Chamber Music Envy | Kamarazene-irigység

I have had much fine music to conduct, some to write since my last post. I have started publishing monthly about music in a weekly magazine in Hungary. (This means constantly thinking of new topics and ways to put them on paper.) In short, there would be a lot to write about here, but right now I only want to talk about one piece of music, the one that woke up chamber music envy in me. Every instrumentalist knows this feeling (winds more than strings, brass more than woodwinds, etc.). “Oh, what a great piece of music, I wish it was written for my instrument!” I think this, along with wanting to add to the repertoire of your own instrument, contributes most to the making of arrangements. This week I was fortunate enough to join in performing a genius work, Sextet for Strings No.1 for Strings by Johannes Brahms. I made myself useful as a conductor, and indeed, considering the short rehearsal time, we needed one. I have learned a lot by studying this sextet (and No. 2 as well, once I was at it). I’ve learned a lot about where Brahms’ symphonic material is really coming from. Fantastic materials, harmonies, textures: difficult but fair string writing. It is funny knowing that B’s friends did not like his first symphony when it was first played to them (piano version). I guess they knew the Sextets, but perhaps thought that a symphony of similar complexity would do more damage to their friend’s career.
With Beethoven’s Sextet for winds after the Brahms we have successfully finished our strange and at times very challenging COVID19-season here isn Huntsville. We are ready for a season that we can now call “normal” (I mean it in a strictly positive way), starting late September. I have many exciting projects coming up in Europe in the next 6 weeks or so, before I return to the US to conduct at the Round Top Music Festival in Texas. I will keep you posted.

Brácsások a hegedűsökre, bőgősök a brácsásokra, fafúvók a vonósokra, rezesek a fákra féltékenyek. Mindannyian megéltük már karrierünk során azt, hogy kívántuk, bárcsak egy bizonyos zenedarab szerzője a mi hangszerünket is belekomponálta volna művébe. Sokminden történt a múltkori bejegyzésem óta, többek között elkezdtem a Magyar Narancsban havi rendszerességgel zenei tárgyú tárcákat írni Zene hetilapra összefoglaló cím alatt (most aztán már nem csak zene van a fejemben, hanem tárcatémák és szövegfordulatok is). Most mégsem ezekről az eseményekről, csak Brahms I. Vonós-szextettjéről szeretnék itt írni. Karmesterként, a próbák számát redukálandó, becsatlakozhattam ennek a fantasztikus műnek a tegnapi előadásába (ezzel és Beethoven Fúvós-szextettjével zárult a szezon Huntsville-ban). Persze tanulmányoztam a II. Brahms szextettet is, ha már az elsőt játszottuk, és az előadás örömén kívül sokat tanultam arról, honnan is jön Brahms szimfóniáinak az anyaga: a modulációk, témák, textúra, faktúra, és persze a nehéz, de idiomatikus vonós írásmód. Vicces, hogy Brahms I. szimfóniájának a fogadtatása (zongora-letétben) milyen hűvös is volt a baráti körben. Nyilván féltették, meg nem is értették, mindenesetre, mintha nem ismerték volna a vonóshatosokat.
Sikeresen befejeztük (és túléltük!) ezt az őrült COVID-19 szezont itt Huntsville-ban: megtartottuk anközönségüniet, és már áruljuk a jegyeket a következő évadra, amit – ha óvatosan is – de már normális körülmények közé tervezünk.
Az elkövetkező 6 hétben sok izgalmas projekt vár Magyarországon ls Franciaországban, ezekről majd mind be is számolok itt. Utána, június elején pedig visszatérek az USÁ-ba, a texasi Round Top Festival nyitókoncertjén Beethoven Hármasversenyét és IV. szimfóniáját vezényelni.

Brahms and The Chairs

Three Brahms compositions in two concerts mark the Finale of the Huntsville Symphony’s 15-16 season. Yesterday evening, celebrated by a large audience at the Von Braun Performing Arts Center HSO was playing Brahms Symphony #3 and Violin Concerto in D. After a long standing ovation the mesmerizing sounds of the first movement of Bach’s Violin Sonata No.2 in A-minor ended the last classical concert, played beautifully by Nikki Chooi. What an amazing way to end the season!

Now wait a second! There is more. It is a little “encore” to our 61st season if you wish. This afternoon, members of the audience are invited to sit on the stage of the VBC next to and around the principal players of the HSO as we perform Serenade #1 by Brahms. This time it is the wind-quintet+string-quintet version on the program and I will be talking about the music, about the composer, and about the process we musicians rehearse and perform. To start the show I am planning to make our audience just stand in the lime light on stage and stare out into the empty auditorium to get a sense of what it feels like being up there in the presence of hundreds of people. In between movements of Serenade #1 I will ask the audience to switch to a different chair (hence the concert title we used for a similar show last year: Musical Chairs) to experience the acoustics of the stage of the VBC and to be able to watch and listen to different musicians playing different instruments. If you like unusual concert formats, join us at 3:30pm today or sign up for our Casual Classics series next season. The program will be out soon!

http://www.hso.org

Thanks Everybody for making 15-16 a successful season in every regard! We are looking forward to welcome you back in September. Have a great summer and keep up listening to good music!