Stringendo October 2022

Susan Pierotti

In this issue, we celebrate AUSTA’s 16th National Conference that took place in Melbourne, 1–4 July. If you were there, we hope you enjoy reminiscing over your favourite speakers and sessions, or learn something about the ones you couldn’t attend. We congratulate the AUSTA National and State Award winners, reveal AUSTA’s new patrons and share photos and overheard conversational snippets with you.

If you were not able to come, you really missed out on something! We hope this issue will whet your appetite for the next National Conference in 2025, timed to celebrate AUSTA’s 50th birthday.

I’m sure we are all saddened with the events happening in the Ukraine. While AUSTA and Stringendo do not subscribe to any political doctrine or creed, this issue presents a small selection of the vast number of Ukrainian musicians and particularly string players who have contributed to the world of strings.

Other delights in this edition include our Makers and Suppliers page with some fascinating items for sale, our Advertising Manager’s insightful interview with an up-and-coming Aboriginal violinist and the Brisbane Big Bass Day.

Enjoy this edition!

Theme and Deadline

Having been to many conferences, was exceedingly impressed with this year’s National conference app, Whova, that made life easier for the organisers (no need to put labels on doors letting delegates know that the session has moved rooms – just put it on the app!), collated everyone’s photos into one place, allowed delegates to arrange private meetings and basically streamlined the whole logistics of conference organisation in real time. This got me thinking – besides the ubiquitous Zoom lesson, what else has technology for the music/string community done pre-, during or post-Covid?

So, the theme for the April 2023 issue is How technology has enhanced your teaching and listening. This could refer to ‘old’ technology used in new ways, it could be new insights into using tried and trusted platforms, it could be the latest in Artificial Intelligence. We can all learn from each other, so please share your experiences.

The deadline for the April 2023 issue is Friday 6 January 2023

AUSTA National Conference, Melbourne 2022

Vivianne Anthrak, Melissa Dineen, Hamish Paterson, Samantha Raftery, Anita Schleebs

Pre-conference event, Friday 1 July

‘What a great way to start an AUSTA conference!’ enthused AUSTA ACT’s Vivianne Anthrak. ‘Guest presenter from the US, Jeremy Woolstenhulme, took the delegates through his “Steps to Successful Orchestras: Organising, Rehearsing, Performing” by setting up the room as a string orchestra where we had the opportunity to play through Jeremy’s String Basics, Steps to Successful Ensembles, First Performance Ensembles, Intermediate Performance Ensembles and Intonation Basics books. Jeremy provided tips and tricks on how he tutors students of various standards to create successful orchestra programs.’

Samantha Raftery, President of AUSTA SA, noted, ‘I loved some of the learning ideas he brought to the table, such as the concept of peer tutoring I liked that Woolstenhulme emphasised the idea of giving everyone the opportunity to showcase their skills through small solos throughout the lesson, ensuring that every student is supported in this endeavour and not avoiding the students who are not progressing as quickly.’

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Vivianne noted that ‘we proudly paraded into the foyer carrying our impressive AUSTA Conference bags put together by the wonderful team at AUSTA Victoria and were grateful for the volunteers who offered their time and services to make the conference such a success with the state organisers.’

Day 1, Saturday 2 July

According to Anita, ‘To tempt like-minded string teachers to meet up in a Melbourne winter may seem like a hard battle but the temptation of three full days of face-to-face music learning was an easy battle won. The National Conference was well attended and each state and territory was represented!’

Anita Schleebs from AUSTA TAS added that there was ‘a room full of familiar faces, string music to warm the soul and we learnt Jeremy’s ways of keeping players in time, in tune and motivated and also a few bad jokes. All of this was washed down later with the welcome drinks in the foyer where we all got to say hello to old friends, meet people face to face for the first time, make new friends and put faces to names.’

Vivianne reported, ‘The conference opened with keynote speaker, Deborah Cheetham AO, Yorta Yorta woman, soprano, composer, educator and performing arts leader who spoke about her life and the nuances she brings to First Nations engagement. Ensemble Dutala, Australia’s first Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander chamber ensemble composed of nine professional musicians, formed in 2019. A member of the group, Aaron Wyatt, Noongar man from Perth, violist, conductor and academic, performed Wooroongi Biik for us.’ Samantha reflected, ‘Deborah mentioned several fantastic programs and projects that she has delivered through her company, Short Black Opera. I have since investigated these projects myself and they helped me to learn about the fortitude of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as they fought for their rights and protested restrictive laws and living conditions. I will incorporate these works into my teaching programs and ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music is strongly supported and represented in my lessons.’

After the morning tea break, delegates were given a choice of workshops and talks to attend. Vivianne attended ‘The “It” factor in String and Orchestral Literature’. Gail V. Barnes, Director of the University of South Carolina (US) Strings Project, discussed selecting the right literature for string and orchestra

groups and what priorities to focus on in string and orchestra classrooms such as teaching posture, pulse, pitch and technique. Teachers must be persistent and give authentic praise and set up string classes to be well organised to promote student success. Students need to answer two questions to enrol in an elective: do like it and am I good at it?

Hamish Paterson, AUSTA VIC President, enjoyed ‘Beyond the Setup’ with Adrian Petrino and Shannon Paul Luk, ‘being a fascinating look at how a luthier finely adjusted a bridge in front of our eyes to improve the sound of a violin, and the steps involved’.

Samantha attended Loreta Fin’s ‘Sing and String’ presentation which offered many wonderful ideas for group lessons. ‘I enjoyed many of the sayings and metaphors she used to assist students in remembering techniques on their instruments. I also thoroughly enjoyed her “staff meetings” where she and the other teachers in the session would demonstrate a tune incorrectly and the students would need to work out what was wrong and how to fix it.’ She then attended Bethany Nottage’s session about 3D resources that could be incorporated into music lessons. Bethany introduced a series of bow grips and small bow sections and demonstrated bow movements and hand postures on a skeleton that she uses to assist with bow hold, which delegates were able to experiment with during the lesson.

AUSTA Q President Melissa Dineen enjoyed Ingrid Martin’s ‘Teach a Kid to Fish’ which provided practical insights into the importance of fostering independent learning, particularly in assisting

students to develop constructive practice habits. ‘She encouraged us all to think about the way we phrase questions that assist students to identify problems, find and apply solutions and to evaluate their own progress.’

A large lunch, sponsored by Pirastro strings, was followed by the second keynote speaker, Yvonne Frye, Lecturer of Violin Pedagogy at the Sibelius Academy, Finland. Yvonne discussed how various bowing techniques, as well as vibrato and musical expression can and should be taught right from the beginning. By introducing these concepts early on, students can explore and become more comfortable with them as they continue lessons. Yvonne Frye described each phrase as a rainbow and got the students to ‘direct’ the rainbows in the music. There were some great practising strategies discussed as well, where students are encouraged to be secret agents who uncover what happens during their practice time.

Afternoon sessions included Karen Kyriakou’s ‘Connect & Engage: Inclusive aural activities for the string class’ that highlighted aural-based games and creative activities that could be used in the classroom with a focus on singing and playing ‘off the page’ stimuli to develop students’ musical ability. Samantha was intrigued by Yvonne Frye’s ‘Workshop in Bow-guiding’ where ‘I was able to try this myself. It required a delicate balance to ensure that the student’s hands were in the right shape and direction, without being too forceful and causing the student to tense up.’ Samantha and Hamish valued Sheau-Fang Low’s introduction to Alexander Technique in ‘Coaching Violin/Viola Students to play with more ease’ and musculoskeletal therapist Daniel Carner’s Thumb and Wrist Pain in String Instrument Players (with his session on Shoulder Pain on Day 4).

The day ended with the launch of the AMEB’s Series 10 Violin syllabus and a delicious dinner at the Kooyong Tennis Club with a hilarious night of entertainment sponsored by Andrew Baker of Leatherwood Bespoke Rosin.

Day 2, Sunday 3 July

Ed Le Brocq’s keynote presentation proved to be the emotional roller coaster of the conference, according to Melissa. ‘We certainly all laughed and many cried as we followed Ed’s challenging life journey.’ His tribute to the role of music teachers was ‘centred around the ideas of bravery, resilience, kindness, wisdom, hope and love.’ Samantha was moved that ‘his presentation was filled with supportive messages and made me feel better about myself as a teacher. It has been my personal experience that the teaching profession is regularly undervalued and to hear such strong messages of support and advice to teachers was heart-warming.’

Audrey Luk, 2022’s Paul McDermott Scholarship winner, then performed outstandingly Wieniawski’s Polonaise de Concert, Op. 4.

Vivianne reminds us that ‘it was a thrill to visit the traders, sponsors and exhibitors and support their businesses as they support us too.’ Simply for Strings ‘brought a team of three exceptional and knowledgeable humans. Jacqui, as our little minion, held the fort at our traders stall while doubling as tech lead and support. We set out to help teachers and players build their knowledge and answer every

question we could. Jacqui had a little too much fun writing up viola jokes every day and creating a little treasure hunt for attendees that was quite the hit!’

Vivanne particularly enjoyed the research study by Laura Case, PhD in musicology at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, on the impact that the violin has had on Australian people, society and culture throughout history. She also liked the presentation on Norwegian Hardanger fiddles by Tasmania luthier Adam Edwards, who builds them to be suitable for both traditional and classical violinists.

Hamish Paterson attended Rodney Wikstrom’s ‘Using Technology in String Education’ where he demonstrated apps that helps students’ note reading and intonation. Samantha attended Woolstenhulme’s session on ‘rhythmic accuracy in the orchestra where I discovered many wonderful ideas presented through his rhythm dictation books. He highlighted the idea that playing with a metronome and subdividing longer notes and rests is a learned skill that needs to be taught to students, rather than assumed knowledge.’

Gail Barnes delivered the after-lunch keynote address where she described how she has developed the South Carolina Strings Project, where

Ellen Mentiplay and Therese Coppin playing the’duo’ violin at the conference dinner

Ed LE Brocq and his cello teacher, Belinda Manwaring

Ania Tait and Jeremy Woolstenhulme

many of her music education students get their first opportunities to teach group string lessons.

Julie Hewison explored the new repertoire from Grade 1–4 in the new Series 10 books. Hamish attended the Community Focus session of ‘Stringlines: Creating music and community in the tropics’ with Ania Tait. ‘There were fascinating stories and insights into how a weekly get-together is a highlight of the week for a number of players on the other side of the country. Conductor Ingrid Martin delved into various strategies for mixed-ability ensemble lessons, including advice on maintaining engagement during the rehearsal and choosing appropriate repertoire.

Violin, viola, cello and bass forums were followed by the launch of Molto AUSTA, a historical overview of AUSTA’s history written by Stringendo editor Susan Pierotti.

Day 3, Monday 4 July

Melissa reported, ‘Yvonne’s genuine and gleeful excitement about meeting one of her own educational idols in Gary McPherson was palpable and had us all eager to hear his keynote session. We were not disappointed. Gary’s presentation on “Creative and Impactful Teaching Strategies” was one of the highlights of my own thirty-year professional development journey.’

The Conference Orchestra rehearsals on Days 2 and 3 culminated with a concert on Day 4 conducted by Ingrid Martin with the premiere of award-winning

composer, conductor and arranger Nicholas Buc’s commissioned work, Stringybark Suite.

Morning sessions included Caron Chan, Chief Strings Examiner for the AMEB (NSW) presenting ‘Developing Artistry in the Level 2 Repertoire’ and Fintan Murphy on how to approach new repertoire with the skills and confidence required, especially with the more challenging pieces. A highlight for Anita was the Australian String Quartet sharing an open rehearsal and unpacking of a new quartet by Jack Symonds, Quartet No. 2. Samantha reported on ‘their approaches to rehearsing and to note that even the top-notch professional players can get anxious over difficult and challenging works.’

In the afternoon, Yvonne Frye discussed her teaching research about whether gender makes a difference to how to teach, looking at the physiological stressors that affect both genders, how boys and girls learn differently and what teachers have to look out for to engage better learning. Samantha enjoyed Elizabeth Scott’s presentation on how singing in lessons can help students to get a better grasp of the phrasing and expression, achieve a well-blended sound and a better sense of articulation. Melissa was intrigued by Josephine Vain’s ‘Speaking Through Music’ which ‘introduced us to the classical ideas of rhetoric developed by ancient Greeks and Romans and how these concepts can be used to project musical shaping and nuance in performance.’

Post-conference events, Tuesday and Wednesday, 5 and 6 July

Yvonne Frye presented workshops on ‘For the Younger Child’ and ‘The Intermediate/Advanced Student’.

Samantha’s summary: ‘I was very excited to attend the National Conference. This fantastic learning experience provided me with invaluable advice, support and ideas that I’ve adapted into my teaching toolkit.’

From The President

Editor’s Notes

Susan Pierotti

IhaveJames deRozario AUSTA National President

learned to be a project manager (organising concerts), a diplomat (leading orchestras), a music director (conducting orchestras), a public speaker and a writer. These activities are necessary as a professional violinist but I learned all of them after I’d graduated.

Iwrite this report just as the 2022 National Conference comes to a close. It has been a wonderful few days as we have all gathered in person to celebrate ‘Strings of Australia’ and the amazing work that goes on around the country.

There is a golden rule in most industries: you learn your most useful stuff on the job. We have learned to play or make a stringed instrument, but we discover in our teaching and playing careers that we need more knowledge and skills that weren’t taught to us as students. Others find that music learned when young has given them useful skills in other professions. The theme of this edition is devoted to those ‘add-on’ requirements that we have learned to help us do our jobs more efficiently and effectively.

This is my final report as National President and it has been a tumultuous three years, filled with many unexpected turns. Back in 2019 when I became President-Elect, I was excited at the journey ahead. I wasn’t to know that I would take on a new job at the start of 2020 and then head straight into a pandemic. As a I tried to find my feet in my new position, it felt like everything kept changing. There were new challenges every day, our sense of stability had been removed and we were all being tested. After assisting my own school into the online learning space, it was marvellous to see the AUSTA State Presidents pivot their events online.

Our cover story describes the journey from violin student to world-recognised composer. Longtime AUSTA member Keith Sharp shows us how quartet gigs became his learning space to test his compositional skills that now create the diverse range of string group music that has won him international recognition. Other AUSTA members have contributed articles on their composing styles and conducting practices. Others have shared how a musical education became the ‘add-on’ they needed for their current jobs. It is my hope that you find these articles of practical assistance in your daily musical activities.

Stringendo; and Catherine Hughes for her social media work.

Out of the mouths of students…

Whilst the conference has been our highlight for 2022, other work has continued. We have improved our administrative processes and one of these changes is helping our members stay more up to date about their membership. Many thanks to Emily for her help, especially with the conference website –from posting videos to biographies to schedules, to presentation notes.

From Deborah Greenblatt, USA: I was discussing the art of practising with one of my little students, and I asked her what she could do to make her piece better. She confidently replied, ‘Put in repeat signs’.

Our state chapters have also continued to showcase their ingenuity and creativity throughout the year. From Reading Days to Mini-conferences, festivals, masterclasses and workshops, there have been in-person and online events available. I urge you to check the AUSTA website and follow your state chapters on Facebook so that you can stay up to date with the events around the country.

Apology

The author of the article, ‘South Australian State Music Camp’, in the last issue of Stringendo (Vol. 40/1), was not Agnes Weinstein but Jennifer Watkins, a MPhil student at the Elder Conservatorium of Music. Her thesis topic is ‘The History of the South Australian May Music Camp: 1962-1987’. She is Administrative Assistant to the Music Staff at Concordia College and is Secretary of the SA State Music Camp Association committee. Stringendo apologises for the error and for any grief caused.

A very big thank you to all of our members for your support over the last three years. Although it wasn’t necessarily what I expected it to be, I have been reassured at the passion that our string community demonstrates at every turn. Thank you, everyone, and – Molto AUSTA!

A.R. IRWIN Violins Pty. Ltd.

Enjoy this edition!

Many people don’t realise the amount of work that is needed to run online events. While most of us were familiar with Zoom and other online communications, we all had a great deal of learning to do. This included experimenting with adjusting presentations to suit the new environment, different types of events, new event times and learning to manage the event from the ‘back end’. As an organisation, we quickly worked out how to run the events online and tried to concentrate on keeping our members connected. Although we all enjoyed the online events, we all know that an in-person experience is totally different!

Theme for April 2018

Coming out of lockdowns, we all faced even more challenges. Density limits, masks, hygiene protocols, COVID marshals, QR codes, sign-in sheets…it sometimes felt like a lockdown was easier!

90% of Australians are urban dwellers. For the string teacher, player and maker living in one of our national cities, there is access to violin repair shops, regular live concerts, private school resources and so on. But what is it like for our regional string teachers and makers and their students?

Over

I would like to thank the State Chapter presidents and committees and the rest of the National Executive for all of their work over the last three challenging years. Your continued support and enthusiasm – despite the difficulties around you –gave me and our membership the confidence to see our way through.

The theme of April 2018 issue will be Regional teaching, playing and making. All of you out there in the country, this is the time to have your say! Tell Stringendo readers what string teachingplaying-making is like in your local area. What resources do you lack? How do you adapt to limitations? How can city colleagues assist?

Our remarkable administration team was also fundamental to keeping us going over the last three years: Emily Dittman with her support of online events; Gina de Francesco for applying for government support grants; Susan Pierotti, Adele Gibson and Mary Nemet for their work on

The deadline for the April 2018 issue is 5 January 2018.

Expert Repairs and Restoration undertaken. Bow Rehairs & Repairs carried out on the premises.

Expert and Restoration undertaken. Bow Rehairs & Repairs carried out on the premises.

Andrew Baker (left) at conference dinner

Stephen Chin and Susan Pierotti launching ‘Molto Austa’

Victoria

decided to do a presentation on position changes. This event and its repeat on AUSTA’s Encore platform were very well received around the country too. Thank you, Evgeny!

Hamish Paterson President, AUSTA

VIC

2022 has been a different year in terms of being able to run face to face events with elements though still affected by Covid. Our Reading Day was able to run in early February but there were smaller numbers with a local spike in Covid cases at the time and understandable caution among the community. We unfortunately had to cancel our String Orchestra Festival for a third year in a row. This was due to a number of reasons, including difficulty in finding a venue and many Victorian schools starting the rehearsal process for their ensembles later in Term 1.

In spite of all this earlier in the year, the National Conference went by very smoothly and was considered a great success by delegates, presenters and traders alike. I would like to give one final shout out to the great work of the organising subcommittee of James de Rozario, Karen Kyriakou and Helen Holt and to the rest of the state committee for the myriad of tasks required in the final months before the event and during the conference itself.

