The Page Turner:

Green Room Snap Cooney & Collins 

Stunning virtuosity was on display at City Hall last night as Waterford Music opened their 74th season. Elizabeth Cooney violinist partnered by Finghin Collins were a wow at a buzzy gala occasion. Opening with  a brilliant Grand Duo by Schubert, they shimmered in otherworldy Szymanowski and calmed with the soothing elegance of Elgar and Faure. But enough about the dazzling duo. Today's post is all about me. Last night was a debut of sorts for me as I stepped in to take on that role I have been carefully avoiding for years and one  that very musicians covet- the page turner. Finghin Collins made it as easy as it could be with clearly pencilled in notes as to repeats and a clear nod when the moment apparoached. On the whole it was a thrilling experience to see at close range the notes on the page magically transferred to sonority. Should the job ever come your way here are Jessica Duchen's dos and don'ts of page turning from an article in Standpoint Magazine Just for a giggle,  a video clip of Victor Borge's encounter with a
page turner.



DO:

1. Check with the pianist in advance which repeats s/he is doing, if any, and exactly how they work.

2. Dog-ear the top right hand corner of each page for easy grabbing.

3. Make sure you've got something to sit on and can see the music clearly.

4. Remember that a lot of pianists read ahead so may need the page turned several bars before reaching its apparent end.

5. Agree with the pianist what signal s/he will give to alert you that it's time to turn.

DON'T

1. Wear anything intrusive: plunging necklines, dangly necklaces or ties, long floppy sleeves and bright colours are real no-nos and could distract in a variety of ways. (Of course some pianists might enjoy the plunging neckline, but that leads to a whole different set of problems.)

2. Obscure the music from the pianist's view with your arm while preparing to turn.

3. Simply smile sweetly back when the pianist smiles sweetly at you. He's probably indicating that if you don't turn that page NOW, he will put you through the mincer.

4. Eat anything containing garlic before the concert.

5. Take a bow

Extract from article by Jessica Duchen

Steinway Piano Man arrives in Waterford

Piano Man Ulrich Gerhartz photo Guardian pic

One of the single most important figures in the piano world visited Waterford last week but you'll struggle to find his name on the programme. Steinway surgeon, (piano tuner seems too mundane a term) Ulrich Gerhartz artrived in Waterford on Thursday  to overhaul one of Waterford's treasures-the house Steinway housed at the Georgian Large Room. I was sorry to be out of town to miss seeing one of the 'key' figures of pianism in action. I am grateful to Pat Grogan of Waterford-Music for this report on the service history of this much admired instrument.  You can hear it next when Finghin Collins to open the 74th season of Waterford-Music recittals

Steinway, Model C, s.n. 525785.

    Manufactured 1995, Hamburg factory. Purchased February 1996 from Steinways of London, having been vetted at Steinway Hall, by Philip Martin, John O’Conor and Jan Cap, during visits to London, on our behalf. We had intended replacing our old ‘D’ model with a similar second-hand instrument, on grounds of cost, but on urgent advice from Philip Martin, who found that the sound from the 9 foot D model would be too big for our venue, we bought the smaller 7’ 5” instrument,as being more suitable venue with it’s bright acoustic. The price was  49,350 sterling, with 5,000 ‘institutional’ discount, and 5,000 trade-in allowance on our  1908 American Steinway. The Arts Council of Ireland and Waterford City Council had agreed to help in the purchase with matching funding of 17,222 Irish pounds each, with loyal Waterford~ Music members making up the balance. This was achieved only after intense lobbying with City Council, in the persons of Manager Michael Doody and Asst. Manager Terry O’Sullivan, and The Arts Council through Dermot McLoughlin, and Government Ministers of the day, Michael D Higgins and Brian O’Shea.

     The new piano was delivered 6/2/1996,and prepared for first performance by Alex Jeffers of Bandon, by Dearbhla Collins, with Michael d’Arcy, violin, Annette Cleary, cello, on 7/2/’96, who performed Beethoven Trio E flat, op.1, no.1, Rachmaninov Trio op.9, Shostakovich Trio E minor, op.67. It received a free inspection and tuning by chief Steinway technician, Ulrich Gerhartz, on 11/4/’96, who has continued to look after our piano ever since. Specially prepared by Gerhartz for the much publicised visit of Vladimir Ashkenazy on 18/5/’97 [who due to arthritis in his fingers was unable to perform], but whose last minute replacement Finghin Collins, well prepared for the Dublin International Piano Competition, who performed brilliantly. Just a few of our sell-out audience accepted refunds rather than hear Collins perform.

