Countess of Stainlein Violoncello Sold for $6M Plus →
Best line is the last, which says the cellist who will play the Countess, “… eats, sleeps and breathes cello.”

This past Sunday we capped our weekend in Kansas City by attending a piano masterclass given by Stansilav Ioudenitch. I have been to several piano masterclasses with Sibylle and I always learn something even though I am not a pianist. Yesterday’s class was no exception. Here are my notes.

• Play slower – let the audience hear all the notes. Be aware of the accompaniment
• Use shoulder weight to increase volume
• Extend phrases across bar / measure
• Rebound off notes – feel the weight moving through the note
• Playing with more expression doesn’t mean more attack - it means more lyrical
• Don’t rush through passages, even if they are at a fast(er) tempo
• Resolve technical problems through expression
• Be aware of conversation between solo and accompaniment, whether it is just a piano or an orchestra
• Orchestra accompaniment is like the Titanic – big and powerful – and unable to react to the soloist. Piano accompaniment can and will react to solo
• Performer’s thoughts/emotion will come through in the music. Change your emotion to color the music differently
• Interplay between solo and orchestra or second piano is key
• When developing phrasing think about how a singer would perform the melody
• Technical passages should be played virtuosically yes, but also musically
• Be relaxed – flexible – no extra weight or tension in body
• Make short notes longer to increase expression
• Body motion – elegant body motion – will make elegant music
• Play with no extra motion, don’t waste energy

Nokia ringtone during classical music concert →

On the subject of ringtone and alarms in concert…

Last night we were privileged to be able to attend Yo-Yo Ma’s concert with the Kansas City Symphony. He played Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B minor and it was sublime. I am fortunate enough to have seen Yo-Yo Ma perform once before; last night’s performance was Sibylle’s first chance to see him live.

What struck me from the moment he walked on stage was his sheer joy at doing this. He was having fun and he wanted everyone else there – the other players, the audience – to have fun as well. Our seats were fantastically close (6 rows from the stage) but over at the right side of the concert hall. This meant that the conductor was between us and Mr. Ma during the concerto performance. While it was a bit disappointing to have my view of his playing impeded I was able to hear every note as the Helzberg Hall at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts is a superb venue.

There was a sustained round of applause and a couple of rounds of returning to the stage. Every time Mr. Ma returned to the stage he greeted different orchestra members and directed his own applause toward them. As this is the inaugural season for the center there were several donor’s, the architects, and the hall’s namesake in attendance. Mr. Ma also directed his applause to them. The third time he returned to the stage he was by himself, and a moment later the conductor stepped out on stage with the cello and bow. Yo-Yo Ma took them and proceeded to center stage.

He spoke briefly about the creating beauty using beautiful instruments and in a beautiful hall. He called the place where we were a “cultural cathedral on the hill”. He then said he wanted to dedicate the Sarabande from the D major Bach Cello Suite to this cultural cathedral on the hill. With an absolutely hushed hall he played the most achingly beautiful rendition of that movement I have ever heard. There were tears running down my cheeks by the time he was finished.

The concert was everything I had hoped for and better than I imagined. His musical gift transcends mere technical skill or ability. It transports him and his audience into the music, and for a few brief moments all that matters, all that exists, all that is, is beauty.

Recently I linked to a story about an interruption of a performance of Mahler’s 9th Symphony. Apparently an iPhone “Marimba” ring tone was heard repeatedly duing the final moments of the final movement. The ring tone was persistent enough that the conductor stopped the performance and confronted the issue.

At the time of the original story I, along with most other people I guess, thought evil thoughts about the idiot who didn’t silence his phone before the performance and, even worse, didn’t stop it from sounding during the performance. As it turns out the unlucky patron had been isseud a new iPhone by his employer, replacing a BlackBerry, and was unaware that an alarm had been set, and that it would sound even if the mute swtich was engaged on the phone.

The ensuing online discussion has be fascinating to follow. Should the mute silence all sounds the phone makes or only the ringer? Does the mute perform exactly as intended? Should there be a set of settings that allows you to configure the mute function? Or perhaps, should the phone use its location awareness to know where it is okay to sound alarms and where not?

Sibylle and I are always careful to remind each other to “mute” our phones when we attend performances, however in light of the Mahler interruption I am now planning on turning my phone completely off during performances.