In the coming months, Victoria will still be running its VCE Masterclass with guest violinist Roy Theaker in late August and our String Performers Festival has been moved to mid-September to accommodate the timing of the National Conference. There will also be an opportunity for younger teachers to get together with more experienced colleagues and discuss their experiences so far over a drink at a social event in early December.

ACT

Louise Butler President, AUSTA ACT

FirstSemester of 2022 has certainly been an improvement on the previous two years, but it has had its own challenges too.

At the last minute, we decided to change our inperson Pedagogy Forum to a national Zoom event. While this presented many structural changes which had to be managed in a very short time frame, we did gain many enthusiastic participants from around the country, so in the end it worked out very well.

We followed this up with another Zoom presentation by Evgeny Sorkin who, due to recent world events,

In early June, we managed to run our much postponed String Festival. In order to make the Festival more manageable and Covid-safe for everyone, we decided to make all sections noncompetitive and run it only over one day. We also decided to present each performer with a lovely Certificate of Performance and a report written by teams of local teachers. The atmosphere was truly festive, with all 88 performances much more relaxed and enjoyable for all.

We have our annual Reading Day booked in late July, followed by our much delayed Klezmer Workshop to be presented by local violinist Pip Thompson in early August. We very much hope that the Covid situation will allow this event to be done in person!

We are also planning an Alexander Workshop with local cellist and registered Alexander teacher Megan Taylor later in the year.

Four local members (I missed it, thanks to Covid!) managed to get to the wonderful Melbourne Conference and came home totally inspired! A big thank you to AUSTA VIC for such a great experience!

Queensland

Melissa Dineen President, AUSTA Q

TheAUSTA Q committee were delighted that so many members managed to attend the rescheduled annual Reading Day in early April. Despite the change of date and growing Covid case numbers, AUSTA Q’s flagship event provided its customary collegial opportunity to gather and play through new works provided by our local composers. As always, the standard of works provided by some of our most experienced composers was not only very impressive but clearly continues to evolve and develop each year. We were also pleased to see new and emerging composers coming through with some exciting works.

This year the Reading Day formed the opening sessions of the AUSTA Q Mini-conference and, again, it was gratifying to see so many members attend the Mini-conference sessions throughout the first weekend of the school holidays, despite anxieties about rising Covid infections at the time. The event reminded us of the importance of coming together to share our string playing and teaching journeys, and the overall feel of the event was one of warm collegiality and generosity.

We thank Mini-conference guest presenter, Caron Chan, who travelled from Sydney and provided very practical insights into assisting students to prepare to perform at their peak. Her humble and amiable approach was clearly appreciated by those in attendance. We enjoyed meeting cellist Gyorgy Deri and were dazzled by his genuine affection and meticulous presentation of the Popper cello studies. Phoebe Russell provided an insightful ‘it’s not rocket-science’ approach to teaching and playing the double bass and it was wonderful to be able to tap into Keith and Natalie Sharp’s vast wealth of experience and knowledge. Those that participated in the Delegates’ Orchestra session lead by Camerata’s Brendan Joyce at the end of weekend walked away truly uplifted by what was a genuinely remarkable experience.

AUSTA Q was thrilled to see almost 40 Queenslanders attend the National Conference in Melbourne in July. Congratulations and thanks go to the AUSTA VIC Committee for their enormous efforts in putting the event together and in bringing AUSTA members from around Australia together again following the pandemic restrictions of the past two and a half years.

South Australia

Samantha Raftery President, AUSTA SA

AUSTA SA has had several different events and sponsorships that we have been involved in this year. To begin the year, we ran an encore presentation of Belinda McFarlane’s ‘Tips for Engaging Multi-Level String Ensembles’, where Belinda recounted her experiences working as an animateur and educator. Following this presentation, AUSTA SA ran a string workshop for adult beginner players. It was wonderful to see many attendees and positive feedback about the experience! AUSTA SA was grateful to Therese Janus and Kathy Wozniczka for assisting in this event. We have also sponsored a number of prizes this year, including an AMEB prize, a section of the Adelaide Eisteddfod and sections of the Young Composer’s Awards. Next month, AUSTA SA will be presenting a string workshop for primary school students, supported by the University of Adelaide. We are also hoping to host a Reading Day, and an open orchestra rehearsal

Western Australia

Helen Tuckey President, AUSTA

WA

We began the year at the ASME WA Summer School, where I was joined by committee members Edel Taylor, Rupert Guenther and Stephanie Jefferies at an AUSTA strings information booth. We also presented two sessions, one on the appropriate support for students in pilot programs started by arts organisations in schools and the other on the at times tenuous careers of instrumental teachers in various school systems. In February/ March, WA was hit by our largest Covid wave, which led us to change plans and go online with two AUSTA Zoom presentations, ‘Asian Melodies’ in conjunction with the South East Asian Music Academy and ‘Healing Stage Fright’ by Rupert Guenther. We also gave substantial prize support to the Fremantle Eisteddfod which moved online, enabling participants from anywhere in WA to submit entries. Finally in May, all members and the whole string community had the chance to join an AUSTA Forum on string teaching in person and with some attending online, hosted by Dr Suzanne Wijsman at the UWA Conservatorium of Music. Matters emerging from Summer School were discussed further, as well as OH&S in schools, youth and amateur orchestras, the need to train instrumental teachers to support students to achieve the mental and physical challenges of performing, inclusivity and diversity, advocacy for instrumental programs for all ages in education. There was no shortage of ideas and energy and the points raised remind us about the importance of connection that AUSTA provides us with, across various employment systems and fields of interest.

Seven members of AUSTA WA crossed the Nullabor for the fabulous AUSTA National Conference in Melbourne. For many of us, it was our first journey out of our state in several years, and well worth the effort – congratulations to the organisers! Ibolya Mikajo presented on the extraordinary teaching career of Lyndall Henrickson, and Laura Carr demonstrated activities, games and props for a teacher toolkit for early childhood.

Thank you again to our committee, including our regional reps who also do much for strings in their communities. We look forward to more live events in 2022, including our annual AUSTA String Festival in August and a string orchestra reading day in October.

Living Treasures:

Stanley Ritchie, Part 2

Reviews Editor Mary Nemet continues her interview with Australian Baroque specialist Stanley Ritchie.

MN: For the last 40 or so years, you have become known worldwide as a leading exponent of Baroque performance and teaching. What drew you to Baroque? What do you consider important to impart to your students as a legacy?

SR: When I graduated from the Con in 1956, we all had to take a written exam set by the Director, Eugene Goossens, and one of his questions was public knowledge: ‘What is meant by style in music?’ Knowing we’d have to answer this made us think about the difference, say, between the music of Mozart and Brahms and how one would make that difference. This sparked my curiosity about style, and the seed thereby planted would grow into a fullfledged career.

A few years later, I received a scholarship to the Yale University School of Music where I enrolled for study with Joseph Fuchs. There was one course that sounded interesting, so I signed up for it: ‘Performance Practice’.

There was a stigma attached to ‘early music’ at the time, which was derided by a large percentage

of concertgoers and critics, one of whom I recall saying, ‘This, too, shall pass.’ The poor man has had to eat his words!

There’s so much more to music making than we learn in traditional 20th-century conservatory training. Just playing Baroque music using an instrument and bow with 17th- or 18th-century specifications is in itself educational, and demonstrates that certain aspects of our modern technique and interpretation are inappropriate. I try to give my students basic principles of Baroque performance practice, both technical and aesthetic. I encourage them to avoid predictability, and to be ready to try different interpretative ideas, even spontaneously.

MN: I hear many of the same Baroque works played differently by various performers, which suggests there is room for player-generated expressiveness beyond the score and beyond the rules set by Leopold Mozart and Geminiani. I am curious to know how much latitude we have within the principles.

SR: The treatises in which we find stylistic evidence fall into different categories: some, like those of Geminiani, Leopold Mozart and Quantz, record current performance practice and frequently contain criticisms of what they consider to be unacceptable. Geminiani relayed the Corelli method since he had been his pupil. Geminiani’s reaction to a particular French custom is often quoted: ‘That wretched rule of the down-bow’ that refers to the way Lully had his ballet orchestra accent every downbeat. They all had strong opinions and expressed them.

I believe that there can be many ‘right’ ways to play a piece while still adhering to principles of expression as spelled out in Geminiani and Mozart. Modern ways of playing Baroque music belong to later aesthetic norms, such as the bel canto style of constant legato, which has no place in pre-Romantic music. The use of constant vibrato which, because it is an ornament, makes no more sense than constant trilling.

Geminiani actually wrote a book, a set of solo and trio sonatas called A Treatise of Good Taste in the Art of Music. In his other book, The Art of Playing on the Violin, he lays out principles of expression, labelling bow strokes buono (good), cattivo (bad) and particolare (special). Within these rules, though, there are a range of possibilities.

One of the most important stylistic practices in the music of the 17th and 18th centuries is rubato, an essential antidote for predictable, inflexible performances. Another is the use of rhetorical principles in one’s interpretation. Music is, after all, just speech in a different language with musical figures, phrasing, articulation, dynamics, rubato, questions, exclamations, etc.

From the end of the 18th century, composers began to spell out most of this expression. Prescribing expression would have been insulting to the educated Baroque performer. Bach was rapped over the knuckles for the way he wrote the G minor Adagio and the A minor Grave in the solo sonatas, specifying the ornaments instead of merely providing a simple melodic line for performers to ornament. Some critics took Bach to task for this ‘infringement’ upon violinists’ artistic rights while others said, ‘Well, isn’t it time that someone showed them how to do it tastefully?’

Perhaps the best answer to your question about the differences between historical performers’ interpretations of the same piece is to draw a parallel between musicians and actors. Actors declaiming a Shakespearean monologue such as Hamlet’s ‘To be or not to be’ would each bring to it their own individual persona and style and sense of the dramatic context, and this is precisely what should happen in music.

Whereas there can be many right ways of playing a piece, there are certainly wrong ways. I disapprove of Baroque or Classical music being played in a ‘Romantic’ way, which often has the effect of making it sound like second-rate Romantic music, and I have no time for those who are inflexibly mired in tradition, an amusing but cynical translation of which is ‘the perpetuation of one person’s mistakes’. One part of my doctrine is: ‘Be aware of historical concepts and apply them tastefully with the object of moving the listener’. Another is ‘Never consciously copy another’s interpretation’. And a third, very important

one: ‘Be humble—when you approach a piece of music, always ask yourself what the composer is suggesting, and never impose yourself on the piece or use it for self-glorification’.

Whether my students play Baroque or Classical music, they should never use it to prove that they’re the greatest violinist in the world! Of course, if it’s a showpiece that’s another matter, but very few pre19th-century composers wrote them, and certainly not Johann Sebastian Bach!

MN: Stanley, thank you for your insightful and valuable comments from which we can all learn so much.

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Memories of Sascha Lasserson

Miriam Morris

Iamvery fortunate to have been born into an eminent musical family. While my mother was a pupil of the great English pianist, Solomon, a distant relation by marriage was the Russian violin pedagogue, Sascha Lasserson. Sascha was the most longstanding student of Leopold Auer at the St Petersburg Conservatoire alongside such luminaries as Jascha Heifetz, Mischa Elman, Efrem Zimbalist and Nathan Milstein. He was also Auer’s assistant. Sascha was fondly known as one of the ‘Odessa babies’.

Among his many concert appearances, the Glazunov Violin Concerto was of great importance to Sascha as he had performed it with the composer conducting. In 1914, he was on a world tour but the First World War grounded him in London, so England became Sascha’s second home. It was here that he met his future wife, Zelda, a relation of my first cousin, Michael Lasserson. Sascha became the doyen of the Russian school of violin playing in Europe and he taught the majority of the foremost post-war professional violinists in England. That is

not to say that Sascha only taught the most talented students. He was essentially a modest and generous man and charged little for the wonderful pearls of wisdom that he imparted to his students. I remember that, having left school, was in a quartet with two young students of Sascha. While they were proficient, serious players, they were not of the first water, yet their regard for Sascha was profound. Sascha had great integrity and possessed an uncanny knack for sorting out his student’s problems. A prime example of Sascha’s modesty was when Heifetz was booked to play in London. Naturally, the queue for tickets was very long. Who should I meet in that queue but Sascha. Needless to say, he could have easily got a

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ticket from his friend and colleague. (It so happened that the concert didn’t eventuate due to some disagreement regarding the choice of conductor.) We moved to London from the north of England when I was seven years old, at which time Sascha offered to teach me the violin, lending me a fractional sized violin that I believe he had used in his youth. My mother would take me to Sascha’s flat in South London, at 60 St Quintin Avenue where would have my lessons. This seemed like a normal occurrence to me as was blissfully unaware of the privilege that was receiving. I might have made better progress if I had understood Sascha’s Russian accent which was not helped by the fact that he always had a cigarette hanging out of the side of his mouth. As it was, I found that holding the violin under my chin was very uncomfortable and when practising, I would resort to holding it downwards in my lap (shades of things to come with the treble viola da gamba). I met my waterloo with vibrato after which, to my immense relief, and perhaps to Sascha’s as well, the lessons ceased. One thing that sticks in my mind was Sascha’s obvious frustration when he would knock my bow off the string! However, other wonderful memories include hearing Sascha at our house accompanied by my mother at the piano or playing solo Bach, for which he was famous.

When the Russian virtuoso string players of the day visited England, Sascha would hold court at the Royal Festival Hall in London. remember when Nathan Milstein came, Sascha took me round to the artists room where there were crowds of people clamouring to be let in. As Sascha approached, it was like the parting of the Red Sea. We were duly let in and Sascha told me to sit in a corner and watch and listen. Milstein, having received a standing ovation from the audience, was sitting with his head in his hands. The two men embraced, after which Milstein asked, ‘Was it all right, Sascha?’ Sascha took Milstein’s violin and suggested some different fingerings and bowings which were duly discussed. When the hoards were let in, there was much gushing of compliments such as ‘Darling, you were wonderful’; however, such was the hypocrisy of certain members of the human race when outside the artists room, the comments sometimes told a different story.

Sascha also introduced me to Mstislav Rostropovitch who had heard at his debut in London at the Royal Festival Hall. I had previously been lucky enough to pass the audition for the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain and we went on a tour of Russia, Sweden, Finland and Germany in 1961. The first concert in Russia was in the Tchaikovsky Hall, Moscow. In the royal box were David and Igor Oistrakh, Dmitri and Maxim Shostakovitch and Mstislav Rostropovitch. After the concert, we had a ceremony akin to the royal trooping of the colour.

I had been introduced to Rostropovitch the year before. To my amazement, I found myself encased in a bear hug by Rostropovitch – ‘How is Sascha?’ I found out that Sascha had a relation who had conducted the orchestra in which Rostropovitch had performed as a soloist.

I went to boarding school at the age of nine. Neither Uncle Sascha or my mother were prepared to have their teaching messed up so I started a new instrument which was to be (instrumentally speaking) the love of my life. After one term’s tuition from the school cello teacher, I was summoned to play to Sascha. He clutched his head in dismay and exclaimed, ‘Get her to a teacher’. I wanted to stay at that particular boarding school so the result of this was that I learnt at school during term time and ‘unlearnt’ in the holidays from the fine cellist, John Shinebourne. On reflection, I truly believe that these were the origins of my becoming a confirmed diagnostic instrumental teacher.

I remember when my cousin, Michael Lasserson, was visiting Moscow, that he and his wife looked on the honours board at the Conservatoire, expecting to see Sascha’s name and list of prizes. Sadly, his name had been expunged as it had been presumed in 1914 when he was obliged to stay in London, that Sascha was a spy. Michael compiled and edited a most valuable book of reminiscences of Sascha’s students, Sascha Lasserson: Portrait of a Teacher, first published by Kahn and Averill in 2005. Included are letters, excerpts from violin repertoire such as the first movement of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, violin studies, and Sascha’s warm-up and finger independence exercises. But more particularly, the book contains a detailed description of Sascha Lasserson as a teacher, artist and a fine human being. It offers much insight into the history and lineage of violin playing throughout the Western world.

As I said in the beginning, I am indeed fortunate to have been born into a family of such accomplished musicians. As an instrumental teacher, I will always be grateful for the example of Sascha’s unwavering gentleness in his relationships with his students, and his ability to pinpoint and correct the errors in his student’s approach to the violin.

Miriam Morris is a teacher of the viol, cello and piano at all levels. She was a long-time AMEB examiner. Her latest publication, The Art of Playing the Viol, is available at www.saraband.com.au/PlayingtheViol.html She recently presented on ‘Making the Switch to a New Instrument’ at the AUSTA National Conference.

Big Bass Day, Brisbane 2022

Marian

Heckenberg

July 17 was a typically beautiful wnter’s day in Brisbane but on this particular day, an unusual sight was seen at The Old Museum, home of the Queensland Youth Orchestras. From first light, a gathering of eighty double bass enthusiasts, aged between 7 and 70, rumbled in for the third Big Brisbane Bass Day. The BBB Day was created by me and Chloe Williamson as a non-competitive, allinclusive learning experience to celebrate the double bass. The event has been enormously successful but this year was extra special due to the generosity of QYO. Being able to use the Old Museum facilities meant there was space for huge mass bass technical classes, small group lessons, teacher training and chamber music. Amazing parents and participants supported the BBB Day by coming from far and wide including Sydney, Toowoomba, Stanthorpe, Mackay, Rockhampton, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast. The dedicated tutors – Phoebe Russell,

Dušan Walkowicz, Justin Bullock, Paul O’Brien, Ken Poggioli, Robert Davidson, Connie GarretBenson, Danica Inglis plus Chloe and me – gave generously and imparted their own personal skill sets to their groups. We were also fortune.ate to have accomplished bassist Bernardo Alviz join us a tutor, and fearless conductor!

We are grateful to our parent supporters who worked hard behind the scenes to make the day run smoothly. Wonderful prizes and support were supplied by Benedict Puglisi, Leatherwood Rosin, Simply for Strings, Bassworks, Four Bass Music, Dalseno Music, Fractal Fingering and local luthiers John Simmers and David Heckenberg.

The climax of the day was a free concert for parents and friends and we were honoured to see Mrs Curro and Queensland Youth Symphony director Simon Hewett in attendance. A moving performance of Mahler’s bass solo from his Symphony no. 1 (for massed bass ensemble) opened the concert and after each chamber group had performed their items, everyone enthusiastically joined forces again for the finale, Enredo de Tango, written by talented bassist and composer Harrison Young.

