{"id":2341,"date":"2011-01-24T21:37:34","date_gmt":"2011-01-24T20:37:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennethwoods.net\/blog1\/?p=2341"},"modified":"2011-01-24T21:47:09","modified_gmt":"2011-01-24T20:47:09","slug":"performing-life-a-month-on-the-road-with-ken-at-well-tempered-ear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennethwoods.net\/blog1\/2011\/01\/24\/performing-life-a-month-on-the-road-with-ken-at-well-tempered-ear\/","title":{"rendered":"Performing life- a month on the road with Ken at Well-Tempered Ear"},"content":{"rendered":"

A while back, Jacob Stockinger, author of the excellent blog \u201cThe Well-Tempered Ear\u201d<\/a> suggested I write a diary of one month in my professional life. I chose last June because it was a busy and interesting time, but it took me some time to get around to writing my part of it and took Jake some time to edit it, so here we are: the series has just been run over the last 3 days.<\/p>\n

How busy a month was it? Well, it is spread over 3 blog posts, which you can read here<\/a>, here<\/a> and here.<\/a> It’s the sort of thing I envisioned writing when I started the blog, but I find writing about music more fun than reminding myself of the joys of airline travel, so I seem to need outside prodding. Since it has been a little while since I wrote it, it was actually rather interesting to read it all on the blog- I found myself wondering how the whole month would turn out. I’m very glad Jake suggested it and even more glad he ran the piece.<\/p>\n

But how busy was it, really? Seven orchestras, ranging from the world\u2019s greatest string orchestra <\/a>to a youth orchestra having its first rehearsal. Each orchestra in a different city with a different program. Well over 3000 miles in the car. A concerto played. A pair of world premieres and a pair of trans-Atlantic flights. Trust me, it was busy.<\/p>\n

So, you\u2019ll want to read up and find out all about the glamorous world of the professional conductor. From morning, when Jeeves brings me my cappuccino and slippers, through the short limousine ride to rehearsal, while I read the Financial Times,\u00a0 to my afternoon champagne cocktail, it is a life of glamour and privilege. Or is it something else? Imagine going to rehearsal on 3 hours sleep after driving 12 hours to meetings and rehearsals in three cities the day before:<\/p>\n

\u201cFortunately, there are no ill effects from the lost day of practice once I\u2019ve done a slow, careful warm-up in my hotel. It\u2019s off to dress rehearsal. I always say conducting is more tiring than playing the cello on a sheer physical level, but doing both is something else, and I am pooped from Friday\u2019s driving. By the end of the rehearsal I feel only half alive. Great program: Telemann\u2019s \u201cDon Quioxte\u201d (which I\u2019m leading from the cello facing the orchestra), the Schumann Cello Concerto<\/a> (again, leading from the cello but facing the audience) and\u00a0Beethoven 6<\/a>. <\/strong>I sleep on the floor of my green room for most of the short gap between rehearsal and concert\u201d<\/p>\n

The story begins with American Airlines smashing my cello in Heathrow Airport and ends with Delta losing all my family\u2019s luggage, including all our baby kit, on our way to America a month later. Whatever negative things you may read about musicians and airlines, I can only assure you, they are way too kind to the airlines in question.<\/p>\n

The last concert of the month featured Franck\u2019s D minor Symphony, a work whose fall into obscurity lead me to write this blog post<\/a>. I mention this because I as I sat down to write this , I came across this from Edward Seckerson in the Independent<\/a>.<\/p>\n

E.S: \u201cFashion is a strange thing. There was a time when the C\u00e9sar Franck Symphony was popular core repertoire.<\/p>\n

All the greats performed and recorded it \u2013 Monteux, Bernstein, Karajan. Suddenly it was out of vogue \u2013 obsolete, neglected. Why? Hearing it again after so long an absence (I really cannot remember when I last heard a live performance) this big benevolent piece seemed to have left its portentousness in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n

It all sounds vaguely familiar<\/a>:<\/p>\n

KW: \u201cIt\u2019s almost ten years to the day since I last conducted the Franck (that time around it was paired with the Ravel Pavanne pour une infante defunte and the Chausson Poeme for Violin and Orchestra).<\/p>\n

The Franck is hardly obscure or unknown, but it was once a repertoire staple and these days is much more rarely heard. In fact, the vast majority of the orchestra this week are playing the piece for the first time. I think it\u2019s a pity such a marvelous and effective piece isn\u2019t done more often, but what is more worrying is that its disappearance from the repertoire seems to be part of a larger trend.\u201d<\/p>\n

Well, great minds and all that….<\/p>\n