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Positions Peabody Trio violinist Violaine Melançon and pianist Seth Knopp kicked off the 2000–01 concert season with a new cellist, Natasha Brofsky, formerly principal cellist of the Norwegian Radio Orchestra and assistant principal of the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra. Cellist Nicholas Tzavaris, a 25-year-old New England Conservatory graduate and former student of Laurence Lesser, has joined the Shanghai Quartet. Tzavaris is the the older son of Roberta Guaspari, whose violin program inspired the film Music of the Heart. The New England Conservatory announced the election of Daniel Steiner as its president in June. He had been serving as acting president since July 1999. John Moran has been appointed teacher of viola da gamba and Baroque cello at Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Maryland. And Moscow native Ilya Kaler, the only violinist to win gold medals in the Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, and Paganini Competitions, is now associate professor of violin at the Eastman School of Music. In July, Ricardo Muti, music director of La Scala opera house in Milan and a regular guest conductor of the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonics, turned down the New York Philharmonic’s offer to succeed Kurt Masur as music director in 2002. Muti felt that he would not be able to devote enough time to the New York Philharmonic, which will continue its search. Saraste to Leave Toronto After seven years as music director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Jukka-Pekka Saraste announced earlier this year that he will not renew his contract, which expires in July 2001. Though initial reports about Saraste’s decision focused on his desire to raise his young children at home in Finland, thornier issues soon surfaced. First, there are the notoriously abysmal acoustics in the TSO’s home, Roy Thomson Hall. "I can’t personally work in this hall," Saraste told Toronto’s Globe and Mail newspaper. "The best performances we’ve done, in my opinion, have been outside Toronto." Repeated requests that the venue’s management address the problem have fallen on deaf ears. More troubling is the general question of Canadian support for culture. "I was surprised that there was so much talk about whether to maintain an orchestra, and about whether an arts institution has the right to exist or not," Saraste told the Globe’s Robert Everett-Green. That talk has meant that Saraste spends a great deal of his time glad-handing, in an effort to raise money for the orchestra, rather than leading the players musically. As it turns out, Saraste’s comments foreshadowed "Big City, Small Town Ambition," the Globe and Mail’s recent series about Toronto’s lukewarm support for culture. Still, some in the Toronto music media are avoiding these difficult questions, evidently preferring to pin their hopes on a bright star to save the embattled orchestra. Claiming that the youthful Finn failed to live up to his billing as a classical-music hipster, Everett-Green wrote, "The right candidate, with a more approachable manner, could do a lot to help revive the orchestra’s standing at home and ultimately at the bank as well." —Juliana Farha New Plans at the 92nd Street Y Czech-born Hanna Arie-Gaifman is full of plans in her new role as director of New York’s 92nd Street Y Tisch Center for the Arts. Long before she arrived, former director of classical music Frederick Noonan had programmed four Czech quartets, the Panocha, Prazák, Skampa, and Wihan Quartets. Arie-Gaifman confesses, "Had someone asked me to pick the four best Czech quartets, I’d have chosen the same ones anyway." She finds that the Czech ensembles retain "a pleasure in joint work, of being together and making music." The Czech Philharmonic, in her opinion, also shares in this unique joy in collaborating for artistic ends. Her old friend and colleague, the late Sandor Vegh, with whom she founded the Bohuslav Martinu Chamber Music Academy at Dobris Castle near Prague, was a fount of anecdotes about less joyful collaborations: "Mr. Vegh would tell Bruno Giuranna to please tell Mr. Csabo to play something," because the players of the Vegh might not be on speaking terms on a given day. By contrast, there looks to be plenty of intercommunication at Arie-Gaifman’s 92nd Street Y, where a series of Young Europe recitals will attempt to break through the difficulties younger foreign artists have imposing themselves on audiences. Citing the difficulty