Many thanks to QYO (through Geoff Rosbrook and Louise Robinson) as they have elevated our uniquely low register event to new heights!

Marian Heckenberg is a graduate of the Universities of Queensland and Southern California. She teaches at the Queensland Conservatorium (Griffith University), is Principal Bass for the Camerata Orchestra and performs with QSO.

Ukraine’s contribution to the world of music

Mary Nemet and Susan Pierotti

AUSTAdoes not promote political views or take sides in conflicts. However, as Ukraine is in the news and a hot topic of interest, we thought it might be of interest to record what influence Ukrainian string players, teachers and luthiers have had on our world of strings.

Until 1991, Ukraine was part of Russia so many of the musicians listed below identified themselves as Russian.

Composers

Reinhold Glière (1875–1956) was born in Kyiv. He was noted for his works incorporating elements of the folk music of several eastern Soviet republics.

Sergei Prokofiev (1891–1953) was born in Krasne, now known as Sontsivka. He was taught in his early years by Glière and is widely considered one of the 20th century’s major composers. The international airport in Donetsk bears his name.

Igor Markevitch (1912–1983) was born in Kyiv. He was a conductor and avant-garde composer whose work was commissioned by impresario Sergei Diaghilev of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. Bartók hailed him as ‘the most striking personality in contemporary music’ and claimed him as an influence on his own creative work.

Valentin Silvestrov (1937–) was born in Kyiv and is one of the favourite composers of his Estonian contemporary, Arvo Pärt. Silvestrov fled from Ukraine following the Russian invasion and now lives in Berlin.

Pianists

Jascha Spivakovsky (1896–1970) was born near Kyiv and was the eldest brother of Tossy, Adolf and Isaac Spivakovsky (see below). Considered the musical heir to Rubenstein and Paderewski, he was regarded in Europe as the finest living interpreter of Brahms. He fled to Australia a few days before the Nazis seized power in 1933.

Benne Moiseiwitsch (1902–1963) was born in Odesa. Moiseiwitsch was noted for his elegance, poetry, lyrical brilliance, rhythmic freedom and relaxed virtuosity. He married Australian Daisy Kennedy, a relative of Nigel Kennedy.

Vladimir Horowitz (1903–1989) was born in Kyiv and is considered one of the greatest pianists of all time.

Shura (Alexander) Cherkassky (1908–1995) was born in Odesa but his family fled to the United States to escape the Russian Revolution of 1917. His playing was characterised by a virtuoso technique and singing piano tone.

Emil Gilels (1916–1985) was born in Odesa, the brother of violinist Elizabeth Gilels. He was universally admired for his superb technical control and burnished tone and Rachmaninoff regarded him as his pianistic successor.

Violinists

Pyotr Stolyarsky (1871–1944) was born in Lypovets, near Kyiv. He founded the Odesa School of violin playing and became one of the founders of the Soviet violin school. His students include David and Igor Oistrakh, Boris Goldstein, Nathan Milstein and Elizabeth Gilels. In 1937, at the International Ysaye Competition, five of his students took the top prizes, ‘with an assurance that bordered on arrogance’ as one reporter put it.

Abram Yampolsky (1890–1956) was born in Yekaterinoslav, also known as Dnipropetrovsk and now Dnipro. He was a Professor and Head of the violin faculty of the Moscow Conservatorium. His students include Elizabeth Gilels, Leonid Kogan and Eduard Grach.

Mischa Elman (1891–1967), was born in Talne near Kyiv. He was famed for his passionate style, beautiful tone, and impeccable artistry and musicality.

Mischa Mischakoff (1895–1981) was born in Proskuriv, now known as Khlmelnytskyi. He escaped from Russia in 1921 with his friend and colleague, cellist Gregor Piatigorsky. He led many of America’s greatest orchestras from the 1920s to the 1960s.

Toscha Seidel (1899–1962) was born in Odesa. He was known for his lush, romantic tone and unique and free rubato. He was a leader in the new Hollywood studio orchestra scene and was musical director of CBS radio where he had a show called ‘The Toscha Seidel Program’. His 1714 ‘da Vinci’ Strad sold in June this year for $15.34 million.

Louis Krasner (1903–1995) was born in Cherkasy. He commissioned and premiered works by Berg’s and Schonberg’s violin concertos and works by many American composers.

Nathan Milstein (1904–1992) was born in Odesa. He was known for his interpretations of Bach’s solo violin works and for works from the Romantic period.

Massed basses on stage

David Oistrakh (1908–1974) was born in Odesa. One of the 20th century’s most pre-eminent violinists, he premiered works by Prokofiev, Khatchaturian and Shostakovich.

Elizabeth Gilels (1919–2008) was born in Odesa, the younger sister of pianist Emil Gilels. A student of Stolyarsky and Abram Yampolsky, she became professor of violin at the Moscow Conservatory in 1987. She married violinist Leonid Kogan.

Isaac Stern (1920–2001) was born in Kremenets, then in Poland but now in Ukraine. Isaac Stern told Mary Nemet that soldiers were taking pot-shots through his nursery window while in his crib, so his mother pushed the cradle to the other side of the room to avoid the bullets. His family moved to San Francisco in 1921. He was the first American violinist to tour Soviet Russia (in 1951).

Boris Goldstein (1922–1987) was born in Odesa. As a teenager, he was described by Heifetz as being USSR’s most brilliant violin talent.

Leonid Kogan (1924–1982) was born in Yekaterinoslav. A brilliant and compelling violinist who excelled in both concerto repertoire and chamber music, he was the first Soviet violinist to play and record Berg’s Violin Concerto.

Nelli Shkolnikova (1928–2010) was born in Zolotonosha. She defected to the West in 1982 and settled in Melbourne where she taught at the Victorian College of the Arts. She became the Victorian Arts Centre’s first Artist-inResidence.

Eduard Grach (1930–) was born in Odesa and learnt from Stolyarsky. He has followed in the footsteps of another of his teachers, Yampolsky, in that he is now Professor and Head of the violin faculty of the Moscow Conservatorium.

Igor Oistrakh (1931–2021) was born in Odesa, the son of David Oistrakh. He appeared internationally as a soloist and in joint recitals with his father, or with his father conducting. The asteroid 42516 Oistrach was named in his and his father’s honour.

Violists

Boris Kroyt (1897–1969) was born in Odesa. His family’s apartment was a meeting place for young radicals, including Leon Trotsky. Trained as a violinist, as a teenager he taught himself the viola in three days. He played viola with the Budapest String Quartet from 1936 till 1967.

Maxim Rysanov (1978–) was born in Kramatorsk. At 14, he swapped from violin to viola and his performances and recordings have since won several awards.

Cellists

Emanuel Feuermann (1902–1942) was born in Kolmyja, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire but now in Ukraine. He performed with Carl Flesch, Szymon Goldberg, Hindemith, Heifetz and Primrose. Casals said, ‘What a great artist Feuermann was!’

Gregor Piatigorsky (1903–1976) was born in Yekaterinoslav, also known as Dnipropetrovsk and now Dnipro. He led orchestras in Moscow, Berlin and the US and performed chamber music with Heifetz, Horowitz, Milstein and William Primrose. He premiered works by Prokofiev, Hindemith, Stravinsky and Walton.

Further facts

By the second half of the 20th century, it became a standing joke that if you weren’t Jewish and born in Odesa in Ukraine, you would never make it as a solo violinist.

According to Stella Nemet (the mother of Reviews Editor Mary Nemet), Odesa was either in Russia, Ukraine or Poland, depending on her history teacher at the time.

Mischa Elman, Jascha Heifetz, Toscha Siedel and Sasha Jacobsen achieved unexpected fame when in 1922, George Gershwin wrote a song about them called ‘Mischa, Jascha, Toscha, Sascha’.

An Australian connection: Tossy Spivakovsky (1905–1998), a younger brother of pianist Jascha Spivakovsky, was born in Odesa and was considered one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century. On tour in Australia when the Nazis took power in 1933, he taught at the University of Melbourne Conservatorium with his brother Adolf (bass baritone) during the 1930s. The Adolph Spivakovsky Scholarship for the Composition of Music is presented annually by the University of Melbourne. Tossy’s brother, Isaac, played and taught violin and cello at Scotch College in Melbourne.

Kyiv, Sontsivka, Odesa and Kramatorsk have all been under direct fire from the Russian invasion.

To help Ukrainian violin maker Oleksandr Smykovskyi, whose home and violin shop in Mariupol were burned down in the Russian invasion, Tarisio has auctioned a 2010 violin made by Smykovskyi, with all proceeds going to the luthier.

What the Committee looked forward to at the National Conference

Hamish Paterson, Helen Holt, James de Rozario, Janet Fernandes, Miranda Bell

Howmany AUSTA National Conferences have you been to?

Hamish: I’ve been to five national conferences now.

James: I have been to five AUSTA Conference and enjoyed every single one of them!

Janet: Seven.

Miranda: Ask me this time in July and it will be one!

When and where was your first and last AUSTA National Conference?

Helen: My first was in Brisbane 2006 and the last one was 2018 in Perth.

James: First was Brisbane 2006, last was Perth 2018.

Janet: First was in Canberra 1985, last was in Perth 2018.

Describe an inspiring moment from an AUSTA National Conference.

Hamish: Hearing Richard Gill’s keynote speech in Brisbane 2015 was very inspirational. A passion for music education built upon the similar stories of an earlier teaching career that we’ve all experienced.

James: I don’t think I realised how big the string teaching community was until I attended Brisbane 2006. I felt that I had finally found my people and was so inspired by the many presenters. I remember returning to work with a sense of excitement and determination!

Janet: Watching Graeme Abbott run an outstanding conducting workshop at my second Canberra conference. Even though I was only in the orchestra that the participants were conducting, learnt so much from watching them putting Graeme’s advice into practice. I had new ideas to try out on my return to school.

Describe an unexpected moment from an AUSTA National Conference.

Hamish: An unexpected moment was Keith Crellin lending me his Arthur Smith viola at the 2009 Perth conference for a new string music session. A lovely instrument and a kind act by Keith who would not have known me from Adam.

James: Coming across old friends from university, old colleagues and meeting people who I had only heard about. I was very excited to meet them!

Describe a funny story from an AUSTA National Conference.

Helen: Having our plane held up getting to Perth/ Fremantle. We arrived at 2 am and of course our booked transport had well and truly gone home. We had to ring them and get them out of bed to come and pick us up. They were very nice about it.

Janet: Sharing accommodation with three other delegates and finding that we were booked on the 65th floor of the Quest apartments in Brisbane. It had glorious views, especially at night.

What has been challenging in the preparation of the upcoming AUSTA National Conference?

Hamish: Planning around a pandemic that actually hasn’t ended yet.

Helen: Not knowing if it would be face-to-face or online. And choosing a conference satchel! We have gone with an environmentally friendly one. hope everyone likes it.

James: COVID, COVID, COVID. The great C has provided challenges in getting a venue, locking in presenters, locking in a firm budget...the list goes on!

What would be your tips in planning a big event such as this?

Hamish: Start planning early and spread the jobs around. Nobody wants to be running around stressed in the last 24 hours.

Helen: Make sure that you do the tasks needed each week. A list of tasks and a timeline keeps things ticking over. And documenting things well – our work from this Conference is now on OneDrive for the next committee to work from.

James: Have good people around you. Karen Kyriakou and Helen Holt are amazing people. The Victorian Committee has also been incredibly helpful and supportive.

Which presenters are you most excited to see?

Helen: So many where do I start! Yvonne Frye – even though she is a violinist and I am a cellist, she has great ideas that can be transferred to anyone’s teaching. Daniel Carner – I have really enjoyed his articles in Stringendo and I am looking forward to hearing him.

James: Our keynotes are especially impressive and I am really looking forward to the conversations that they will inspire! As I get older, my body seems to hurt, so I’m also interested in the session on shoulder pain!

Janet: Ed Le Brocq – I have just read his most recent book and I love the passionate way he writes about music and teaching.

Miranda: I always enjoy hearing Fintan Murphy, Deborah Cheetham and Josie Vains speak. The sessions presented by Edith Salzman and Elizabeth Scott also look interesting to me.

Professionally, what do you hope to achieve at the upcoming Conference?

Hamish: I remember some years ago at a Sounds Great conference in Melbourne, one of the international presenters pointed out that we will be faced a dozen or so new concepts/methods over the course of the conference. They pointed out that if you try to implement all of them in your teaching at once, it would just leave you muddled and frustrated. Taking away and implementing one new concept or method

Miranda: I can’t wait to hear the results of what I will learn at the Conference in the performances of my students, and of my own. I know this will take months for me to process things that I pick up at the Conference.

Socially, what do you hope to achieve at the upcoming Conference?

James: Catch up with old friends, meet new people and to hopefully share my experiences with new, emerging teachers!

Janet: I am looking forward to hosting a very dear friend I haven’t seen since the 2018 conference in Perth.

What are you most looking forward to at this year’s AUSTA National Conference?

Hamish: I’m looking forward to seeing the keynote

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Why do we attend conferences?

Miranda Bell

Now quicker than ever, we can access information at the click of a button, read blogs, listen to podcasts or follow someone on Instagram. We can catch up with people over Zoom, dial multiple people into meetings across the world, and when you don’t know how to do something, you ask Google or YouTube. So why attend a conference?

Well, here are a few key reasons why attending an in-person conference can be more important than you think.

Energise yourself

You can’t pour from an empty cup! And the last two years have seen us pouring, and pouring, and pouring, with minimal refills. Through rigorous

Invest in your practice

Refine your own practice by honing skills and pedagogy at an in-person conference. Whether paid for by your employer or by yourself, attend a conference where you can curate your own conference schedule based on your areas of interest and improvement.

Meet that person you’ve read about

Hearing our presenters speak about their specialist areas can be inspiring and offers you opportunities to ask questions and pick their brains, so to speak.

Meet people you haven’t read about!

So, you’ve met the people whose composed the music you play with your beginner string group, but what about other attendees? The AUSTA National Conference will provide many social opportunities, from Dinner. Creating professional relationships and networks outside of your own workplace can

Theory of Music Grade 5

Founder’s and President’s reflections

Elizabeth Morgan and James de Rozario

‘I am thinking of you all as you start the AUSTA Conference,’ writes AUSTA’s founder and parting Elizabeth Morgan. ‘This gives me the opportunity to send warm wishes for a stimulating weekend.

‘AUSTA continues to fulfil a remarkable role throughout the country heading towards its 50th birthday. Who would have thought it possible back then in 1975? All credit to countless people throughout the country who have brought AUSTA to where it is now. There has been a remarkable rise in string playing and teaching over this time.

‘Remember Paul Rolland at the first conference in 1978 talking about ‘notes and tunes’? His Teaching of Action in String Playing was a revelation to many of us and opened the way ahead for string teachers far and wide. Today we understand even more.

‘From each AUSTA conference, we made new discoveries leading to inexhaustible possibilities. Simply teaching the way we were taught is no longer enough no matter the teacher.

‘It is a thrill for me in Brisbane to wish you all an inspiring few days. Sending a special hello to longstanding AUSTA friends throughout the country.

Molto AUSTA!’

James recalls: I first started thinking about the 2022 AUSTA National Conference back in 2019 when I became President-Elect. After being fortunate to attend conferences overseas and attending presentations from visiting overseas educators, I knew that the string community within Australia had a great deal to offer, and so ‘Strings of Australia’ was quickly born. Of course, the pandemic hit us in 2020 and the original 2021 conference was postponed to 2022. Although we weren’t confident with this decision at the time, in the end this turned out for the best.

As time went on, it also became apparent that other works were happening at AUSTA that would tie in well with the Conference. This included the launch of the AUSTA book and the announcement of new AUSTA patrons.

Molto AUSTA is a book that has been many years in the making. It has involved interviews with many, many AUSTA people, along with the reading and study of old newsletters, magazines, meeting minutes and the sorting through the history of AUSTA. I would like to thank Susan Pierotti for her work on the book and to Susan and Stephen Chin for providing an entertaining launch. The book is a wonderful way to celebrate our founders who made ‘Strings of Australia’ possible.

The choosing of patrons was a very difficult job. We wanted to represent different instruments, genders and ages, but above all, we were keen to choose

great Australian teachers and pedagogues. It was such a pleasure to announce Patricia Pollett, Robin Wilson and Howard Penny as AUSTA three newest patrons. I thank them for their dedication to their craft and for aligning themselves with AUSTA.

Unfortunately, my personal conference experience was not what I had expected. Working hard in the week leading up to the conference, I developed a minor but irritating cold, fortunately not Covid! I seemed to be getting better, but after having introduced Jeremy Woolstenhulme at the Pre-Conference Workshop, my voice soon left me. For the rest of the conference, I could do no more than whisper and was forced to write things down to be understood! When I also developed a sinus infection, the wonderful AUSTA VIC committee soon sent me home to rest.

Although I didn’t see much of the conference, I was able to experience the great community that came together. The enthusiasm in sharing ideas was palpable as people socialised and came together. It was a vibe that certainly couldn’t be done over Zoom! Our wonderful traders and supporters helped create a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. Their warmth, along with their knowledge of all things string was so appreciated by the delegates. The launch of the Series 10 Violin Syllabus was brought to us by our principal sponsor, AMEB, and it was interesting to meet and hear from the people who contributed to the new series. Many thanks to all of our sponsors for their support of the conference.

I would also like to thank our presenters. We were inspired by our international visitors, but our local presenters demonstrated with acuity that we really are ‘Strings of Australia!’

Although many people can see the work that goes into a printed program, schedule, catering and other visible parts of a conference, it is actually the behind-the-scenes work that has been so crucial in setting up the 2022 conference. The Conference Organising Committee worked incredibly hard to set up the infrastructure to make it easier for future conferences. The success of the organisation could be seen when I was unable to undertake my duties – other people took this on seamlessly and the conference continued to run without mishap.

I would like to thank Karen Kyriakou and Helen Holt for their tremendous support over our 45-plus Zoom meetings. Your work and dedication were awe-inspiring while your personal support was much appreciated.

The AUSTA VIC Committee is tremendously strong. They came together smoothly to cover every job, from introducing presenters to meeting caterers, looking after traders, answering delegate questions and even washing glasses! Your generosity and support were very special throughout the conference – thank you. And so now we start to look forward to our next conference in 2025. Wherever it is held, the one thing I know is that our organisation will go from strength to strength and the next conference will be even better!

