
by Kenneth Woods | Jun 27, 2008 | A view from the podium
Number 104 in D Major, Haydn’s “London Symphony” is the last of Haydn’s “London” symphonies…. ...
by Kenneth Woods | Jun 27, 2008 | A view from the podium
The Complete Robert Schumann Symphonies with the Orchestra of the Swan on Avie Records I voiced concerns here on Wednesday about cycles in general, and mentioned that it felt like the first manifestations of cycle-phobia were appearing in this rehearsal sequence. I...
by Kenneth Woods | Jun 24, 2008 | A view from the podium, Haydn
This scene took place on the steps of a festival concert hall in the US one summer, where an orchestra had just been rehearsing Haydn’s Symphony no. 82….. “You know, I’m actually enjoying this piece.” “Yeah, me too. I kind of expected it to be boring ‘cause its Haydn,...
by Kenneth Woods | Jun 24, 2008 | A view from the podium
“Cycle,” I mean…. I’ve noticed lately that any kind of cycle of works by a single composer is bound to unleash bellyaching from one direction or another. When they’re well played, I love cycles. I like to experience a composer’s evolution through a series of...
by Kenneth Woods | Jun 20, 2008 | A view from the podium, Explore the Score, Nuts and bolts
On my desk today is Schumann’s 2nd Symphony. If you had assembled a panel of experts, including every major composer from 1825 to 1899, at the end of the 19th century to pick the most important symphony after Beethoven, Schumann 2 would probably have been the one,...
by Kenneth Woods | Jun 18, 2008 | A view from the podium
In the comments to my post on piano tuning, CB’s comment to the effect of– Have you ever actually tried to tune a piano? I think that would change your mind a bit – if you dont go mad. I spent a great deal of time in HS screwing around on Church pianos...
by Kenneth Woods | Jun 16, 2008 | A view from the podium
My recent posts on KZ and Franz Mohr have left me wanting to follow up with some of my own, rather inexpert, opinions on piano tuning. This may sound like an outrageous sacrilege, but I really struggle with the intonation of pianos, and I find myself very much at odds...
by Kenneth Woods | Jun 16, 2008 | A view from the podium
Classical Source, the online magazine of classical reviews and features, has an extensive audio interview with the Mahler scholar Henry-Louis de la Grange on their website here. The final volume of his epic Mahler biography (the new volume for is over 1500 pages) has...
by Kenneth Woods | Jun 13, 2008 | A view from the podium
While doing the dishes today, I overheard a report on the BBC about this weekend’s four day strike by truck drivers for Shell. I know it is bad form to pit the interests of unions against each other, but my ears did pick up when I heard that the base salary for the...
by Kenneth Woods | Jun 12, 2008 | A view from the podium, Music and Media
Courtesy of Oregon Public Broadcasting, here is a fascinating interview with long-time Steinway chief concert technician, Franz Mohr, who was also the personal piano technician to Horowitz. The program is called “A Life in Tune,” from OPB’s Think Out Loud. It’s a bit...
by Kenneth Woods | Jun 12, 2008 | A view from the podium
Coming up next week on the 22nd of June I will be performing the string orchestra version of a piece called “The Tall-Eared Fox and the Wild-Eyed Man,” by Michigan based composer Evan Chambers. It is a joyous hoot of a work, replete with manic fiddling, bagpipe music...
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