Growing up I was exposed to classical music and live music performances. Both of my parents enjoyed opera and classical music. I was taken to orchestra performances and ballet and plays and concerts. When I was perhaps 8 or 10 my father took me to see Yo-Yo Ma and Emanuel Ax perform. I can still remember the thrill that music gave me.

Earlier this evening there was a re-tweet of a Yo-Yo Ma tweet that landed in my stream. Opening his profile I clicked on the link to his site. Once there I explored a bit finally landing on the “events” page where I discovered that he is performing three shows in Kansas City this coming weekend. Just two hours away in a brand-new state-of-the-art performance center. On Yo-Yo Ma’s site there were no links to ticket sales for those three performances, but there were links for other performances, From this I decided that the KC shows were sold out.

Later when telling Sibylle about the missed opportunity we looked up the performance location and just for grins I clicked on the “puchase tickets” link. Imagine my surprise and then glee to discover tickets were available.

Exactly two tickets. The very last two tickets. After I completed the purchase I refreshed the page and the purchase link was gone, and a new message appeared saying that the performance was sold out.

I have always loved the sound of cello music, and I am extremely happy to be a cellist now. To be able to go hear Yo-Yo Ma perform with my new appreciation for what being a musician means will be simply wonderful.

My String Fling experience this year was a very good one. The first two years I participated in this event I found sight reading new music, playing in tempo, hearing myself over all the other instruments, and watching the conductor, all simultaneously, to be overwhelming. Last year was especially frustrating for me. Determined to have a better experience this year I asked David if I could get a copy of the music ahead of time. He loaned me the three pieces my orchestra was slated to perform and I spent several practice session learning them.

At the first rehearsal Saturday morning our conductor announced that she was only going to use one of the three pieces selected for us, and was substituting two pieces she had brought. The two substitutes were less complicated in some ways and I was very pleased to be able to keep up. I still have difficulty hearing my intonation over the other instruments. I still need my ear to tell me if my intonation is correct; relying on muscle memory seems fraught with peril.

Over the course of three rehearsal sessions my confidence in my ability to play the right notes, more or less in the right time, grew. I was even able to look up at the conductor and not lose my place in the score. It was a very satisfying experience.

Now that I’ve had a good orchestra playing experience I am even more determined to play in a group. One wonders if a cellist with a mere two years of playing experience can found a quartet.

Selling a 300-Year-Old Cello →
I’ll never own a 300-year-old instrument, but as valuable as my cello is to me I can well imagine how difficult letting go must be for these masterpiece instruments.

For me, as an adult student, there aren’t many ensemble opportunities. Manhattan Kansas is relatively small and there isn’t an amateur orchestra, nor are there any trios, quartets, et cetera (that I am aware of). Fortunately Manhattan is home to an annual grade and middle school event called String Fling.

String Fling hosts 600 to 700 5th through 9th graders for a day and a half on the campus of Kansas State University. Orchestras are assembled around the grade levels. They rehearse all day Saturday, swim in the University pool that evening, and rehearse again Sunday morning before performing for family, friends, and their peers in concert Sunday morning. Next year, in January 2013, String Fling will celebrate its 40th year.

Two years ago, when I had barely a month of lessons under my belt, David suggested to me that I might find it fun to sit in with one of the 5th grade orchestras. David is the head of String Fling and he thought it would be a good experience for me and fun for the kids to see that adults learn new things too.

Last year I participated again, sitting in with one of the 7th grade orchestras. Both the first year and last year my biggest frustration was not being able to sight read the music. My theory is that the grade school kids play in their school orchestra daily (or at least several times each week) and therefore have more experience playing brand new music. Both previous years I brought my music home at lunch and over night to add finger numbers and to practice so that I could keep up during the performance on Sunday. It is very humbling to be schooled by people a 5th of your age.

This year I am participating once again. This time I’m in a 6th grade orchestra. And this time I asked if I could see a copy of the music ahead of time. To my great delight David provided me with the music my orchestra will be playing last Sunday. So I’ve had a week to get to know the three pieces and practice them. I know that I’m not yet at performance tempo, but I won’t be left in the dust either.

Regardless of how well I am able to keep up with the orchestra I am thrilled to have a chance to play with a group. I am extremely fortunate to have this opportunity and I aim to make the most of it.

Mahler, Interrupted →
I double and triple check my phone before live performances. The orchestra has worked long and hard to prepare the program and they have only one chance with each audience to present it. (via: Zoë Keating)