Current Members

ACT

Hugh Withycombe

New South Wales

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Queensland

John Simmers

David Heckenberg

Victoria

Rainer Beilharz

Volker Beilharz

Alex Grant

Martin Schuster

Founded in 2008, the AVMA represents some of the most accomplished makers, dealers and restorers in Australia.

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avma.org.au

We know your instrument from the inside out

The 2022 AUSTA National Award goes to Stephen Chin!

AUSTA’s National Award is given to an AUSTA member who has contributed extensively to AUSTA and the wider string community in Australia. The National Editor was able to interview AUSTA’s latest recipient during the recent 2022 National Conference in Melbourne.

Susan Pierotti: Congratulations, Stephen, on winning AUSTA’s highest award!

Stephen Chin: Thank you.

SP: How did you feel when you were told?

SC: There were so many incredible nominees so when I found out it was me, I thought, ‘Oh, wow!’ It made me reflect on my whole musical journey, on who has been really important to me.

SP: Tell us a little about your musical journey.

SC: At home, we sang, we played, and I wanted to be a composer even more than a player. In Year 11, I changed schools. Instead of a private school where I didn’t have an easy school life, being half-Chinese, I was now at a school full of surfies. I flourished in Sydney Youth Orchestra and won composition competitions.

SP: Did you want to be a teacher at that point?

SC: Teaching was never a driver, but when I realised that I never was going to be asked to perform the Brahms Violin Concerto with the New York Philharmonic (ha-ha), I accepted that I’d have to teach sometime. After my first teaching position at Blue Mountains Grammar, I wanted to take teaching seriously. Seeing Paul Rolland teach was a great influence.

SP: You were a Sydney boy but now you’re in Queensland. Why did you move?

SC: Our parents were thinking of moving to Queensland to a warmer climate so my wife and I moved up to Brisbane to be near them – but they remained in Sydney!

SP: Do you regret the move?

SC: No! AUSTA Q was so vibrant and its social aspect reminded me of my childhood. My composing was also encouraged. Other composer/ teachers such as Loreta Fin and Keith Sharp (we’re called Fin, Chin and Sharp up here!) were collaborative, and that makes a strong impression on the musical community. I believe that you should always be the best person you can be by building bridges.

SP: You had studied composition with renowned Australian composer Peter Sculthorpe. How did you go from writing for adult performers (and listeners) to writing for children?

SC: I was asked to write a piece for a student class. I thought, ‘How would it be if I were a tenyear-old playing this?’ I remembered the strong emotions ten-year-olds have and wanted to put that into the music. After that piece, people wanted more.

SP: Do you think that competitions are an encouragement for composers?

SC: Actually, composer competitions disturb me. They are incredibly subjective. A composer bares their soul in their composition and to have it rejected is damaging. I would prefer to see something like what happens at AUSTA Q’s Junior String Festival –everyone gets a trophy and a report. That is far more beneficial. It saddens me that there are really talented composers living on the breadline.

SP: What do you see for the future of music making in this country?

SC: We need to diversify. We need to learn to improvise, we should learn about and play music from other cultures, even do other non-musical activities.

SP: What are your current goals?

SC: I have spent 25 years composing for educational purposes. I still love doing that (I’ve almost finished writing the scale book I think we all need!) but I now have more time to write for adult professional ensembles. I’ve found my ‘voice’ and want to write a violin sonata and string quartets.

SP: Are there any words of wisdom you would like to pass on to AUSTA members?

SC: Be the best player you can be for your student. I still get up at 4.30 every morning, go to school and practise until the first student arrives. As teachers, we should impart the motivation we have into each student.

SP: Thank you, Stephen, for sharing your experiences and thoughts with us. And congratulations once again on being awarded AUSTA’s National Award!

AUSTA State Awards

(from the AUSTA National Conference program)

AUSTA’s state awards recognise contributions made to the string community in each state. We congratulate 2022’s State Award winners.

Jennifer Higgs (ACT)

Jenny began violin lessons with Hiroko Primrose, later the Churchills and Yasuki Nakamura. These people engendered in her a fascination for, and desire to, teach as well as to perform. During her studies at the CSM, she began to suffer from RSI. The process of rehabilitation led Jenny and her teacher, Tor Fromyhr, to examine anatomy and body mapping which forms the foundation of her teaching now.

Jenny plays professionally in the Canberra Symphony Orchestra and with visiting touring companies. She is also on the AUSTA ACT committee

Jenny’s work with the students of Orana Steiner School (where she is the String Program Coordinator and music teacher), the young players in the orchestras of Music for Canberra and the students of her own teaching studio love her gentle approach, her musical inspiration and unfailingly positive encouragement.

Alex Henery (NSW)

Alex Henery moved to Australia from the UK with his family in 1979. He studied double bass at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music before moving to the US to complete his studies.

In 1989, began his professional career in the UK. He held the position of Co-Principal Bass in the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in 1990 and in 1992 took up the Co-Principal position with the Philharmonia Orchestra in London. Alex was a regular guest principal with the London Symphony Orchestra and numerous chamber orchestras.

He took up the position of Principal Double Bass with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in 1998. He performs regularly at various music festivals and has

been featured as a soloist with the Sydney, Shanghai and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras on several occasions.

Alex is an active teacher of young primary and high school-level students, as well as having many exstudents who hold positions in orchestras nationally and internationally. Alex holds the position of Lecturer and Unit of Study Coordinator of the Double Bass department at Sydney Conservatorium.

Rod and Celia Egerton (Qld)

Rod and Celia Egerton arrived in Toowoomba from Melbourne almost 25 years ago and have since then worked to build a culture of string playing in the region.

Through the establishment of Toowoomba Strings, a community program incorporating junior and senior string orchestras and a Colourstrings program for beginners, Toowoomba Strings have given many concerts, performed in interstate conferences and taken tours to western regions as well as overseas. Their annual Youth Concerto event was established in 2011 and has since given many students the opportunity to perform a concerto accompanied by an orchestra.

Celia has immersed herself in the world of Colourstrings and the remarkable teaching methodology of Géza Szilvay. She has taught in both the East Helsinki and the Kuhmo Music Institutes in Finland and has presented Colourstrings workshops for teachers around Australia.

In 1999, Rod established STRINGOUT Toowoomba, a major regional community string festival for primary schools and primary string players. STRINGOUT draws together hundreds of participants and their string teachers from Toowoomba and surrounding areas. celebrated 20 years of music making in 2019. Together, Celia and Rod have hosted and assisted with numerous teacher training events around the country, including the inaugural Australian Colourstrings Festival in Toowoomba in 2014, in order to share this method with a new generation of teachers.

Agnes Weinstein (SA)

Agnes’s love of music stared when she learned to play recorder with her cousins on her family in Germany when she was six. Upon returning to Bombala, she continued the recorder until a small violin turned up in the town and she began violin lessons.

Agnes completed her music degree at the University of Adelaide and played professionally in the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra for 15 years. She moved to Townsville in 1991, and taught violin and viola casually for James Cook University. In Townsville, Agnes had her first encounter with AUSTA, where she became a committee member.

Agnes spent a few years travelling around New Zealand, Perth and Brisbane, where she joined the AUSTA committees and worked as an instrumental teacher and conductor. Agnes also performed in chamber ensembles and orchestras. She returned to Adelaide in 2010 and joined the AUSTA committee there. Having experienced how AUSTA worked in other states, Agnes focused on replicating the best parts of what she had experienced and built a strong, inclusive and vibrant community of string teachers, amateur players and younger students.

Audrey Akermann (Tas)

Audrey Akermann was born and educated in Ireland. She studied at the Royal Irish Academy of Music where she was the Vandeleur Academy Scholar for singing. She also received RIAM awards for sight-singing and theory. Her instrumental tuition was in piano and violin, later changing to cello, thus developing a working knowledge of the orchestral string family.

a teacher. As well as music, she also was an early childhood educator in Dublin.

After migrating to Tasmania in 1977, Audrey first taught classroom music in various Hobart primary schools, including working with children in a special school. Later she helped to establish the Combined Primary Schools String Program for the Tasmanian Department of Education. It was for this program that she developed her group tuition curriculum and the Tricks to Tunes method and materials.

Although now retired, Audrey has continued some classroom teaching as a volunteer and enjoys having a handful of young students. AUSTA activities and involvement with the local community eisteddfod society keeps her well occupied. This leaves just enough time to indulge her other leisure pursuit of gardening.

John Quaine (Vic)

John is a string specialist with many years of experience as a performer, conductor and educator. He plays violin and viola and has had an extensive performance career on modern and period instruments. He taught strings at all levels of government, private schools and within a busy private studio; his innovative approach to string programs in schools continues to be influential.

MYO and MSE. John has worked as an editorial consultant for the AMEB and is a string examiner.

John has been associated with AUSTA for over 40 years and during this time he participated in and contributed to numerous State and National events. He joined the Victorian State Committee in the 1990s and was an active committee member for 25 years, serving as the Victorian State President 1999–2002 and as the AUSTA National President 2011–2013. As National President, John continued to keep abreast of developments on string playing, teaching and making, and advocated for and promoted a wide range of activities on these areas for AUSTA members. Regional events, touring conferences and the 2012 National Conference’s ‘Strings in the 21st Century’ were successfully undertaken with the support of enthusiastic and capable State committees.

John strengthened links with aligned organisations such as AMEB, Suzuki talent Education, ANAM, state universities, instrument makers, local composers, music publishers, Early Music practitioners, numerous Australian and international presenters as well as allied associations such as ASTA and ESTA; during this time, Stringendo was transformed into a truly professional flagship publication for AUSTA. John remains grateful for the wonderful experiences and friendships that were forged during the years of his association with AUSTA.

Rennae van der Laan (WA)

Rennae van der Laan was born in Canada into a musical family and has been teaching music and performing professionally for over 35 years. Her undergraduate studies were at the University of Manitoba where, after many years travelling and performing, she returned to teach violin.

She is an examiner for the AMEB and is currently teaching violin, viola and voice at Wesley College along with tunning a very successful private studio, the RennaeSense Music Studio.

Rennae joined AUSTA WA in 2005 and has held many positions on the committee, including WA President where, after much hand-holding and guidance from committee members Andy Patrick, Kirsten Arkley-Smith and Helen Tuckey, she took on the responsibility of coordinating the AUSTA Festival.

She believes that AUSTA provides many opportunities for teachers, performers and students to further develop their craft through workshops, performances and festivals, whether in person or through hybrid events.

Rennae continues to be actively involved in adjudicating and performing with various groups and ensembles and is passionately dedicated to music education in Australia.

Dylan Edwards Photography, image courtesy of Universal Music Australia

Kowalik | David Dalseno | Karol Kowalik | Thomas Chawner

The Power of Games

Karen North

Assix-year-old Harrison bounces into the room for his music lesson, he eagerly asks, ‘Can we do that horse game again today, please?’

‘Sure!’ I reply, ‘and we’re going to …’

… launch into the lesson, with Harrison totally engaged and keen to learn.

Games are a powerful pedagogical tool, providing the ideal environment for learning to take place. Whether you teach in a studio, in the classroom or online, music games are a wonderful way to help our students learn fundamental skills and knowledge, and to really enjoy their music lessons.

One of the great benefits of music games is that they enable us to take an abstract idea and present it in a concrete way. Many of the concepts we are teaching in music are abstract, such as ‘What is the note D?’, ‘What is a beat?’, ‘What is a crotchet?’ Games give our students a chance to experience these concepts without a lot of theoretical explanation. We can give a student a game based on crotchets and quavers, and by playing the game, they can hear and feel the relative values of these notes without any explanation of the associated abstract ideas.

It is not until children are about 11 years old that they develop abstract logic and reasoning, and that they can apply something learned in one context to another situation. Therefore, before this age, children learn best if concepts are attached to a concrete situation – get straight into a game and do an activity. This helps the student feel, hear and perform the concept and avoids wordy monologues.

Busted!

One of main reasons I use games in teaching is because they are fun! Activities that are fun create positive emotions, and this facilitates learning. Research has indicated that a brain enjoying itself is functioning more efficiently. When we enjoy learning, we learn better. If children are having fun, not only will they be more engaged, they will also have better learning outcomes and look forward to their music lessons as a positive experience.

Camille understands everything in our lessons but she rarely speaks as she is an exceptionally shy seven-year-old. If I’m looking for a verbal answer, I find asking via my monkey puppet is more successful than plain old me. However, when I say, ‘Now it’s time for Busted!’, Camille transforms into a bubbly personality.

I use the game Busted! to improve reading rhythms; you could also use it for pitch reading or to learn

Italian musical terms. My older students enjoy this as much as the younger ones.

To play ‘Busted!’, write short rhythm patterns on the ends of popsicle sticks, then write the word ‘Busted’ on some extra sticks and place all sticks in a jar. The student draws a stick and if they perform the rhythm on it correctly, they keep the stick; if it is wrong, they put the stick back in the jar. If they draw the Busted! stick, they must return all their sticks to the jar. The game can continue as long as you want, or you can stop at any point and the winner is the person with the most sticks. If playing this game in an individual lesson, the student can see how many sticks they can collect within a time limit.

It’s in the cards

Educational card games have also been shown to lead to improved learning outcomes. I find these particularly helpful for teaching aspects of notation and theory.

The rules for a card game help structure learning, and the goal of winning creates motivation for even the most reluctant learner. Some might think card games are rather unsophisticated compared to the wonderful app games available today, but I have found kids still love playing card games. Domino Fingering (violin, viola and cello) is a card game I use with beginners to help them learn the connections between staff notation, letter names and fingerings/strings. As the name suggests, this game is played similarly to a game of dominoes, with different pictures on each half of the card and each player aims to match the string/ finger with a picture of the note on the staff or the letter name. Even when students progress beyond the first position notes in Domino Fingering, they still ask to play it, which I regard as a success both in terms of the learning outcome and enjoyment.

How many times?

To learn a new skill or piece of music thoroughly requires repetition, and for some students this takes lots of repetitions! US psychologist and researcher, Dr Karyn Purvis, found that it takes significantly fewer repetitions to create a new synapse in the brain if the learning happens through play.

Games are a great way to repeat or revise music without students getting bored. For example, Pass the Tune involves ‘passing’ the music between student and teacher or between two groups of students, bar by bar without any pause in the music. If the music happens to have an anacrusis, students (and teachers!) are really kept on their toes making sure they stop at each bar line.

Integration of games

Games are integral to my lesson plans; interweave them throughout the lesson. In addition to planned games, I also have a plethora of games ready to help with individual problems as they arise.

Some teachers feel there isn’t time in the lesson for games; they need to fit in technical work, pieces and maybe sight reading and/or aural skills. But what about using games for some of this work, so the game is part of the lesson?

Another approach is to offer a game at the end of the lesson as a reward. This can be helpful for students who need extrinsic motivation. In a halfhour instrumental lesson, you could set aside the last five minutes of the lesson for a game.

I particularly like using games to cover technical work, even with older students. It’s amazing how scales can become fun when you use a game show format. Games are also helpful to teach students how to practise their pieces. Eight-year-old Katie comes from a very large and busy family and is usually left to her own devices for home practice. I could jot down some comments to remind her what she needs to do, but it’s unlikely she’d read them, so we play the game Dicey Deal in her lesson, then she takes it home for her own practice. In this game, Katie throws a die to select one of six sections on a chart, each of which has a challenge related to the piece she is learning. This models how to focus on specific sections of a piece in practice sessions, not just play through the music.

Something for everyone

Our students have different learning styles. Some are visual learners, others learn best by hearing things, others are kinaesthetic (physical) learners. One of the reasons games are such a successful teaching tool is that they offer different sensory experiences, and many games use a combination of senses, appealing to different learning styles.

Aural skills are a crucial component of learning music and can form the basis of many games for the youngest pre-reading students as well as more advanced students. Games can also be a useful way to develop skills without actually playing the instrument. Holding a string instrument with arms away from the body is tiring, especially for young beginners.

Additionally, many young children find it hard to sit still, so games which involve movement can help them stay focused. For example, when teaching the names of the open strings, you could use a simple game such as placing cards with the names of the open strings in each corner of the room. As you call out a letter, the student runs to the corresponding card, then runs back, picks up their instrument and plays that string.

I love using games in my teaching as they generate a feeling of relaxation and motivation, optimising the learning process. My students have fun, I have fun, and we still cover the necessary technical skills and music in the lesson. Maybe I’m preaching to the converted, but if you don’t already use games in your lessons, give it a go!

[Ed: Karen was unable to present at the recent National Conference. She has generously shared her presentation here.]

Karen North has enjoyed bringing music into the lives of children and adults for over 35 years in her roles as teacher mentor and conductor. Karen is the author of Fun & Games for Music Lessons, Lyrical Violin Legends, Festive Violin Fun and other instrumental books. She supports teachers around the world through her online workshops, conference presentations, blogs and newsletter. Further details of games can be found at www.allegromusicgames.com

New patrons for AUSTA

From its earliest days of establishment, AUSTA has invited eminent musicians to become patrons. Our first patrons were Jan Sedivka, Robert Pikler OBE and William Primrose CBE. AUSTA’s proud lineage of patrons includes Lord Yehudi Menuhin, Max Rostal CBE, Sheila Nelson, Eduard Melkus, Jon Curro AM MBE, Richard Gill OAM, Graham Wood OAM, Barry Green, Simon Fischer and, of course, AUSTA’s founder, Elizabeth Morgan AM. At the National Conference, three new patrons were announced, including our first cellist patron! We welcome them to AUSTA and acknowledge the contributions they have made in the world of strings.

Patricia Pollett1

Patricia Pollett is one of Australia’s leading string players. Well known as an advocate of new music for the viola, she has commissioned, performed and recorded numerous solo works by leading Australian composers. She was honoured for this work with an APRA Australian Music Centre Classical Music Award for the ‘Most Distinguished Contribution to the Presentation of Australian Composition by an Individual’.

Patricia has performed as soloist and chamber musician with major Australian ensembles and orchestras and has extensive international performance experience, particularly with the Italian string ensemble, I Solisti Veneti. A founding member of the contemporary ensemble, Perihelion, in 2014 Patricia launched her new ensemble, White Halo, also resident at the University of Queensland.

Patricia is in demand as a teacher, giving masterclasses for leading education institutions in Australia and overseas including the Australian National Academy of Music and New York University. She has directed and tutored courses for the Australian Youth Orchestra and was a member of their board and artistic committee.

Patricia is Professor of Music at the University of Queensland where she is Director of Performance and Engagement at the School of Music.