    Mr Gerhartz has been to over-haul our piano in April 2000, October 2003, November 2006, and November 2010. This is an expensive but necessary operation to maintain this valuable instrument in perfect condition.The  recommended interval between overhaul of 3 years could not be adhered to in recent  years, due to severe financial constraints on our funds. He has just completed the overhaul on last Thursday, 13th August, at a cost of €1794.00, and which would be even more expensive if he made a special trip to Waterford only. He found the piano to be in excellent condition, due to the perfect storage conditions at the Georgian Large Room, and the fact that the instrument is not over-used or indeed, abused. For the record, it was used in 20 full performances in the period 3rd November 2010 and 16th April 2015, as part of our regular recital seasons, with 15 bookings by other groups [generally for a tuning fee], in the same period. The piano is made available free of charge for charitable fund-raising purposes, and for purposes connected with City Hall—as part of the original funding agreement.

Related articles http://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/feb/23/ulrich-gerhartz-piano-tuning-brendel

Globe trotting Accordion and Mandolin duo stop off in Waterford

Siderova and Avital taking less travelled instrumental paths



 I was chatting to Miks Zarins, this week, the maitre d' at the Theatre Royal Café who hails from Latvia (Do pop in and sample the amazing beetroot and goats cheese quiche. ) . He tells me that you cannot get a ticket for love nor money when Ksenija Sidorova plays in Riga. Ms Sidorova plays the piano accordion. She comes to Waterford  on Thursday with mandolin player Avi Avital as part of a Music Network tour.  Even   non musicians will be aware that the accordion has not always enjoyed much of the limelight in the classical music world or indeed the traditional music world. In a recent documentary on the piper, Tomás O Canainn, I was surprised to learn that the esteemed academic had played the piano accordion until persuaded to take up the 'more suitable' uilleann pipes by Sean O Riada.

Oen Murray

One of my favourite classical performers is accordionist Dermot Dunne who came to prominence as an RTE Musician of the Future in 1996 and who has since done much to advance the status of the accordion in Ireland. Dunne went all the way to Russia to study and I assumed that Ms Sidorova also came through a Russian system. I was surprised to learn that she came to the Royal Academy in London. where she studied with Owen Murray who set up the first accordion dept in a Bristish conservatoire in 1986 .

Dermot Dunne

Though still in her twenties, Sidorova has been been blazing a trail with her accordion around the world and collaborating with the biggest stars in the classical music firmament. I enjoyed this interview with Ms Sidorova where she has interesting observations on the buttons versus key question.











http://www.strumentiemusica.comT/en/highlights/ksenija-sidorova-in-conversation-with-romano-viazzani-1st-part/


She comes to Ireland with another musician who has explored the possibilities of an unusual instrument. Avi Avital is a Grammy award winnning mandolin player who. is intent on pushing the instrument beyond it's genteel salon repertoire. Last month, for instance he was in the Wigmore Hall with counter tenor Andreas Scholl. You can read an interview with him from the Austin Chronicle here   Here is a snippet 

AC: Why do you love playing the mandolin?

'AA: I definitely find an advantage of playing a unique instrument because I always had a creative freedom with the projects I choose to do. Young pianists and violinists take the great violinists and pianists into consideration and probably choose the same repertoire for the same recital halls and competitions. For mandolin, we don't have too many masterpieces, so the excitement of my path is invented. Every project opens another door. I feel that everything is possible'.

Curiously Avital's first teacher in Israel was a Russian violinist. There was no job for a violin teacher  but there was a pile of unused mandolins and as the fingering and strings are the same, it was a manageable leap, Much of the programme is transcriptions of well known violin reperoire. I am looking forward to hear a new take on familiar pieces. 

Composer, Ian Wilson will attend the Waterford concert and introduce his piece. They will give a workshop in the afternoon at 4.00pm  for WIT students and observers are welcome.

There  won't be too many opportunities to hear either of these two unusual instruments solo let alone in tandem and by such highly rated players . This is the final recital in the 73rd season of Waterford-Music chamber series. Come early and take in the masterclass and two excellent  exhibitions nearby, Connections is  at Greyfriars Gallery and Kate Q-P Black and white images of urban New York are at Central Hall.

Bartók: Romanian Folk Dances
de Falla: 6 Canzoni Popolari Spagnole
Bach: Partita BWV 1004 in D minor / Ciaccona
Kreisler: Prelude and Allegro
Wilson: Spilliaert's Beach
Schnittke: Revis Fairytale
Piazzolla: Histoire du Tango
Budashkin: Concerto in A minor

Full details of Music Network Tour Ksenija Sidorova and Avi Avital 

More details on Waterford Music recital series celebrating 73 seasons!www.waterford-music.org

Superb Song Duo : Flavin & Matthewman at City Hall Waterford

Máire Flavinand Gary Matthewman in the Georgian Large Room City Hall Waterford.