for any solo Czech fiddler since Josef Suk to build up a strong career, she explains, "During the Communist era there was a political-social atmosphere that said you shouldn’t attract too much attention to yourself, whereas in an ensemble, you’re more covered. So the Czech tradition of musical ensembles grew." Even today, she finds, there is in Czech culture "an exaggerated modesty, where even talented string players take time to project themselves. They lack self-assurance and sometimes by the time they have it, it’s too late for a career. Some Czech kids are almost apologetic about going on stage." Two gifted and unapologetic artists to be presented this fall are the Norwegian duo of violinist Henning Kraggerud and pianist Helge Kjekshus, who debuted at Weill Hall two years ago. This season will be a mixed effort of Arie-Gaifman’s and Noonan’s, to try to defeat what she terms "the prejudice some New Yorkers feel. People need encouragement to hear people who aren’t famous locally. Although groups like the Emerson and Guarneri Quartets do well here, when a group appears like the Hagen Quartet, quite famous in Europe, they are not guaranteed a full house here." Describing herself as a "failed pianist," Arie-Gaifman is deeply interested in literature as well as music. She wrote her doctoral dissertation in Prague on the concept of "Homo Ludens" (playful man), the title of a noted book by Dutch scholar Johan Huizinga. Contrasting a modern Czech comic classic, Hasek’s The Good Soldier Svejk, with older humorous masterpieces such as Don Quixote, Arie-Gaifman concluded, "I believe the ludic part of art should be allowed. You can take art seriously and enjoy it at the same time." With this interest in playful elements in literature and music, audiences at the 92nd Street Y can expect some intriguingly entertaining programming. Arie-Gaifman plans a series, "Music of the Jewish Spirit," in which unexpected juxtapositions will occur, such as the music of George Gershwin next to that of Holocaust martyr Erwin Schulhoff. It turns out Schulhoff wrote a Concertino that appears to be heavily influenced by Gershwin’s American in Paris—except that it was written two years before the Gershwin work appeared. Arie-Gaifman theorizes that both composers drew from the same tradition of Eastern European themes to create their melodies. Other musical interests range from Les Six to a program of Zionist songs composed by Kurt Weill, Leonard Bernstein, and Darius Milhaud. Arie-Gaifman retains her ties to Europe and still serves as dean of the Sandor Vegh International Chamber Music Academy; it is directed by noted French oboist Maurice Bourgue, who collaborates with Arie-Gaifman and pianist Alexander Lonquich. One of its main objectives is to establish a dialogue between various European creative and performance traditions. This dialogue looks likely to continue and expand to include America in the quotient as the 92nd Street Y, too, becomes a place where creative cultural exchange will especially flourish. —Benjamin Ivry Winners The fifth Premio Paolo Borciani International Competition for String Quartets was held June 11–18, 2000, in Reggio Emilia, Italy. First prize was not awarded; second prize went to the Excelsior Quartet of Japan, and third to the Casals Quartet of Spain. An earthquake hit Reggio Emilia on the morning of June 18, closing the theater where the awards ceremony and winners’ concert were to be held. Instead, the ceremony took place in the building’s entrance hall and the concert, broadcast live, took place on the stage but with no audience. The next competition is scheduled for June 2002. For information, write to Premio Paolo Borciani, c/o Teatro Municipale Valli, Piazza Martiri del 7 Luglio, I-42100 Reggio Emilia, Italy; telephone (39) 0522 458811; fax (39) 0522 458822; or e-mail direzione@I-teatri.re.it. The 15th annual Irving M. Klein International String Competition, held June 10–11, 2000, at San Francisco State University, awarded its $10,000 first prize to Angela Fuller, a 23-year-old violinist from Birmingham, Alabama. Second ($2,000) was awarded to Yoon-Jung Cho, a 17-year-old violinist from Seoul, South Korea, and third ($1,000) went to Jun Jensen, a 22-year-old cellist from Aalborg, Denmark. Alisa Weilerstein, cello student at the Cleveland Institute of Music, received one of the three Avery Fisher Career Grants presented this year (the other two went to clarinetists). Each grant of $15,000 is intended to assist a talented, American instrumentalist in furthering a solo career. Cellist