AUSTA is very honoured to welcome Patricia as a new AUSTA Patron.

Robin Wilson2

Internationally regarded pedagogue

Dr Robin Wilson is Resident Faculty of Violin at the Australian National Academy of Music in Melbourne. Previously, he held appointments as Lecturer in Violin and Pedagogy at the University of Sydney and the Australian Institute of Music, and String Pedagogy Fellow at the University of Queensland. He serves on the faculty of the Keshet Eilon International String Mastercourse in Israel, Valdres Festival in Norway and Morningside Music Bridge at The New England Conservatory in Boston. His students are regular prize-winners of all of the major national Australian competitions and many international competitions, including first prize (2018) and second prize (2021) in the Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition. They hold professional positions and regularly perform as soloists with the major Australian Orchestras and play in orchestras around the world such as the Berlin Philharmonic, Bavarian Opera, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Nationaltheater Orchestra Mannheim and London Philharmonic.

Robin has given solo recitals and been broadcast on ABC Classic FM, and the entire MBS FM network throughout Australia and Classic FM in NZ. His solo discography includes two discs of violin encores released by Universal Music on Decca and the complete Schubert sonatas for violin and piano with pianist Kemp English on Ode Records. As a member of the acclaimed historical performance ensemble Ironwood, he regularly tours nationally and internationally, performing at major venues and festivals throughout Australia, the US and the UK and has recorded for ABC Classics, Vexations840 and VDE-Gallo. Robin is the former Leader of the ARCO Chamber Orchestra, member of the Australian Octet and has appeared as guest violinist with leading Australian ensembles such as the Sydney Omega Ensemble, Ensemble Liaison, Australia Quartet and Nexus 2MBSFM Virtuosi, and played for several years with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, Orchestra of the Antipodes and Pinchgut Opera.

Holding a PhD from the University of Sydney on the historically informed performance of music by Brahms, Robin’s research was awarded the prestigious international 2014 Karl Geiringer Prize from the American Brahms Society. He has lectured

and performed at numerous major international conferences and universities such as Yale University, Stanford University, City University of New York, Eastman School of Music, Leeds University, Royal College of Music London, and the Royal Northern College of Music Manchester, as well as being selected to represent the Sydney Conservatorium of Music at the DDCA Australasian Symposium, ‘The Outstanding Field’. As a pedagogue, he is regularly invited to give masterclasses throughout Australasia, USA, UK and Singapore. A regular tutor for AYO chamber players, he has presented at national pedagogy conferences and AUSTA conferences and for several years designed and taught undergraduate and postgraduate pedagogy curriculum at several universities and delivered professional pedagogy courses in Sydney. He has participated twice in the Delay Starling Symposium at the Julliard School in New York and spent considerable time at the Yehudi Menuhin School in England observing renowned teacher Natasha Boyarsky.

Robin holds Bachelor and Masters degrees in performance and pedagogy studying with Alice Waten, and worked with Janet Davies in Sydney. Robin also studied with James Buswell at The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Beryl Kimber at the Elder Conservatorium in Adelaide, Pamela Dowsett and Jan Tawroszewicz in New Zealand and Felix Andrievsky and David Takeno in London.

Robin is currently Resident Violin Faculty at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) in Melbourne, where he is now based. He plays a Gagliano workshop violin, Naples, 1784.

AUSTA is very honoured to welcome Robin as a new AUSTA Patron.

Howard Penny3

Howard Penny was born in Canberra and after studies with Nelson Cooke moved to Vienna, studying with Tobias Kühne, and elsewhere with André Navarra, Boris Pergamenshikov and William Pleeth. Winning the ABC Young Performers Competition, and a finalist in the Prague International Cello competition, concerto performances include Sydney Opera House, Vienna Musikverein and Konzerthaus, Berlin Schauspielhaus, Suntory Hall Tokyo and Casals

Festival Prades. A regular principal cello with Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Camerata Salzburg and Vienna Radio Symphony, he is a long-standing member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, working regularly with the world’s leading conductors and soloists, participating in over 100 CD and video recordings with such artists as Abbado, Harnoncourt, Solti, Kremer, Argerich and Domingo.

As a chamber musician he has appeared in Wigmore Hall, Salzburg Festival, Beethoven Festival Bonn and KREMERata Lockenhaus, and was awarded the Gold Medal for services to the Republic of Austria. Fifteen years with the Beethoven Trio Vienna also took him to major halls in the US and Japan. A regular guest with Concentus Musicus (Harnoncourt) and for ten years Lecturer in Historical Performance Practice at the University Mozarteum Salzburg, he was musical co-director of two Mozart operas for the 2006 Salzburg Festival complete cycle. A specialist in recitative realisation, he was engaged for a new production of Don Giovanni for the Vienna Festival, a prize-winning Coronation of Poppea in Melbourne, and for seminars during the Mozart Week in Salzburg with Angelika Kirschlager. Frequently directing from the cello, he has led a large variety of repertoire including a Haydn opera with Sara Macliver and Steve Davislim at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM).

His numerous CD recordings include works for solo cello, a live recording of Beethoven’s Triple Concerto from the Vienna Konzerthaus, major works for piano trio with the Beethoven Trio Vienna, first recordings of Boccherini quintets and sextets, and many other chamber works. Since returning to Australia in 2010, he has appeared at most prominent chamber music festivals, including his own Sanguine Estate Music Festival, and works closely with AYO, also as guest director of National Music Camp and Chamber Players. He has been a member of the Artists of the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) in Melbourne since 2007, where he is now very happily based.

AUSTA is very honoured to welcome Robin as a new AUSTA Patron.

1 Source: https://www.ayo.com.au/content/patricia-pollett/ gk5iz6

2 Source: https://anam.com.au/about/artists/robin-wilson

3 Source: https://www.australianworldorchestra.com. au/1312-howard-penny/]

Makers and Suppliers page

Alex W Grant Violins celebrated its 25th anniversary with a new website. ‘The highlight of the new site is the Fine Instrument and Bow Gallery, which showcases some of the finest instruments and bows available in Australia. Featuring stunning photography and detailed information, we hope this archive will serve the playing community for years to come. Come for a visit and explore!’

Saraband Music is now creating silk bags for violins and violas. Two types are available so far, with more to come – brilliantly coloured recycled saris for a gorgeous surprise when opening the case, and plain white silk bags with a coloured ribbon. Coming soon: natural undyed silk bags for people with allergies. Email patrice@saraband.com.au for more info or go to the website for prices and more photos: https://www.saraband.com.au/Bags1.html

For many years, cellists have been longing for a stool that is lightweight, height-adjustable and affordable. After searching high and low, The Sydney String Centre has found the perfect solution.

Introducing the Telescopic Height Adjustable Cello Stool! These stools are perfect for parents looking for a chair that can be adjusted as their child grows, and for teachers who need a studio chair that will suit students of all ages (including adults). They come in 6 different colours and are an absolute steal at $29.95. Available for purchase online at www.violins.com.au

Due to the recent La Nina weather events in NSW and Queensland, The Sydney String Centre is now stocking a new product that will help protect your string instrument against the harmful effects

Deluxe string range for cello provides a lot of core sound, effortless playability and a very even string to string balance.

Quality Instruments

Since 1991 we have been sourcing quality string instruments from all over the globe, for beginners to professional players. All of our instruments are beautifully handcrafted from maple and spruce tone-woods, and set-up by our luthiers to ensure ease of playability and quality of sound.

The Sydney Celebrating 30 years

String Centre

Professional Advice

Our sales team are all dedicated musicians, ready to help guide our customers on their musical journey with sound advice. Our award-winning showroom is a place where string players can be inspired to play music and find the instrument they’ve been dreaming about.

Established Workshop

We have a dedicated workshop with a team of qualified luthiers, who ensure each and every instrument that we rent or sell is setup correctly and playing beautifully. We also provide free ongoing servicing so that your instrument remains in excellent playing condition.

A conversation with Eric Avery

AUSTA’s Advertising Manager Adele Gibson interviews violinist Eric Avery.

Eric Avery, Kabi Marrawuy Mumbulla, is a violinist, vocalist, dancer and composer from the Ngiyampaa, Yuin and Gumbangirr people of NSW. He works with his family’s custodial songs and his haunting compositions often feature him singing while playing violin, predominantly in the Ngiyampaa language.

AG: Where did you grow up?

EA: I grew up in Sydney in the eastern suburbs, the Shire and Newtown. I am Yuin, Ngiyampaa, Gumbangirr, with connection to Bundjalang.

AG: How did you begin your musical journey?

EA: I began playing piano learning pieces by ear, very simply at first. I asked my mother for a toy violin when I was 11. I only picked up a full-sized real violin in year 6 and started playing violin in year 8. I am still astounded by how much I progressed although starting relatively late. My technique is definitely a tribute to all my teachers.

I hold these memories close to my heart. My mother gave me my first violin when I was about 13; I was also supported to play by my Nan immensely. She would always work out a way I could get new strings. My mother also supported my lessons. My Auntie taught me – she is an accomplished teacher and taught me just by the words, ‘Wiggle the note’! It was when I was starting to learn vibrato at age 15. That was a Zen moment for me – ‘Wiggle the note’!

I started formal lessons when I was 14 with my first teacher, Renee. I was obsessed with the violin. The film, Music of The Heart, and the documentary, Small Wonders, provided me with much inspiration when I was 9 and upwards. I yearned for a real violin for years and practised pieces by heart even before I touched the violin. The violin lives inside me. From a young age, I knew I wanted to express myself through the instrument. I had a sense of my musicality and what I was hearing. I was very blessed with a good ear and progressed in my music studies at school.

AG: Do you have a favourite piece of music?

EA: My favourite pieces of music when I was younger were ‘Joyful, Joyful’ from Sister Act and the Bach Double, featured in Music of the Heart. These movies provided me with inspiration from a young age that I could progress as a Black child in a largely multicultural context; I was still one of the only Black children in my schools at this time.

AG: What are your career highlights so far?

EA: Last year I toured with Tina Arena. That was a defining moment. I decided that I would play music for the rest of my life. Even though I had decided that very early on in my life, touring with Tina reinforced this belief. I also performed work very new and refreshing. I have had the privilege of learning my language and playing violin with my father who is a yidaki/gurrumurrugambat/didgeridoo player. I was immersed in culture and was able to compose some really seminal works during this time for Black Arm Band, Marrugeku and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. I have progressed and am now composing for the Australian Vocal Ensemble and Ensemble Offspring. The vibraphone and marimba are amazing (I actually wanted to play this instrument when I was younger). I even went into a talent quest when I was eight years old, playing xylophone. In my dance career, I was lucky enough to dance for Marrugeku and independent dancers Frances Rings, Vicki Van Hout and Narelle Benjamin. The interplay between my dancing and violin was very interesting and I got to explore this for a while, culminating in my solo work, ‘Dancing With Strangers’, performed across Australia with Marrugeku. Dalisa Pigram has also inspired me.

AG: Who were your early influences? Do you have a favourite musician?

EA: My first favourite musician/violinist when I started was Regina Carter; I absolutely loved her rendition of Ain’t Nobody by Chaka Khan. I am also a fan of Midori; I feel her playing is very earth-like. I would also like to give my thanks to Hilary Hahn and how much her violin style and repertoire has inspired countless musicians. I listened to her recordings and her exquisite work on The Village soundtrack. This soundtrack helped me immensely throughout my teenage years and guided me in my life until now.

The beauty amongst a haunting soundtrack was accomplished immensely in her work. I listened to a lot of Prokofiev when I was a teenager also.

My early influences were dancers and people who I met while studying Dance at NAISDA Dance College and The Australian Ballet. I was very lucky to have friends who were amazing musicians and composers. I remember my friends playing and improvising at the piano and on the cello. I was lucky enough to have found a very supportive musical environment at Newtown High School for the Performing Arts where I received very sound training and I was pushed to always strive for the best that I could present. I loved Elena Kats Chernin’s works. Fritz Kreisler works were also beautiful to connect with. More of my favourite musicians were Patti Smith, Ani Di Franco, Nelly Furtado, Erykah Badu (Black Strength and Love), Tiddas, Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Anne Carr Boyd, Adele, The Saints and Tori Amos, another guiding spirit. Bjork was a major influence and, yes, the music guided me in my teenage years. Listening to Erykah allowed me to find my feminine side and the powerful messages in her music about hope and Black love still guide me today. Tracy Chapman, Crowded House, My Friend The Chocolate Cake and Marni Newman inspired my contemporary explorations. Yothu Yindi and Alicia Keys as a classical trained pianist and vocalist, much like Nina Simone, reminded me that as Black musicians, we have so much to offer the world.

More recently, coming more out of the closet, I have been very happy to have heard the music of Nico Muhly live as played by the Omega Ensemble.

AG: What is like to be a gay Aboriginal musician and composer in Australia in 2022?

EA: It is beautiful. It is difficult. It is in a constant state of change and flux. It is a beautiful thing to be out and to accept yourself.

AG: Tell me what it was like to play with Yo-Yo Ma.

EA: To listen to how Yo-Yo was guiding my natural musicianship was amazing. To hear the sonority of sound with my Aboriginal Language was an important milestone. I offer my sincere thanks to him and his team. I surely created a musical experience with him. My world has opened to the possibilities of performing differently. I was accepted, and I sang

7 - 14 January, 2023

Susan Collins - Music Director

A festival for players of all ages and stages to participate in:

• Orchestral strings

• Chamber music

• Classical Guitar

• Mandolin

• Conducting

• Adult ensemble Riverina Conservatorium of Music

1 Simmons St, Wagga Wagga www.summerstrings.com.au

with the violin with him. Not a common thing to sing and play violin at the same time!

AG: What are you currently working on?

EA: I am composing work for an advertisement for the University of Technology Sydney. I am learning The Lark Ascending and I compose a lot of my work for violin and pedals. I’m also working on a debut album. I plan to learnsome new songs in language.

AG: What are your goals for the future?

EA: My goals and plans are to keep playing violin. My violin teacher at Newtown PA had immense impact on how I think about the violin – it is a constant journey but an upward graph.

AG: Do you have a message for young people starting their music journey?

EA: The violin lives inside of us. We hold important information and hope.

AG: How do we engage more young Aboriginal people in all genres of music?

EA: Listening, guidance and action. Our music holds eons of information. Aboriginal people have a philosophy of keeping old traditions alive while adapting to the world changing. Technological advancements are very interesting and very relevant to how music has formed over the last 50 years. The violin style has changed; we see a moving away and coming back to tradition and how these sounds

and feelings from the past are engaged with in more ecological ways. I believe Aboriginal people will have more of a contribution towards the philosophy of the natural and man-made worlds. The violin holds a rainbow serpent of information and emotion. We are creating active reconciliation by being brave enough to engage with old cultures and new cultures in this country.

For me, the violin is about connections, particularly with my mother and grandmother, who both supported me so much. They have both passed on now, but I recognise their love and contribution towards my life and the role that they played as Black elders in my childhood, and the violin keeps me connected to them still.

AG: Thank you, Eric, for your insights.

Eric is a 2021 Myer Creative Fellow. To learn more, go to ericavery.com.au/about/

Exercises to enhance your string ensemble, Part 1

Dr Lachlan Dent

Thistwo-part article provides some exercises that are designed to quickly enhance the performance quality of string ensembles, as well as explaining some of the principles behind these exercises to enable string teachers to successfully adapt them as necessary. These exercises are also useful in oneto-one lessons; however, the improvements can be quite dramatic when working with an ensemble. The exercises are applicable to string players of all levels, although experience has shown that younger players may be more receptive to the ideas, especially those pertaining to rhythm. I would therefore encourage string teachers who are open to using these exercises to use them from the earliest possible stage of their students’ development. The exercise presented in Part One is intended to develop tone. The exercises presented in Part Two are designed to help students play in tune, and to improve rhythm, body use and coordination.

Tone

The following exercise is designed to quickly develop tone quality, and also gives students true agency over their tone production. It is assumed that students have a functional bow hold by this point, as well as a sense of how to align the bow for each string.

First, introduce the idea that students are about to make a ‘horrible crunching’ sound on the D string, and ensure that there is a cue for them to stop making this sound (a clap or hitting a drum can work well). Then, explain to them that, to achieve this ‘crunchy’ sound, they will apply too much weight and/or pressure to the string, will move

their bows too slowly (but without letting them stop altogether), and will use a bow placement that is close to the fingerboard. Remind students to keep their bowing arms relaxed and to use long bows for this exercise. Ask students if they can ‘feel the bow buzzing in their fingers’ after the first attempt at this exercise, and ask them to focus on that sensation on a subsequent attempt. If they still cannot feel this buzzing sensation, it usually means they are holding tension in the hand, arm, shoulder and/or neck, and they should be directed to release this tension, and reassured that they will be able to notice the buzzing sooner or later.

Once the ensemble is able to produce a truly grating, crunching sound, students can then be directed to make a ‘floaty’ sound. This sound is perhaps harder to describe that the universally understood ‘crunch’, but is essentially one where the upper harmonics dominate. To produce this sound, students should be asked to move the bow quickly (using the whole bow) with not enough pressure or weight, and with the bow placement tending to be too close to the bridge. This part of the exercise often results in some students producing a good sound, as their ideas regarding appropriate bow speed, bow pressure/ weight, and bow placement are yet to be accurately informed. Remind students to make a ‘floaty’ sound if this happens, but treat any improved sounds as a great discovery.

Students will now have experienced the extremes of a spectrum of tone production. The next stage of the exercise is to explain that ‘beautiful’ sound exists somewhere between the extremes of ‘floaty’ and ‘crunchy’ sound. Explain to students that they will have some time to find their ‘best’ sound, by experimenting with the variables of bow speed, bow pressure/weight and bow placement. Because students are now aware of the types of sounds (floaty, crunchy) that occur when these variables are out of balance, they should be able to selfcorrect when they produce undesirable sounds. This may take some time, however, so allow anywhere between 20 seconds and a minute of

experimentation time when first using this exercise. Highlight the need for students to focus on the ‘buzzing’ of the bow (essentially, this is asking them to feel the resistance of the string through the bow).

This exercise can be repeated on other strings and for fingered notes, which are both situations where the speed/pressure/placement relationships will be different to those used for the open D string.

Why it works

There are several key principles from which this exercise is derived, which allow it to function quickly and effectively. Some of these are fairly obvious, while others may be less so.