Winning Song Team deliver Love in Spring at City Hall

Schumann Widnung; Die Lotusblume; Du bist wie eine Blume; Fruhlinghshnacht

Wolf Er ist’s; Im Fruhling; An eine Aolsharfe; Zitronenefalter

Strauss Allerseelen; O Susser Mai; Fruhlingsgedrange; Morgen

Chausson; Le temps de Lilas; Les Papillons; Le Callibri

Reynaldo Hahn Le Rossignol des Lilas; Ah Chloris; Printemps

WV Wallace: Sweet Spirit, o hear my prayer, Say my heart can this be love; Orange Flowers

Encore Gershwin  Summertime

There was a great sense of occasion in City Hall as Máire Flavin made her debut in Waterford, the birthplace of her parents. The recital, part of the Waterford-Music series was dedicated to Elizabeth Downey, founder member of the chamber music society celebrating 73 years of activity. Taking her cue from the April date, the soprano built a programme around lieder and chanson dedicated to Love and Spring with a soupçon of American Summer for an encore.

Opening with  Widnung, Schumann’s passionate dedication to his bride Clara, Flavin from the off displayed the vocal fire power and stage artistry that propelled her to the finalist rostrum at the 2011 Cardiff Singer of the World and on to international opera stages. A rich and full bodied voice with her pleasant stage manner and range of dramatic expression made for an intense and  enthralling performance.  From ‘light touch' Schumann she moved to 'angsty Wolf’. In An eine Aolsharfe, the superb pianism of Gary Matthewman in creating an almost orchestral palette of sound was astonishing. A ravishing postlude to Morgen, a wedding present by Richard Strauss to his wife  closed the first half in a mood blissful rapture.

Birds , butterflys and flowers proliferated in the second half chansons by Chausson and Hahn. The most familiar of which was Ah Chloris with resonance in Bach’s air. In a nice touch,  the lilac theme was picked up in the platform display of purple blooms.. Finally by request we heard a set of charming Victorian ballads by local  favourite WV Wallace which suited the drawing room ambience of the splendid chamber. Beautifully dressed in fuschia gown with lace detail and formal tails, the pair looked as though they could have stepped off the set of Downton Abbey where indeed, Matthewman has done some service. 

 This was a thrilling performance from an exciting singer, all the greater for the superb artistry of  Matthewman whose vivid  piano colours and breath-taking timing  created the enchantment around  Flavin's  magical vocal encounters. A night to treasure  from a winning song team! I don’t expect to hear a finer collaboration any time soon.

Among the distinguished guests were members of the Downey family and Jim and Moira Flavin.


Related Posts

Interview Maire Flavin http://cathydesmond.blogspot.ie/2015/04/maire-flavin-to-make-waterford-debut.html

Remembering Elizabeth Downey  http://cathydesmond.blogspot.ie/2015/04/remembering-elizabeth-downey.html

  



Superb Sonata Team at Georgian Large Room

Romantic Clarinet Sonatas
Weber: Gran Duo Concertante
Brahms Clarinet Sonata No 1 in F
Reinecke Sonata Undine

Brahms Clarinet Sonata NO 2 E flat

Encore Field Nocturne arranged for clarinet & piano McHale


Something rather special was called for in planning a recital in  memory of impresario John Ruddock, a great friend and collaborator of Waterford Music. It  has been a while since we heard the mellifluous tones  of Michael Collins in the South East. (He last played here in '97 with pianist Vanessa Latarche.)   On  Thursday night,  he returned with  pianist  Michael McHale to the Georgian Large Room. This superb team  gave us a memorable night of Romantic sonatas that exceeded any expectations and more that did justice to the occasion. As you would expect of these international artists, each player showed impeccable skill and virtuosity. Collin's lyrical tone  was so lovely, that we could have happily  listened to him playing scales and arpeggios at length . McHale made the house Steinway C sing broadly with it's  top up and at times barely hum.

The mainstay of each half was a Brahm's sonata, considered to be the first chamber works to fully exploit the range of colour of the relatively new instrument. The Undine Sonata by Reinecke, a contemporary and supporter of Brahms was originally conceived for flute and a beautiful work of varying moods with gorgeous melodic elements and the work I most wanted to hear again. The programme of work  all cut from the same musical cloth might in less skilled hands have proved rather dull. Not a bit. Such was the musical empathy and sense of gaiety between the two players, the exchange between the equal virtuoso parts was often thrilling and  never less than interesting. At the end of each movement,  Mr Collins face broke into a serene  expression of satisfaction and contentment and the broad smiles from both suggested that they both  relished every note of their lively musical dialogue.

Rolling out the red carpet at City Hall Waterford

.

For an encore, we had a bonus- a  'world premiere' no less of  an arrangement by McHale  of a Field nocturne for clarinet and piano which drew murmurs  of approval from the audience in the elegant Georgian Room City Hall. It seemed fitting  that a new red carpet was laid on the City Hall Stairs just prior to the arrival of the two Michaels on this memorable night of superb musical collaboration.
    Most of the works in the programme can be found on an album (their 5th)  recorded for the Chandos label. 

Among the audience were Carmel and Noel McHale, Michaels' parents who had travelled from Belfast to join the audience.

 





Pat Grogan remembers a remarkable impresario





Q & A with Michael McHale   http://cathydesmond.blogspot.ie/2015/02/q-with-pianist-michael-mchale.html