by Kenneth Woods | Jan 7, 2007 | A view from the podium
Good news, and not surprising to me at all, from Alex Ross. The internet can solve one of the great problems of the classical recording industry- classical buyers tend to graze in larger pasteurs than pop fans. The gap between the best and the worst selling discs is...
by Kenneth Woods | Jan 7, 2007 | A view from the podium, Mahler
On to the second song now, and back into the capable hands of Mitch Friedfeld. From a purely subjective point of view, I find this is in many ways the most anguished of all the songs. This poem contains the most intense imagery and the most stylized and heightened use...
by Kenneth Woods | Jan 7, 2007 | A view from the podium, Explore the Score, Mahler, Nuts and bolts
As promised, I would like to try to backtrack to the time this film was shot and just throw in a bit of a performers perspective on the first song of the cycle. It’s quite common for non-musicians to say things along the lines of “you must feel so lucky to get to do...
by Kenneth Woods | Jan 4, 2007 | A view from the podium, Explore the Score, Mahler
I’d like to start this voyage into Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder first with an extended excerpt from Mitch Friedfeld’s essay, followed by the video of the first song. Then, in the next post, I’ll share some of my reactions to the piece as a performer. The three main...
by Kenneth Woods | Jan 2, 2007 | A view from the podium
I’m hard at work studying Mahler’s masterpiece, Das Lied von der Erde (in Arnold Schoenberg’s reduction) for our concert with the Rose City Chamber Orchestra on February 3rd. With Mahler’s vocal music very much on my mind, and with some new video functionality on my...
by Kenneth Woods | Jan 1, 2007 | A view from the podium, Music and Media
My friends in the technological brain trust have been working on the next generation of resources for my website, and, after much worry and frustration (remembering they’re only paid in beer), we now have our first video on kennethwoods.net. This is a performance of...
by Kenneth Woods | Dec 30, 2006 | A view from the podium, Music and Media
I feel like I must apologize for my unusually long absence from the blog. Of course, the holidays (particularly the arrival of out-of-town family) have played a role, as has the worsening of a long-standing problem with my broadband service. And, of course, I’ve been...
by Kenneth Woods | Dec 21, 2006 | A view from the podium, Mahler, News and Reviews
I’ve had some recent Mahler-related changes and additions to my spring concert calendar that I want to share with readers. I’d like to invite any interested listeners, especially those on the West Coast, to a performance by the Rose City Chamber Orchestra...
by Kenneth Woods | Dec 19, 2006 | A view from the podium, Music and Media, Performing Life
For those of you who still read those quaint old “magazine” things they print on paper, I’m happy to report that one of the best of them, Gramophone, has seen fit to devote this month’s “Blogwatch” column to “A view from the podium.” The piece is to be found on page...
by Kenneth Woods | Dec 19, 2006 | A view from the podium, Performing Life
In the months since I started Avtp it has been fascinating to see which posts draw the most interest. It’s quite an understatement to say that there have been a few surprises. One of the posts which has had a tremendous readership from all over the world which has...
by Kenneth Woods | Dec 19, 2006 | A view from the podium
Truly, the prophet is not recognized in his own land. Re-reading this, I’m amazed at how much his world view (and his take on the recording industry) has stayed with me over twenty-plus years since I first became a listener. Re-reading the book, it’s quite depressing...
by Kenneth Woods | Dec 16, 2006 | A view from the podium
From Gunter Wand’s program note on Bruckner 9- “The greater brusqueness of the Ninth Symphony’s sound world, when compared with that of its predecessors, sometimes creates the impression of a conscious aloofness and results from a greater rigour in the...
by Kenneth Woods | Dec 16, 2006 | A view from the podium
“In order to play a pizzicato perfectly together with the entire string section, everyone else must wait until they’ve heard the bass section’s pizz begin to sound, and then play theirs.” Walter Weller PS- Yes, it works ...
by Kenneth Woods | Dec 12, 2006 | A view from the podium
I often get asked “what is the weirdest thing about being a conductor?” Of course, it does beg the other question- “why does anything have to be weird about being a conductor?” But, hey, who are we kidding? So… Here’s an attempt to describe at least one aspect of my...
by Kenneth Woods | Dec 12, 2006 | A view from the podium
The life of the gigging musician can be pretty tough. Weddings, parties, receptions, corporate events, muddy field concerts…. All can involve many hours of sight-reading a wide variety of arrangements with new colleagues in adverse conditions. Cramped quarters, dark...
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