Genevieve G. Chow and violinist Edith Emily Hines were selected as U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts. This program recognizes distinguished graduating seniors who demonstrate exceptional talent in the arts. Chow, from San Francisco, plans to study music at Yale University; Hines, from Kalamazoo, Michigan, plans to pursue violin performance at the Cleveland Institute of Music. In Memory Much-loved bass teacher Stuart Sankey passed away on May 1, 2000, due to complications from pneumonia, bone-marrow disease, and kidney failure. He taught at the Juilliard School, and this past summer would have marked his 50th year of teaching at the Aspen Music Festival. In 1990, Sankey received the Outstanding Teacher Award from the International Society of Bassists and was honored by the China Society of Double Bass. In addition to performing and teaching, he also published more than 50 transcriptions and editions for bass, and wrote several original compositions. Bassists all over the world agree that Stuart Sankey made a profound and lasting impact on the future of their instrument. Violists Convene Attending a viola congress is much like going to a wine tasting, but instead of tasting wines, one gets to sample the great range of viola sound, from the brightest tenors to the huskiest altos. One can also savor the ever-increasing viola repertoire, from forgotten gems of the past to works composed last week. The 28th International Viola Congress, held over a five-day period in August in the Swedish university town of Linkoping, offered a pleasing variety of Scandinavian players and compositions. There were musical discoveries right from the first day of the congress, starting with a charming Schumannesque Sonata for Viola and Piano by Ludvig Norman in a recital by the youthful Swedish violist Martin Saving. Perhaps more typically Swedish was a viola concerto by Erland von Koch, a piece that evokes "the melancholy of the big, dark woods," according to violist Johanna Persson, principal of the Goteborg Opera. Ably aided by pianist Joakim Kallhed, Persson’s vibrant playing sparkled throughout her recital, especially in the reflective Lento from Gosta Nystroem’s neo-romantic viola concerto, Hommage a la France. Persson’s recital followed a presentation about William Primrose, so she programmed several of his transcriptions, among them the finger-twisting version of Paganini’s "La Campanella." Persson claimed, tongue in cheek, to be glad of the opportunity to defend her national honor against Primrose’s claim in his biography, Walk on the North Side, that Swedish audiences were horrified he would play transcriptions at all! Two programs on those giants of the viola, Primrose and Lionel Tertis, were presented by their respective champions, American David Dalton (current president of the International Viola Society) and Briton John White. Joined by Donald Maurice of New Zealand and Bjorn Sjogren of Sweden, the men discussed the future of the viola, a rich topic that elicited much audience input—particularly on the subject of competitions. There was surprisingly little crossover, folk, or jazz music at the congress, with the exception of two performances by Swedish violist Henrik Frendin. Frendin made a strong case for countryman Daniel Nelson’s Romantatronic for viola and string orchestra, a work influenced by ambient music. On a separate program, Frendin gave a demonstration of his "elektro-acoustic" viola playing: that is, amplified acoustic viola, altered and augmented electronically by a composer colleague, Kent Olofsson, whose Alinea appeared on the program, as did Frenchman Gerard Grisey’s Prologue, a 1976 landmark of the genre, and Jorgen Dafgrd’s For the sleeping, described by Frendin as "Johannes Brahms meets Pat Methany." Tim Frederiksen, professor of viola and chamber music at the Royal Danish Conservatory of Music, brought an intense, almost fierce, style of playing to a program of Danish music for solo viola, including the Hindemith-like Fabula for Viola Solo by Jorgen Bentzon, a student of Carl Nielsen. Frederiksen’s serious approach served him well in Jan Maegaard’s Labirinto 1 for Viola Solo, which demands that the performer keep selecting passages to play. Remarked Frederiksen, "I found a way through the labyrinth, but I did have to make a small hole." A joint recital by Jutta Puchhammer and Christine Rutledge featured several duos for two violas, including a short but lyric piece by congress organizer Otto Freudenthal, a noted Swedish composer. The two violists gave