First, students are given the variables necessary to control their sound. Second, they are given the extremes of the available sounds (and shown how the variables relate to these). Third, students are desensitised to undesirable sounds, meaning that they attach no negative emotion or self-judgement to these sounds. Instead, because students have experienced both extremes in a safe way, they are far more likely to accept the reality of any sound they create, and make simple adjustments to first rectify any problems and then optimise their tone. The fourth reason is that students are given a process that allows them to feel direct physical contact with the string through the bow. All proficient string players are familiar with this sensation of contact with the string, but it is a sensation that is so subtle that it can take many years to discover. By deliberately using far too much bow pressure and/or weight (while keeping the arm relaxed), students can usually feel this contact on a first or second attempt, and can hone in on the more subtle sensation when playing with good sound. Another reason the exercise works so well, although there may be more reasons, is that students are given agency and the responsibility for finding their ‘best’ or favourite sound. The result of this agency, especially with quite young students, is frequently a dramatic improvement in tone quality.

Application to repertoire

Once this exercise has been completed, it is worth mentioning three other areas regarding tone production as the need arises. These are essentially starting notes, ending notes and string crossings. To work on starting notes, have student pluck an open string of your choice, and ask them to notice when the note actually starts. Astute students may notice that there are essentially two stages to plucking the string: one is displacing (pulling) the string and the other is releasing it, with the note beginning as the string is released. The same process occurs when using the bow; however, the release of the string can come from releasing pressure on the string (while leaving the bow hair on the string) a split section before actually starting a down-bow or up-bow movement.

Often, with beginner ensembles, a note before a rest may end with a ‘crunch’. If this occurs, it is because the bow’s pressure on the string has not been released as the bow stops moving. Students may take a few attempts to master the release of this pressure as their bows stop, which could result in a ‘floaty’ sound as the bow continues to move across the string instead of stopping.

String crossings may also pose challenges for beginner players. Solving tone problems around string crossings is often a case of ensuring that the bow is on the ‘new’ string before starting a new bow direction, and then applying the same principles regarding starting notes that are outlined above. To work on this, students can be directed to play the note before a string crossing, then pause, then roll the bow to the ‘new’ string, and then play the note after the string crossing.

[Part 2 will appear in the next issue of Stringendo.]

Dr Lachlan Dent studied with New York Philharmonic cellist Evangeline Benedetti and holds a PhD in Music Performance. Lachlan has performed in New York, Brazil, New Zealand, Malaysia and China. He has given masterclasses at Monash University, and Universiti Tecknologi MARA (Malaysia), as well as teaching at Monash University.

George Crumb

24.10.1929–6.2.2022

George Crumb was one of the 20th century’s most original composers. His output consists of mostly solos and chamber music.

Born in Charleston to a musical family, Crumb learnt clarinet from his father who played in the local symphony orchestra where his mother was a cellist. Crumb began to compose around ten years of age. In 1947, he studied at the National Music Camp in Interlochen, Michigan and received his bachelor’s degree in music from the Mason College of Music and Fine Arts in 1950. He briefly studied in Berlin before returning to the United States.

Crumb was particularly influenced by Mahler, Debussy and Bartok. Crumb’s compositions often contain quotations from Bach, Schubert, Chopin and the jazz pianist/composer Thelonius Monk. He meshed Asian influences with Appalachian folk songs and instruments like the harmonica and musical saw. After hearing the music of Anton Webern, Crumb began to explore unusual timbres, a facet of music he considered as important as rhythm, harmony and counterpoint.

Creating works simultaneously dramatic and concise, Crumb turned items like bowed water glasses into instruments, incorporated new elements such as spoken word, nature sounds, and electronics into his works, and asked instrumentalists to participate in elaborate theatrical presentations of his music, wearing masks, for instance, or performing under prescribed lighting.

In a 2016 interview with the Brunswick Review, Crumb said, ‘I don’t have any artistic skills outside of musical calligraphy. I just think the music should look the way it sounds.’ Many of Crumb’s unique notated scores famously were hand-drawn shapes and spirals.

Black Angels (Thirteen Images from the Darkland), Crumb’s best-known work, was written in 1970, and published in 1971. The electric string quartet players are required to play in unconventional ways, to play percussion instruments and to bow small goblets. It has been recorded by several groups, including the Kronos Quartet, whose formation was inspired when violinist David Harrington first heard Black Angels. It was described by David Bowie as one of his favourite pieces.

Crumb won a Pulitzer Prize and a Grammy Award for his compositions, and his groundbreaking, evocative music has been used in works ranging from ballets to Hollywood films, including The Exorcist. His scores are routinely taught in textbooks and in conservatoriums around the world, and his influence on contemporary music is immeasurable.

Crumb and his wife Elizabeth visited Australia several times. During their first trip in March 1976, they went to the Adelaide Festival and other capital cities as part of the American contingent for the US Bicentenary. He returned a couple of other times, once as guest of Roger Smalley at the University of Western Australia. At the same time, he attracted several Australians, including Andrew Schultz, to study with him at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He also became a friend and correspondent of composer and teacher Vincent Plush, who directed a number of Crumb’s compositions inspired by his visits to Australia.

Roger Tapping

5.2.1960–18.1.2022

British violist Roger Tapping, who played for several renowned string quartets in the UK and the US, died of cancer aged 61.

A graduate of Cambridge University, he learned from Margaret Major and Bruno Giuranna, as well as participating in masterclasses with celebrated British violist William Primrose. He embarked on a busy musical career following graduation, joining the Raphael Ensemble and playing music for broadcast on the BBC in his early twenties. As an orchestral player, he held the role of principal viola with the London Mozart Players, was a member of the English Chamber Orchestra and was a founding member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.

An illustrious chamber musician, Tapping joined the UK-based Allegri Quartet in 1989, a post he retained until 1995, when he moved to the US to become violist of the Takács Quartet. He performed worldwide with them, including numerous Beethoven and Bartók cycles, the recordings of which for Decca/London earned the ensemble many awards, including three Gramophone Awards, a Grammy and three more Grammy nominations. Tapping performed with the Takács Quartet until 2013, when he joined the Juilliard Quartet. Tapping became only the third person to hold the viola chair since 1946.

A dedicated educator, he was most recently on the faculty of the Juilliard School, where he taught viola and chamber music. He also served on the faculties of the New England Conservatory, Longy School, Boston Conservatory, as well as the Royal Academy of Music and Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. Appearing at many summer festivals in the US and Canada, Tapping also taught at Itzhak Perlman’s Chamber Music Workshop, the Tanglewood String Quartet Seminar and Yellow Barn, and gave viola masterclasses at Banff.

A violist who was known for his selfless music making and beautiful sound, Tapping wil

be remembered for his generous spirit, his immeasurable kindness and thoughtfulness, and his dedication to his students and musical partners.

Tapping was the recipient of many awards, including member of the Order of the Knight Cross of the Hungarian Republic, an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Nottingham, and a Fellow of the Guildhall School of Music in London. He said of chamber music that ‘there’s so much going on that you have to find ways of being colourful, but without turning into a wall of sound. I often describe it as “translucence” – making something beautiful that you can also see the other beauties through.’

Cathy Fuller of Classical Radio Bostons stated that he had the most exquisite and insightful language for unlocking a young player’s imagination, and he offered precious tools for creating a unique and communicative sound.

Roger Tapping is survived by his wife, cello faculty member Natasha Brofsky, and their children, Cordelia and Eleanor.

Alice Waten

1947–7.7.2022

Alice Waten, one of Australia’s premier violin teachers and string pedagogues, has died after a two-year battle with melanoma.

Waten studied violin at the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin with Eberhard Feltz. Waten’s father was born in Odesa in Ukraine, so it was natural that she continued her studies at the Moscow Conservatoire with Valery Klimov and David Oistrakh and chamber music with the Borodin String Quartet.

Waten returned to Sydney in the 1970s where she was later appointed Head of Strings and Orchestral Studies at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. She was described as a cornerstone of their Open Academy’s Rising Stars program. Her students included Richard Tognetti (Artistic Director and lead violinist of the Australian Chamber Orchestra), Sophie Rowell,(Coconcertmaster of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra), Rebecca Chan (Assistant Concertmaster of the Philharmonia Orchestra, London) and Marina Marsden and Kirsty Hilton (Co-principals 2nd violin of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra). Other students hold positions in the Royal Opera House Orchestra at Covent Garden, the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, the Canberra Symphony, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam and the West Australian Symphony Orchestra.

Waten’s desire to train violinists was sparked early in her career and was a consistent force in her professional life. Her warm but disciplined teaching

style was strongly influenced by the Russian violin school where her own rigorous training, years as a performer, teaching experience and continuing study in the development of string pedagogy trends throughout the world contributed to the achievements of her students.

Waten taught at the Australian National Academy of Music, Melbourne and was Head of Strings at the Australian Institute of Music, Sydney and Head of Strings and Classical Ensemble at Hong Kong’s Academy for Performing Arts. She was Artist Teacher-in-Residence at Chetham’s Specialist Music School in Manchester, UK.

Professor Waten gave masterclasses in China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Korea, California throughout Australia. She was sought after as a jury member at national and international competitions. A founding member of the Australian Chamber Orchestra where she led the second violins for ten years, she toured extensively throughout UK, Europe, Asia and Australasia. Waten Waten played on a Paolo Antonio Testore 1743 violin.

Richard Tognetti’s tribute says, ‘Alice Waten has had a profound impact on me and many other violinists; she was a liberator of spirits. She gave me the confidence to go out into the wide world and play my dreams into reality.’

Roderick Smith

November 1938–2022

One

of Australia’s most reputed string instrument makers has died.

Roderick Smith was born in Rabaul on the island of New Britain, Papua New Guinea and grew up on Sydney’s north shore. In 1955 at the age of 17, he joined the firm of AE Smith & Co. as a member of the third generation, studying restoration and repair techniques in the workshop of his grandfather, Arthur Smith, and his mother, Kitty Smith. Roderick began with specialising in bow restoration, following with violin restoration.

He left the family firm in 1972, setting up his own shop in Adelaide with selling, restoring and repairing instruments. He became a repair contractor for the Education Department of South Australia while making his own instruments. On moving to Sydney in 1984 and Brisbane in 1988, his reputation for making fine instruments grew as he restricted repair and restoration work and experimented with viola shapes and sizes.

He produced a range of instruments specially designed for students at a student budget without losing the quality he was known for. His violins, violas and cellos were sought after and are used by professional musicians in Australia, Switzerland, the UK, Germany and Austria.

The Annual General Meeting of the Australian Strings Association Limited (AUSTA) will be held on Thursday November 24 at 8.00 pm Australian Eastern Daylight Time.

Notice is hereby given that the 2022 Annual General Meeting will be held online via Zoom on Thursday November 24 at 8:00 pm ADT

Members who would like to participate should contact Emily Dittman (AUSTA National Administrator) by email admin@austa.asn.au or phone 0439 885 754 for access to the relevant Zoom links.

The audited financial statements will be made available to members on the website prior to the meeting.

Members who would like to nominate a proxy can use the form below and email it to the National Administrator by Monday 21st November.

Meeting Agenda:

• President’s Welcome

• Minutes of the 2021 AGM

• Reports:

§ President

§ Treasurer

§ Chapter Presidents

§ Stringendo

• Acceptance of Financial Report and Audit

• Election of Office Bearers

o President

o Secretary

o Treasurer

• Ratification of Board of Directors

• Confirmation of Charity Status

• Other Business

Finally free of all pain and fatigue

Many players experience fatigue or pain in the bow arm during practice, rehearsals, recording sessions or concerts. Some even need to limit their playing, or quit altogether.

The cause for these problems is often the fundamental resonance of the bow. And while we want the bow to resonate freely, a low frequency vibration of around 50 Hz can cause serious physical injury.

When we started the production of our bows in 1999 we intended to make them stronger and lighter than traditional bows to improve agility, speed and power. It came as quite a surprise when players reported that they also found comfort to be dramatically improved.

The reduced weight and increased resilience move the fundamental resonance of the Arcus bows one octave up, to about 100 Hz, and out of the dangerous frequency range.

AUSTA Ltd – Proxy Nomination Form

I/We ........................................................................... being a member/members of the Australian S trings

(Member/s Name) Association (AUSTA) hereby appoint ............................................................................................................. of (Proxy Name) ........... or, in his or her absence, ......................................................... of Proxy Address) (Proxy Name) ......... as my/our proxy to vote for me/us on my/our behalf at the meeting Proxy Address) of the Company’s members of the Company to be held on the 24th day of November 2022, and at any adjournment of that meeting.

SIGNED this ................ day of ....................................................., 2022

If your bow arm troubles you, please contact your nearest Arcus dealer, or us directly, to arrange a trial of some suitable Arcus bows. Chances are that you too will be completely free of all pain and fatigue for good.

On our YouTube channel “ArcusMuesing” you can find a video in which we discuss this subject in more detail. Just follow this QR code:

Reviewers

Mary Nemet

National Reviews Editor, violinist; solo, chamber music and orchestral concerts worldwide. During a distinguished career her second homes were London’s Festival Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Abbey Road and BBC studios. Former Lecturer in Strings, Sydney Conservatorium and VCA, Melbourne, UQ and USQ.

Andrew Lorenz

Extensive career as violin soloist, orchestra leader and chamber musician, including over 30 years teaching at tertiary level. Led Adelaide Symphony, Melbourne Elizabethan Trust and London D‘Oyly Carte Opera Orchestras, New England Ensemble and Australian Piano Trio; national premieres of concertos by McCabe, Mysliveček, Benjamin and Negerevich.

Susan Pierotti

Career experience includes London, solo, opera, ballet, recordings, Elision Ensemble, Principal Violin, Orchestra Victoria. Stringendo Editor.

Helen Tuckey

Based in Perth, violist Helen is an orchestral musician, AMEB examiner and studio teacher. Immediate past AUSTA National President and is now President of AUSTA WA.

Marian Heckenberg

B.Mus (Hons) UQ, and M.Mus University of Southern California. After travelling extensively interstate as performer and teacher, Marian is now on the Qld Conservatorium (Griffith University) Double Bass faculty; principal double bass with Queensland’s Camerata and freelance player with QSO.

Dr Sharon Lierse

Musician, teacher and academic. Playing cello, double bass, flute and harp, she has performed as soloist, chamber and orchestral musician. She has lectured in Australia and Asia and has been an international arts consultant for UNESCO.

Robert Ekselman

Robert is a Juilliard-trained, Melbourne-born cellist, multi-faceted performer, chamber / solo recitalist and orchestral musician. He has collaborated with many prominent artists in Australia, Japan and the United States. Robert worked in New York City for seven years as a performer, teacher and concert reviewer.

Ros Hurst

Former string and pedagogy lecturer, conductor and Visiting Fellow at ANU School of Music. Currently pedagogy researcher, Honorary Associate and member of Emeritus Faculty ANU.

Dr Anne Berry

Cellist, researcher, teacher and ensemble director for Newcastle Conservatorium’s Community Music Program. Member of Christ Church Camerata.

Catherine Milligan

Brisbane cellist, teacher, conductor and AMEB examiner. Recitals throughout Europe and Australia. Former reviews and national editor, Stringendo.

Book Reviews

by Mary Nemet

UNCONDITIONAL TEACHING

Paul

Harris

FABER MUSIC

www.fabermusic.com

Paul Harris is one of the UK‘s most respected pedagogues. With over 600 publications to his credit including the highly acclaimed Improve Your Sight-Reading! and Improve Your Scales! He is also in great demand as a workshop and seminar leader worldwide.

Perhaps the best books on teaching challenge the teacher to reflect on what they are doing. Paul Harris does just this, asking and answering questions on psychology, methods of learning, group teaching, expectations, and shows how we can change our mindsets, avoid complacency and think outside the square.

Although advocating unconditional teaching, a few rules are worth following, such as, “I’ll teach you on the condition that you are learning, and want to learn”.

What matters is the quality of the interaction, the ability to be flexible, to stay enthusiastic, and to truly enjoy the process of engaging with another person. In his slim volume, Paul Harris has much to offer us with his words of wit and wisdom. His inspirational new approach encourages us to explore and transform how we teach.

Mary Nemet

by Susan Pierotti

Cloudy with a Chance of Murder

Gerald Elias

LEVEL BEST BOOKS

www.LevelBestBooks.us

Probably the bane of every performing musician is the outdoor concert! Elias draws on his personal experiences of running outdoor music festivals to good effect when providing the setting of his seventh book in the Daniel Jacobus series. An open air concert takes place on an island in Utah just before a massive storm destroys the stage and the tent under which the audience is seated. In the chaos, the artistic director is found dead – of natural causes or murder? The audience, musicians and staff are now confined to the island with no police or contact with the outside world. Elias skilfully constructs a claustrophobic atmosphere where everyone is tense, frightened and a suspect. Fortunately, grouchy Daniel Jacobus was attending the concert and, after another suspect is murdered, is able to isolate the culprit. For enthusiasts of the Daniel Jacobus series, this particular volume does not disappoint.

Rethinking Bach ed. Bettina Varwig

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS

Who is Bach? Is he a universal theological mathematician or a parochial town employee with a full share of 18th century prejudices? Does his music speak to the modern secular liberalist and if so, why? This book

of scholarly essays attempts to debunk some of the myths surrounding Bach’s music; for instance, Mendelssohn was not the first person in the 1800s to resurrect Bach. Though the musical examples given are almost exclusively from keyboard and choral works, the topics covered range widely from muscle memory in performance to theology, humour, musical editions and how Bach taught harmony. One scholar compares Bach’s mathematical genius to such diverse characters as Sherlock Holmes and Hannibal Lecter! However, another essayist sums up our fascination with Bach’s music as the ‘symbol of the desire to strive beyond our own limitations towards a sublime and immutable “truth”’.

Susan Pierotti

by Robert Ekselman

The Bach Cello Suites: A Companion

Steven Isserlis

FABER & FABER

ISBN 978-0-571-36624-8

So, who was he? Music oracle, or a humble and devoutly religious church composer who happened to create the greatest fugues the music world has ever known? More than a companion, this is a reverential celebration of all that makes J.S. Bach’s Cello Suites awe inspiring and unique. Our intrepid tour guide, Steven Isserlis, reconfirms his own multifaceted talents as author, educator and cellist. And, I might add, sleuth. While we may not learn anything startlingly new here about The Suites’ origins per se, this is a welcome addition to what is already out there. Mr. Isserlis’ approach is engaging, original and makes for a fun educational read. The book encompasses a fascinating and detailed analysis of the Suites from every angle; always infused with personal gems of insight as well as the witty asides and commentary of one who is himself a proud exponent. Bar and track numbers for his own recordings are conveniently provided. Mr. Isserlis is not one to miss an opportunity. This section is the highlight of the book, and the point at which the academic ideas blossom. Having a score on hand is highly recommended.

