by Kenneth Woods | Jul 8, 2006 | A view from the podium
Blogs are a somewhat clumsy place to talk about things that really matter, but I want to go on record as wishing a speedy recovery to one of my favorite colleagues, David Gedge, who collapsed tonight during a performance of The Creation in Brecon. I know an awful lot...
by Kenneth Woods | Jul 8, 2006 | A view from the podium, Nuts and bolts
So, back to sustaining…. We talked in some detail about one small bit of Beethoven, and some of what we had to understand in order to begin shape the sound to make the music sound as alive, vibrant, intense and directed as the composer wants it to sound. For the...
by Kenneth Woods | Jul 7, 2006 | A view from the podium
Hi readers- Just a word of encouragement to any of you who’ve thought about commenting on something and haven’t. I have had conversations with a number of you at rehearsals where you’ve said things like “I was going to write a comment saying...
by Kenneth Woods | Jul 7, 2006 | A view from the podium, Favorite posts, Nuts and bolts
Very briefly…. My favourite moment in the second movement of Beethoven 3 is bars 157-159 (just after letter E), when we hear a very soft, very high a-flat in the first violins, followed by a very loud, very low a-flat in the celli and basses, then a very loud a-flat...
by Kenneth Woods | Jul 6, 2006 | A view from the podium, Nuts and bolts
In my last post, I started to discuss the question of sustaining from a conductor’s point of view. Now that we’ve looked at the general concept of sustain, lets apply it to an actual piece of music, one that we studied in some depth at the RCICW. Take, for example,...
by Kenneth Woods | Jul 6, 2006 | A view from the podium, Nuts and bolts
It’s been my intent since starting this blog to avoid autobiographical content as much as possible. I find it hard to believe that anyone is going to be particularly interested to know how excited I was to have my first authentic Cincinnati-style chilli in 4 years...
by Kenneth Woods | Jul 4, 2006 | A view from the podium
One of the most admired singers of our time has passed, and much, much too early....
by Kenneth Woods | Jul 4, 2006 | A view from the podium, Performing Life
From the Durago Herald review- “More than 200 Durangoans, a combination of the lucky and the good, enjoyed two remarkable chamber music concerts over the weekend at Fort Lewis College. The assembled talent handled the technical challenges of several gems of the...
by Kenneth Woods | Jul 4, 2006 | A view from the podium, Performing Life
Once the music got started on night one, it was a fun and celebratory evening. It’s always more fun playing in a full house, and the Dvorak Piano Quintet is such a blast to play and hear. Afterwards we all adjourned to a very nice restaurant called Ken and Sue’s- nice...
by Kenneth Woods | Jul 2, 2006 | A view from the podium, Performing Life
Finally, opening night at the Clocktower Chamber Music Festival. It seems that lately, everywhere I go, there is a drama unfolding. At least here, I am just a musician, and not the worrier in charge, but, nevertheless, it would be nice to see things go smoothly for...
by Kenneth Woods | Jun 30, 2006 | A view from the podium, Performing Life
Exhausting work this morning on Shostakovich Quintet and Faure Piano Quartet. The Shostakovich is getting better and better, and we’re certainly getting more unified in our approach, but it is unforgivingly difficult and very hard to pull off musically. I...
by Kenneth Woods | Jun 30, 2006 | A view from the podium, Performing Life
Not much to report today. We had a really positive and exciting rehearsal on the Dvorak Piano Quintet this morming. The textures are getting clearer and the shape of the whole work is starting to come through. Such fun to play, especially when we don’t wallow in...
by Kenneth Woods | Jun 30, 2006 | A view from the podium
This is from Alex Ross’s blog “The Rest is Noise.” Can America really call itself a civilized or learned society anymore? The new issue of the Finnish Music Quarterly reveals that the Finnish government is spending 359.5 million euros on the arts...
by Kenneth Woods | Jun 29, 2006 | A view from the podium, Performing Life
Second day of hard work in beautiful Durango. Spent most of my morning getting used to a cello that is very different from mine. It only takes minutes to figure out what one needs to do differently on a new instrument. Less bow pressure or contact point generally...
by Kenneth Woods | Jun 28, 2006 | A view from the podium, Performing Life
Just completed my first day at the Clocktower Chamber Music Festival in Durango, Colorado. The festival is the brainchild of violinist Mikayla Myers McTeer and pianist Lisa Campi. Lisa is a dear friend and one of my oldest and closest musical associates. We’ve...
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