an enthusiastic performance of an attractive Suite for Two Violas by the Polish composer Michal Spisak, a student of Nadia Boulanger. This lush duo was a dramatic contrast to the austere Sonata for Viola and Piano by Estonian-born Eduard Tubin, played on a program given by Finnish violist Jouko Mansnerus, a teacher at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, and pianist Gary S. Hammond. Works for more than one viola were the focus of a remarkable concert by the violists of the Oslo Philharmonic. The 13 players kicked off the concert with an arrangement of Wagner’s Prelude to Tristan and Isolde, which showed off their vigorous sound, as did the concluding work, a charming version of that Viennese bon-bon, Johann Strauss’ "Kaiserwaltz." Of the other ensemble works, two seldom-heard pieces by British composers stood out: Benjamin Dale’s Sextett, commissioned by Tertis, and York Bowen’s Fantasy Quartet. Norwegian viola power rose up again in the final night concert by Lars Anders Tomter. Tomter’s big tone and seemingly effortless virtuosity were highlighted in Johan Kvandahl’s Elegie and Capriccio for Solo Viola. With violinist Per Enoksson, Tomter gave a fast and thrilling performance of the popular Handel-Halvorsen"Passacaglia" as well as a lesser-known Sarabande by the same composer. The folk-like violin/viola duo by Bjarne Brustad, "Capricci," and a transcription of Edvard Grieg’s Cello Sonata rounded off the program, although it was the encore work, Massenet’s "Meditation" from Thais, that wowed the already-impressed audience and provided a satisfying end to the Congress. —Inge Kjemtrup Women on the Web The Women in Music National Network has announced a free membership package that includes free full-service e-mail, a quarterly newsletter, and discussion forums at www.womeninmusic.com. Members can also participate in other WIMNN-sponsored programs that connect them to more experienced individuals in their areas of music and promote new music and music-related businesses. For more information or to become a member, visit the Web site and submit an application. The Best of the Best Earlier this year, the National Association of Music Education (MENC) released results from a national survey in search of the United States’ best communities for music education. The top 100 school districts identified showcase parts of the country dedicated to enriching the culture and creativity of young students nationwide. The survey was prepared by MENC and conducted in partnership with the American Music Conference (AMC), the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), and the National School Boards Association (NSBA). "For the first time, we have a ‘snapshot’ of music education in America," says AMC president Michael Faulhaber. "With resources at a premium, and with the mounting scientific evidence that shows how vital music education is, it’s important to learn who’s doing it right, and why." Results prove that successful music programs are maintained by communities able to balance budgets and building resources with the need for creative curricula. The top schools were found in urban and rural areas, wealthy and depressed districts- any place where parents, teachers, schools, and community leaders fought to keep music programs alive. "We know that some places in the nation offer more than others," explains Dr. John J. Mahlmann, MENC’s executive director. "But Americans know that one of the best ways to judge the quality of life in a community is to look at how that community works to develop its young people. In this survey, and in future surveys, we hope to acknowledge those places in America that are doing the job of helping their children develop and grow through music. In the process, we just might find that more communities want to take part in the power of music education to improve the present-and shape the future." The Coppell (Texas) Independent School District and the Farmington (Michigan) Public School District tied for best music-education communities. Berea City School District in Ohio took second place; Carmel-Clay in Indiana placed third; Plano ISD in Texas took fourth; and District No. 877 in Buffalo, Minnesota, held fifth place. For a complete look at the top 100 communities, visit www.giles.com/musicedsurvey. News, from the U.S. or abroad, is always welcome. Please mail to Heather K. Scott, Market Report, Strings, PO Box 767, San Anselmo, CA 94979; fax to (415) 485-0831; or e-mail to Heather@stringletter.com.
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