A helpful glossary of musical terms ends this short title. But don’t be fooled! It is not just a cursory glance. There is also a breakdown of the history of the dance movement forms –perhaps the weakest link of the book – a delightfully candid Q & A chapter, a brief history of the Cello Suites’ frustratingly mystifying origins, a dive into the implied yet palpable religious subtext of the music, and a biography of JSB. All is undertaken with a wry smile and sense of inviting the reader to partake as the privileged copilots of a page-turner detective novel.

Robert Ekselman

by Andrew Lorenz

THE SOUND OF MEMORY

Themes from a Violinist’s Life

Rebecca Fischer

Mad Creek Books, Ohio University Press

www.ohiostatepress.org

Rebecca Fischer - amazing writer, amazing musician, violinist and an amazing human being! This is not your usual autobiography but a series of essays looking at life through the prism of a concert artist. The work is not chronological or linear but a

sequence of essays in the form of mental streaming. Through her experiences with the violin, Fischer discusses with great sincerity and honesty her intimate thoughts and experiences. These include leading ensembles and orchestras, teaching, motherhood inclusive of career, rural versus city (New York) living whilst pursuing an international career, creative neuroses, dealing with the very judgmental approach of the profession, Covid 19 and many other perceptions which sometimes relate to our dysfunctional society. She writes openly of sensitivities, stresses and fragilities of her artistic career. She led the Chiara String Quartet for 18 years, played the Bartók cycle of string quartets from memory at the Ravinia Festival in Chicago, also playing several cycles of the Beethoven string quartets. After studying at Columbia University and Juilliard, Fischer now teaches violin and chamber music at the Mannes School of Music. The ruminations and style of the book are very much in keeping with the literature and poetry of the 21st century and would enthral students, teachers, professional musicians and laymen alike.

MASTERCLASS Violin Concertos, Vol. 1

The Strad in association with G. Henle Verlag

Masterclass editor Pauline Harding writes, “Masterclass articles have played an important role in The Strad since the 1990s

. . . . In January 2016 The Strad team decided to give its Masterclass pages a makeover. Why use words and excerpts alone to communicate musicians’ ideas, when we could engage with each work phrase by phrase, using whole pages of music?”

Thanks to The Strad’s collaboration with Henle we now have a treasure trove of musical ideas in Masterclass – Violin Concertos, Volume 1, from violin greats such as Tai Murray (Beethoven Triple, 1st mvt.), Augustin Hadelich (Beethoven and Tchaikovsky 1st mvts.), Julia Fischer (Beethoven 3rd mvt.), Ray Chen (Mozart K.216, 1st mvt.), Francesca Dego (Mozart K.218, 3rd mvt.), Rachel Barton Pine (Mendelssohn Op.64, 1st mvt.) Esther Yoo (Mendelssohn Op.64, 3rd mvt.) Jack Liebeck (Bruch Op.26, 1st mvt.), Joshua Bell (Bruch Op.26, 3rd mvt.), Antje Weithaas (Brahms 1st mvt.), Baiba Skride (Berg, 1st mvt.) and Leila Josefowicz (Berg, 2nd mvt.). This is mind- blowing material.

Each musician writes with such authority and humility. Not only fingerings, bowings, practice tips, score markings and performance advice are discussed, but also these artists’ thoughts about interpretation and working out how to communicate the spirit of the various phrases under analysis. Let us give thanks to these brilliant talents, The Strad and Henle for this magnificent publication.

NIKOLAY MYASKOVSKY A Composer and His Times

Patrick Zuk

THE BOYDELL PRESS

The crazy machinations and madness of Soviet ‘artistic’ committees; the sensitivities of a self-deprecating, introverted, apolitical composer of great integrity who was a military engineer before finding his true calling; two world wars, the collapse of Czarist Russia, revolution and civil war – it’s all here. Nikolay Myaskovsky (1881-1950) and his milieu are

masterfully portrayed by the erudite and scholarly Patrick Zuk in this monograph which took nearly seven years to complete. It is comprehensively researched and would be enjoyed by professional musicians, students and laymen alike. The composer studied with Taneyev and Glière at the St Petersburg Conservatoire. One of his classmates was Prokofiev whom he befriended and considered a musical genius. He was also inspired by Debussy and Bartók and taught at the Moscow Conservatoire. Influenced by Tchaikovsky and German Romanticism, the traditionalist Myaskovsky composed 27 symphonies and was described by conductor Yevgeny Svetlanov as “the founder of Soviet symphonism, the creator of the Soviet school of composition “ He was awarded the Stalin Prize on five occasions but this did not protect him when, in 1948 alongside Shostakovich, Prokofiev and other leading composers, he was attacked and denounced by the Soviets for writing formalist music which they considered subjective, individualistic and intellectual music heavily influenced by the West and not in keeping with Soviet ideology. However, he survived. Represented by Universal Edition in Austria, his music was played all over the world. Nikolai Malko, who was to become the Music Director of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, was a great supporter of Myaskovsky, conducting many of his works. Stokowski, Koussevitsky, Ormandy, Downes, Stock and many others also conducted his works. Svetlanov has recorded all of the symphonies and other orchestral works for Melodiya.

Myaskovsky also composed 13 string quartets which are well worth investigating, nine piano sonatas and numerous songs. His two cello sonatas and cello concerto championed by Rostropovich are most attractive and Oistrakh recorded his violin sonata and concerto. Thankfully, many of his works can be heard on YouTube.

Andrew Lorenz

by Helen Tuckey

THE CREATIVE WORLDS OF JOSEPH JOACHIM

Ed. Valerie Woodring Goertzen & Robert Whitehouse Eshbach THE BOYDELL PRESS 2021

Joseph Joachim (1831-1907) was a legendary violinist and composer, with significant relationships with many great musicians, and was one of the first violinists to be recorded, giving listeners some insight into the sounds of the 1800s. In subsequent years, due to the rise of antisemitism, his legacy was obscured, downplayed or dismissed. This book is a comprehensive work of scholarship and a fascinating insight into the rich German cultural life of the time.

Like Schumann and Beethoven, Joachim was a musical intellectual who saw music as part of a holistic cultural life and artistic creativity as an outpouring of self. Identity, influence and historic context are here explored in individual essays from a number of contemporary scholarly perspectives. Joachim’s sources of influence include many other composers such as Mendelssohn (who was in turn influenced by Bach) and Brahms. Hungarian and German nationalism, the insecurity of being a European Jew trying to establish a musical career in a surrounding Christian culture, the significant instruments he played on, his compositions, and his performing career together with his wife Amalie, an established professional singer of Lieder recitals, are all explored by different expert authors.

Both Joachim and Amalie had significant careers touring in many countries, and made lasting musical connections with leading musicians such as the British scholar Donald Tovey (1875-1940). These relationships give further insight into the violinist, as do Joachim’s letters, essays, musical examples and programs which are discussed by various authors. Their perspectives shed light on both Joachim, who had wideranging impact on the culture and music of his time, and the influence on subsequent generations of musicians to this day. A wonderful resource for scholars, this well-edited and attractive book is a fascinating read and highly recommended for all who appreciate the Romantic period in its full glory, and the influence well beyond.

Helen Tuckey

Sheet Music Reviews

by Mary Nemet

STRINGTASTIC: Beginners

Mark Wilson & Paul Wood

FABER MUSIC

This series features separate books each for violin, viola, cello and double bass and includes 43 small pieces designed to take the player from open strings to all fingers, mostly in the keys of C, D and G major and mostly on the middle two strings.

The books can be used individually and also together for any combination of strings including a string orchestra.

There are A and B parts for the first twenty songs, allowing the teacher or another pupil to play and harmonise alongside. Additionally, a teacher’s piano accompaniment book that includes treble string parts A and B together with lower string parts lends extra flexibility, purpose and enjoyment to early music-making.

Most of the tunes include joyful lyrics and children can make up their own words to sing along. Two endearing cartoon characters, Spot the Cat and Dotty Dog are pictured playing the relevant instruments with word bubbles containing handy tips, adding even more fun to the learning process.

MUSICAL JOURNEYS for violin & piano,

Book 2

Ewa Iwan (b. 1957)

PWM 12 643

www.pwm.com.pl

This delightful book for children, published in Krakow in 2022, contains five pieces titled:

Tarantella, Wistful Waltz, Czárdás, Ragtime, Highland Dance and Spanish Dance.

Written for her granddaughter Amelia and all young performers of her Musical Journeys, celebrated Polish teacher Ewa Ewan writes, “Notes are just black and white balls arranged on staves.

All you have to do is to create a world of colourful sounds from them and to paint them with your imagination, rich soul and sensitive heart”.

Her second book of tunes is meant for intermediate to advanced players who can manage fifth position and at times

higher, double stops, fast semiquaver passages and varied bowings.

Her suggested fingerings and metronome markings are sensible and useful, and pages are clearly set out.

Ewan’s Let’s Play with Scales (PWM 12 900) for violin grades 1-3 is equally imaginative and innovative, with firstly, major and minor scales followed by short pieces in that key, together with enchanting colour pictures illustrating the mood of the piece.

What an innovative way of introducing this least popular of tasks: scales! Tunes such as Ballerina, Polka, Skipping, Little Beetle, Grasshopper and Crazy Dance to name only a few. Ewa hopes that “this path will take you to the places you dream of.”

I Play Violin Nicely (PWM 10399) for violin classes 1-3 has a long introduction followed by detailed instructions and titles of pieces, all in Polish only. One can only guess at meanings of titles such as Jaskolka, Glodny mis, Letnia opowiesc and Wieworka, although a few small illustrations here and there give a clue.

Small piano symbols next to some of the titles in the violin score indicate that accompaniments can be found in a separate book, PWM 10400.

These three books by Ewa Iwan are a wonderful educational and enjoyable addition to young students’ repertoire. Some are also available for cello and there are performances of several tunes in this series on YouTube.

Mary Nemet

by Andrew Lorenz

SIX MORCEAUX for Violin & Piano, Op.85 Joachim Raff (1822-1882)

Edition Breitkopf, Urtext, EB 9407

I well remember as a youngster learning Raff’s Cavatina. I didn’t know at the time that this lovely piece was the third of his Six Morceaux for Violin and Piano, Op.85. I simply enjoyed the dramatic double stop section marked grandioso. In any case, August Wilhelmj introduced it to England with great success. Fifty different editions were published. Rolls for automated player-piano accompaniments came on the market and the work was also orchestrated. Illustrious performers such as Marteau, Szigeti, Kreisler, Perlman and Menuhin played it in concert. It was heard on the Titanic and even James Last arranged it for his orchestra.

Well, more treasures await the young student including a Marcia, Pastorale, Scherzino, Canzona and Tarantella, all about 7th grade AMEB standard. Joachim Raff was Liszt’s assistant in Weimar and composed these salon style romantic pieces circa 1858. This Breitkopf and Härtel urtext edition is very fine.

The Preface by Severin Kolb and Stefan Kägi discussing the background to the works is very informative and the fold out pages eliminate awkward page turns. The pieces would be excellent material for recitals and/or eisteddfods.

STRING QUARTET No.1 in D minor, Op.77

Joachim Raff (1822-1882)

Parts EB 8939, Score PB 5622

Breitkopf & Härtel/Urtext

The world premiere of Joachim Raff’s first string quartet was given by the Hellmesberger Quartet on 28 November, 1858 in Vienna. Josef Hellmesberger had mentioned that he was “quite thrilled” with the work. Eduard Hanslick, Vienna’s most noted music critic, wrote that the piece “was more coolly received than it deserves. It is a very interesting, witty work, of a truly brilliant use of the quartet setting, full of surprising modulations and pretty effects.”

The reviewer of the Neue Zeitschrift fűr Musik also saw “a masterly command of form, quite noble harmonization, and lively, striking rhythms.” In fact the last movement often exhibits the rhythmic figure which is featured in Beethoven’s Grosse Fugue. The second movement shows the influence of a Mendelssohnian Scherzo while the opening movement is quite chromatic. Perhaps the finest example of Romanticism can be heard in the plaintive quality of the slow movement. Breitkopf & Härtel’s 200th anniversary, Urtext publication edited by Stefan Kӧnig and Sverin Kolb is first class and the parts are spacious and easy to read. The score is included with Raff’s second string quartet parts.

STRING QUARTET No.2 in A major, Op.90

Joachim Raff

Parts EB 8940, Score PB 5622

Breitkopf & Härtel Urtext

The first movement of Raff’s 2nd String Quartet (1857) is very attractive. Musically, it is very sunny in nature within its contrapuntal lines. The joyous music continues in the second movement with a nod to Schumann. As in the first String Quartet, the slow movement shines with lyrical motifs. A flowing continuous dotted rhythm of a military nature features in the Finale. Marked Rasch (in a spirited, swift style) it drives the music forward.

Raff handles the material very confidently and the quartet seems more concise than his first quartet, yet they are both about 38 minutes in length.

In 1858, the world premiere in Wiesbaden was led by Aloys Baldenecker, concertmaster of the Wiesbaden Theatre Orchestra. However, the Hellmesberger Quartet gave the Viennese premiere of the 2nd String Quartet in 1863. Writing to his wife Doris Genast, Raff mentioned that he could “get a tremendous respect for Hellmesberger’s competence already in the rehearsal. He’s one hell of a fellow. Such an enormously fine musician and a colossal violinist.”

Stefan Kӧnig and Severin Kolb have edited this fine urtext publication in collaboration with the Joachim Raff Archiv, Lachan. It marks the 200th anniversary of Joachim Raff’s birth.

INTRODUCTION ET TARENTELLE Op.43 for Violin & Piano

Sarasate (1844-1907)

G. Henle Verlag Urtext HN 1496

The latter years of Pablo Sarasate’s life were wonderfully creative and fruitful. In the one year of 1899 he completed not only Introduction et Tarentelle, Op.43 (perhaps his most famous

late work) but the Introduction et Caprice-Jota, Op.41 and Miramar, Op.42, both composed in Biarritz. There are three autographs of the Introduction et Tarentelle, Op.43 in the Pamplona Municipal Archives. They include two violin and piano versions dated and signed in San Sebastian and a full score for violin and orchestra dated and signed in London. The work is dedicated to Sarasate’s good friend, the Spanish pianist and entrepreneur Fermin Toledo (1850-1905).

The piece is very virtuosic. As the theme develops in the Tarantella, Sarasate introduces passages of increasing technical difficulty in the melody – fast repeated notes, left and right hand pizzicati, harmonics, double and triple stops, brilliant spiccato and ricochet bowings. No wonder it is listed in the Licentiate Diploma for the AMEB.

Again, G. Henle‘s edition is outstanding, with an urtext violin part in addition to a very helpful violin part fingered and bowed by Augustin Hadelich. The overall editor is Peter Jost, with an excellent Preface written by María Nagore Ferre.

PIANO QUARTET in C minor, Op.13

Richard Strauss

G. HENLE HN 1495

Could this be Brahms’ Piano Quartet No.4? Well we know for a fact that it is not. The work was composed in 1884/85 and published in 1886. Richard Strauss (1864-1949) spoke in retrospect about his infatuation at the time with Brahms. In any case, the twentyyear-old composer entered the piece in a competition initiated by the Berlin Tonkűnstlerverein where 24 piano quartets were assessed. Although it won the first prize of 300 Marks it was not that well received by certain critics who were followers of the New German School influenced by Liszt. Strauss had even admitted to his friend Hans von Bűlow that: “it is definitely not an obliging or ingratiating piece”. However, one of the reviewers, Pohl, wrote: “The Quartet . . . kept us captivated to the very end”. As an early chamber music work of the composer it is definitely very attractive.

The publication edited by Peter Jost is first class and the piano part is fingered by Jacob Leuschner.

The string parts have no fingerings and I presume the bowings are by Strauss. The parts are pleasant on the eye and up to the usual high standard of Henle’s publications.

POÈME ÉLÉGIAQUE, OP.12 and other Works for Violin & Piano

Eugene Ysaÿe

G. Henle Urtext HN 1201

Congratulations to G. Henle Verlag for this very fine and substantial volume of eight violin and piano works by the Belgian master violinist and composer Eugène Ysaÿe (1858-1931). The complete violin parts alone number 36 pages (with index) and they include a fabulous wealth of material which covers the gamut of the composer’s stylistic and virtuosic approach, from salon pieces to far more esoteric works. We have the Grande Valse de concert, Op.3 and Légende norvégienne, (no opus number), both from 1882. The former is rather classical in style and could have been composed by any number of virtuosi of the period. The latter is perhaps a development from Lalo’s Fantasie Norvégienne of 1878. Then in 1884 the Deux Mazurkas de salon, Op.10 were published.

Again, works of great charm but Ysaÿe was yet to find his unique and individual voice. Lontaine Passé (Distant Past, Mazurka No.3), Op.11 composed in 1889 is a little more chromatic than the earlier two Mazurkas. The longest work in the volume is the beautiful Poème élégiaque, Op.12, (circa 14’) dedicated to (and influenced by) Fauré (1845-1924). Even more reminiscent of Fauré is Rêve d’enfant (Child’s Dream) of 1900, a charming lullaby. The other major work of circa 10’ is Extase (4th Poème for Violin and Orchestra), dedicated to Mischa Elman (1891-1967), and composed and revised from 1905 to 1921. Here, we note the influence of Chausson’s (1855-1899) Poème, Op.25 (1896) which was written for, and dedicated to Ysaÿe. Extase is a very fine work.

The excellent Preface is written by Marie Cornaz and the fingerings and bowings are by Ysaÿe, supplemented by Ray Iwazumi. The fold out pages are most useful and enhance this magnificent urtext volume of Ysaÿe’s violin and piano music.

STRING QUARTET IN A MINOR Op.132, parts & study score

Beethoven

BÄRENREITER URTEXT BA 9032 & TP 932

Congratulations to Bärenreiter for this very fine urtext edition of Beethoven’s String Quartet in A minor, Op.132. The bar numbered parts are clear and spacious with very workable page turns. However, the most significant aspect is the study score. It is presented with an excellent Introduction by Misha Donat and a Foreword by Jonathan Del Mar who explains his fine editorial work with the parts. Just one example is his explanation of Beethoven’s notation when using different clefs for the cello. The composer often used the treble clef sounding an octave lower than written. In this edition the notes in the treble clef are printed at the actual sounding pitch. This is just one of the many specific editorial problems Del Mar discusses.

Donat’s discussion of the historical background and nature of the various movements is superb and brings the research of the work totally up to date. Of course, the most famous movement is the third, which Beethoven begins with a chorale labelled “Holy Song of Thanksgiving from a Convalescent to the Deity, in the Lydian Mode”. A livelier variation theme follows, headed “Feeling new strength”. It is one of the few examples of the composer’s use of double variation form. This publication is first class.

CACCINI and MOZART

Ave Maria and Ave Verum Corpus arr. for string quartet by Lucian Moraru

Sets of Parts & Scores

SonArt Edition

Two very moving vocal works are beautifully arranged for string quartet by Lucian Moraru, a Rumanian violinist/violist and arranger. The first is Ave Maria (Hail Mary) by the Florentine composer Giulio Caccini (c.15451618) and the second is the Ave Verum Corpus (Hail, true body) by Mozart (1756-1791). The latter, written as a motet, is catalogued as K.618 and was composed six months before the composer’s death foreshadowing the style to be heard in the Requiem, K.626. Both are marked Moderato assai and would be very suitable for inexperienced string quartets. Perhaps a metronome marking would be helpful as would a short paragraph of background information.

The score and parts are clearly printed and bar numbered. Bowings and articulations are also printed but there are no dynamic markings in either work. The Caccini is very imaginatively arranged with interesting parts for all the players. There is a solo violin introduction of five bars and then a chordal section with the melodic and rhythmic interest in the cello which continues in varied form throughout. The main theme is then heard in the first violin. Imitative moments are given to the viola which ventures into the treble clef. In a later section the second violin imitates the first. The final section has the viola leading in the tune embellished by the first violin in semi-quavers. The Mozart is far more straight forward, written in a simple chorale like style.

SONATA NO.2 in A major, Op.23 Eduard Franck (1817-1893)

Breitkopf & Härtel Urtext EB 32058

Breitkopf & Härtel is publishing an anthology edition of Eduard Franck’s works which includes this very attractive Second Sonata for Violin and Piano. It was composed in 1859, six years after the first. Over years of work Dr. Paul Feuchte and Andreas Feuchte, the composer’s great grandson and great-great grandson have been able to assign an authoritative source to nearly every work whose autograph is not located in the composer’s estate. The present critical edition is based on the first edition published by M. Schloss in Cologne in 1859 and is edited by Nick Pfefferkorn. The Sonata is in four movements and unlike the first violin sonata, a very effective Scherzo is included. Indeed the Trio section reminds one of Brahms. Franck studied and became a friend of Mendelssohn, Schumann and William Sterndale Bennett, thus he evokes the Romantic Era. The slow movement is based on a lilting folk melody and both the outer movements contrast lyrical and dramatic themes. This edition is very clear and spacious. The Preface includes a fine biography of the composer by Dr. Paul Feuchte and the work itself would make a very worthwhile and interesting inclusion in any violin recital.

Chanson de Nuit & Chanson de Matin, Op.15

Edward Elgar (1857-1934)

G. Henle Urtext HN 1477

These two gems composed originally for violin and piano by Sir Edward Elgar are now published in one volume by G. Henle in an Urtext edition. Two violin parts are printed with one edited by Rupert Marshall-Luck. The piano part fingered by Jacob Leuschner also has Elgar’s fingerings and bowings from the violin part as published in the first edition. Chanson de Nuit (1897) was dedicated to Frank Ehrke, a doctor of medicine who played in the first-violin section of The Worcestershire Philharmonic Society. Elgar referred to the piece as Evensong but Novello suggested he translate the title into French, hence the second piece was immediately titled Chanson de matin (1899) by the composer but without dedication. Both pieces were very popular and were played (presumably in orchestral versions) at Windsor Castle at a concert marking Queen Victoria’s 80th birthday in 1899. The latter was written at the same time as Elgar’s Enigma Variations which brought the composer national and international fame.

This edition is beautifully presented and well researched. The very high standard of publication is as we would expect from G. Henle Verlag.

Sonata for Piano & Violin in F major, Op.8 Grieg (1843-1907)

G. HENLE Urtext 1104

In a letter dated January 1900 to the Norwegian poet Bjørnstjerne Bjørnsen, Grieg writes, “. . . . these three works are among my very best and represent different stages in my development: the first naïve and rich in ideals; the second, nationalistic and the third with a wider outlook.” The public must have agreed with the composer because by October, 1906 annual sales of the first violin sonata reached an astonishing 5,000 copies. Grieg and the Swedish violinist Anders Pettersson premiered the work on 17 November, 1865 at the Leipzig Conservatoire where Grieg had been a student. As a violinist/composer his friend Ole Bull influenced the composer a great deal. Bull championed Norwegian folk music and Grieg took up the cause, drawing (in the 2nd movement) on a skipping dance that in Norwegian folk music is played on the Hardanger fiddle.

This Urtext edition includes a supplementary violin part marked with excellent fingerings and bowings by Henning Kraggerud. Fingerings in the piano part are by Einar SteenNokleberg who also joins with Ernst-Gűnter Heinemann in writing the very fine Preface and Comments. The work is included in the A Mus A. AMEB violin syllabus. However, exams aside, all the Grieg violin sonatas are a joy to play in any situation and this edition is a ‘must- have’.

PIANO TRIO IN A MINOR, Op. Posth. Leokadiya Kashperova (1872-1940) BOOSEY & HAWKES

2022 is the 150th anniversary of Leokadiya Kashperova‘s birth. Thank heavens that the pencilled manuscript of her Piano Trio in A minor was discovered in the Russian National Museum of Music in Moscow in 2019. She was a very gifted pianist and composer who taught Igor Stravinsky for two years. The London Sunday Times wrote of her in 1907 that: “Mlle. Kashperova’s music shows a decided talent, very attractive in its tunefulness, grace and Russian fitfulness of mood.” She married a Bolshevik revolutionary and fled to the Caucasus; the Russian revolution dashed her career.

Boosey & Hawkes in consultation with Dr. Graham Griffiths, Music Research Fellow at City, London University and a member of the board of the St Petersburg Conservatoire is creating new Kashperova editions. The Piano Trio in A minor, written in the 1930s, is a fascinating four- movement work. Whilst not particularly forward looking, it exhibits the composer’s unique musical voice. Broad sweeping romantic melodies abound yet are often presented in a light texture. Some melodies are presented in a very classical way as in the first movement where canonic entries and contrapuntal lines are featured. Indeed the Scherzo is composed in a rather delightful, Haydnesque manner clothed in 20th century garb. This is a very worthwhile addition to the repertoire and we await in great anticipation the next publications of the Kashperova Edition.

SIX DUETS for Two Violins, “Op.23” Urtext Ignaz Pleyel

G. HENLE HN 1517

This is a very fine edition of Pleyel‘s (17571831) violin duets, with a full score, Preface and Comments written and edited by Norbert Gertsch. The individual bar numbered parts have

excellent fold out pages for the uninterrupted playing of each movement. These parts are fingered and bowed by Evelyne Grűb-Trauer. Unfortunately, I cannot agree with some of the fingerings which sometimes are simply not practical. For example, in the very first movement at bar 16, a quickly played ornament or turn is suggested to be performed in the fifth position across two strings when it fits perfectly well in the third position. A shift to the second position in bar 78 seems unnecessary as again, the whole phrase can be played in the third position.

These are small quibbles because the parts are spacious and well presented with clear articulations for the various bowings. Interestingly, the pieces are described as Six Concertante Duos. The “Op. 23” in inverted commas simply refers to the fact that it is unclear whether the opus numbering is accurate. In fact it is also unclear whether Ignaz Pleyel actually composed these pieces. Nevertheless, they are excellent and delightful two -movement works for intermediate players.

Andrew Lorenz

by Susan Pierotti

DIVERTIMENTO in B flat, K287 for 2 horns, 2 violins, viola & bass

Score

Mozart BÄRENREITER

8809

One of two divertimenti composed for Countess Lodron in 1777, Mozart’s Divertimento K287 is distinguished from all others by the virtuosic first violin part which Mozart played at its premiere. ‘They all opened their eyes! I played as though I were the finest fiddler in all Europe.’ The movements are relatively short and musically straightforward. There is a sense of humour evident in the mock heroics of an operatic recitative preceding a set of variations on a folk tune, interrupted by yet another recitative towards the end. Mozart wrote the divertimento in probably just three days. It was described by a listener at the premiere as ‘quite beautiful’, with the Countess demanding numerous encores of the slow movement and with repeat performances over the next few years. Congratulations to Bärenreiter for producing such a beautiful, legible score of this masterpiece.

BORȘA: Romanian Folk Suite from the Maramures Region - Transylvania violin

& piano

Lucien Moraru

SON ART

www.sonartedition.com

One play through this piece and you will probably want to visit the Maramures region to enjoy their festivities! (Parts of the Maramures region now lie within Ukraine where things are not so festive.) Moraru’s Borsa is an energetic, joyous five-minute piece with easy piano accompaniment. It begins with a simple, slow four-bar phrase ornamented with trills and mordents. A rollicking 6/8 section leads into a syncopated driving rhythm in the piano with rapid left-hand activity requiring dextrous fingers to articulate the numerous mordents, with chords and glissandi. It would be suitable for Grade 7 or above – great to end a concert with or as an encore. Here is a beautifully produced score, from the front cover with its images of traditional Romanian embroidery to clearly legible parts on quality thick paper within.

BALADA for string quartet Score & parts

Ciprian Porumbescu/arr. Lucian Moraru

Porumbescu lived for only 29 years yet his Balada, written in 1880, is a Romanian favourite, evident from the numerous arrangements found on YouTube. Originally scored for violin and orchestra, Moraru’s clear and beautifully printed arrangement for string quartet delivers almost equally balanced parts between the two violins, the second violin part dominating in the beginning for some time. The cello solo and first violin share the melody in the final iteration of the tune. Oddly, as the arranger is a violist, the viola merely accompanies throughout. The heartfelt melody is interrupted by some semiquaver passage work that hints at happier times but deep tragedy returns, to fade out wistfully at the end. Porumbescu was born in the Ukraine and died as a result of standing up for Romania’s independence, which makes this piece all the more topically poignant.

Susan Pierotti

by Ros Hurst

LYRICAL VIOLIN LEGENDS

Karen North info@theyoungfluteplayer.com

Karen North has released another album following her very popular Festive Violin Fun. As the name suggests, the 20 lyrical miniatures for violin and piano in this collection all have a story to tell, some poetic, some implied, descriptions of nature, a mischievous cat or a secretive swallow’s mission.

Contemporary composers from around the world, including Australians such as Elena Kats-Chenin, Heather Percy and Sally Greenaway, to name a few, were commissioned to write lyrical, appealing pieces while arrangements of some lovely music from the 19th and 20th century composers including Brahms, Mendelssohn and Dvořák are featured. The pieces are approximately intermediate standard and a good knowledge of keys, positions and bowings is required.

Violinist and teacher Ben Smith consulted on this album and played for the recordings of all the pieces. These are available on YouTube at The Young Instrumentalist and there are piano backing tracks for each piece.

Biographies of all the composers are listed at the end of the violin part with also some wonderful performance suggestions for each work.

This attractive album of pieces should appeal to students and teachers alike.

Ros Hurst

by Helen Tuckey

15 INVENTIONS

Johann Sebastian Bach

arranged for 2 violas by Mihoko Kimura

Edition Offenburg BC 2125

Wouldn’t we all love to be able to watch Bach at work teaching, including his own children? The Inventions were written initially as keyboard studies for developing equal and independent cantabile voices in both hands, and with a broader goal,

in Bach’s own words, to “acquire a strong foretaste of composition”. The violin and viola duo played in always opened our visits to kindergarten and primary school classes with a single Bach Invention. Whatever the demographic, we found a Bach invention immediately engaged everyone! With all great music come transpositions. There are many old and new transcriptions of the Inventions for various instrumental combinations, including two violas. In writing for strings, questions of bowing, ornamentation and voicing arise. There is quite a difference between various editions in these areas, but the aspect that intrigues me most is the decision to choose different keys from the original, which has happened in several (but not all) two viola editions, including this edition. This can often be for reasons of voicing or resonance. As with all Bach’s music, these decisions will fuel ongoing research and discussion.

In this edition, the whole score is beautifully typeset and playable on two pages, with enough editing to be helpful while allowing performers to add their own flourishes and inspirations. This is a deliberate intention of the editor, Mihoko Kimura, who founded edition offenburg as a private publisher and as a continuation of her activities as an experienced violinist in the field of Early Music. She writes: “It is typical for sheet music of the baroque period to leave plenty of freedom to the musician”. The Inventions of Bach are a worthy preparation for the contrapuntal demands of Brandenburg 6, as well as being wonderful music for all violists to study and perform.

FACULTY OF LAW

Lucian Moraru, string quartet & percussion

SonArt Edition 2019

Romanian violist and arranger Lucian Moraru studied in Bucharest, then the Netherlands and Great Britain. He has an extremely diverse musical skill set, working as a violist in orchestras, chamber groups and as a soloist and as a studio producer, as well as substantial experience as an arranger for a diversity of musical instruments and genres.

Faculty of Law is his own 7-minute single movement work for string quartet and percussion. It was composed in 2019 for the 160th anniversary of the founding of the law school in Bucharest.

The work opens with great urgency and energy, underpinned by appealing sophisticated jazzy rhythms. In true legalese manner, the instruments then become almost verbal and rhetorical at times, with menacing relentless percussion continuing the forward drive. The texture thins and the music gradually melts into harmonics with various pianissimo percussive ostinato patterns in the viola. A section in B minor marked Moderato amabile follows in completely contrasting style in a folky, renaissance 6/8 time, with tambourine and tom tom, after which a virtuosic Allegro section crashes in, with much tension and great use of a variety of string and percussion textures. This is interrupted by a brief excursion into the traditional student drinking song Gaudeamus Igitur, quoted more at length by Brahms in an eerily parallel work, the Academic Festival Overture. The final Coda mirrors the opening, ending with impressive wit and energy.

This is a truly wonderful virtuosic concert piece. Do watch the online performance, where the arranger is also the violist in the quartet.

Website: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzUtbh0T0OY

From Jewish Life Arr. for viola (cello) & organ:

Bella Kalinowska & Semjon Kalinowsky, publ. 2021

Bärenreiter BA 11252

Ukrainian artistic couple Bella Kalinowska and Semjon Kalinowsky have performed together in Europe and Israel since 1991. In addition to performing, they have enjoyed researching and discovering old music manuscripts by Jewish composers in European libraries originally for violin or cello and organ, then arranging them to enrich the viola repertoire. The organ began being used in European synagogues in the Romantic period. From Jewish Life is a merging of the spiritual and secular, in the wake of the Jewish Reform movement, with many rare and historic works inspired by the traditions of synagogue chant and folk music. Composers include Ravel and Bloch, as well as five other (mostly German) lesser-known composers from 1800 to the mid-20th century. The arrangers have also produced an earlier album for the same instrumentation, called Jewish Prayer. In recent years the couple have lived in Lübeck, Germany. Sadly, Bella Kalinowska passed away in her forties with cancer in 2020.

Set at a moderate level of difficulty, this album is user-friendly and well laid out, with an informative preface in German and English. With such colourful instrumentation and a wide range of musical expression, these works provide much scope for worship and recitals, and are a valuable addition to the viola repertoire.

HORA STACCATO

Grigoras Dinicu, arr. for string quartet by Lucian

Moraru

SonArt Edition 2019

www.sonartedition.com

Jascha Heifetz is rumoured to have said that Grigoras Dinicu (1889-1948) was the greatest violinist he had ever heard. A Roumanian violinist and composer of Roma ethnicity, Dinicu was banned from being accepted into the Vienna Conservatory where he had won a place. In the 1930s he was involved in a political movement seeking recognition for the Roumanian Roma. The Hora Staccato, based on a Roumanian dance, is one of his most famous works. The first and second violin parts are much more difficult than the lower parts, and the first violin is the star in this sparking arrangement, which can be viewed with the arranger’s quartet, “Traffic Strings”..

Website: www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQXuiv0Fp30

TOSCA - E lucevan le stelle

Giacomo Puccini, arr. for string quartet by Lucian Moraru

SonArt Edition 2019

The famous aria “And the stars were shining” is sung in the opera by Mario Cavaradossi, a painter in love with the singer Tosca, as he awaits his tragic destiny. In this arrangement, which only lasts 36 bars, the first violin plays the role of the spinto tenor (‘con grande sentimento’). At the moments of highest drama, various other instruments join in octaves. Mostly the soaring melody is driven forward by syncopated rhythms in the viola and second violin. The original brooding key of B minor is retained. Wonderful to have this for string quartet!

STABAT MATER – Cujus Animam

Gioacchino Rossini, arr. for string quartet

by Lucian Moraru

SonArt Edition 2019

This great tune from a liturgical setting by Rossini traditionally challenges singers to their limits, and no wonder, as it describes the story of Mary with Jesus at the crucifixion. In this version for quartet, after a true Italian operatic style introduction, the spotlight falls on the viola with the big melody, which then ascends to the first violin line. The melody then battles with its dotted rhythms against a barrage of triplets, developing then into greater complexities of voicing. Following a brief violin cadenza, the music moves downwards to finish with resolution.

REQUIEM – Ingemisco

Giuseppe Verdi, arr. for string quartet

by Lucian Moraru

SonArt Edition 2019

The original Verdi Requiem is the antithesis of a chamber work. There is another earlier arrangement of the well-known Ingemisco (from the Dies Irae) for viola and piano, so this work has been of interest to Moraru for some time. He has written in a musically substantive way for every instrument, with soaring melodic lines, warm chordal passages, here and there a flourish of triplets bristling with accidentals. Orchestral techniques like tremolo work differently in a chamber setting. Choosing the right acoustic environment is essential, and there is an interesting YouTube performance of (almost) this arrangement in a boomy stone church, with pan pipes and a double bass added to the score. A challenging but playable score which will keep everyone on their toes!

Website: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fa2qYgAeBgU

All of the works above could be played by professional or advanced student quartets, and would be possible in a number of community concert settings as well as interesting additions to the standard string quartet concert.

JOY OF MUSIC: Discoveries from the Schott Archives

Virtuoso and entertaining pieces for violin& piano, ed. Wolfgang Birtel SCHOTT ED 23308

Inspired by Beethoven’s famous setting of Schiller’s Ode to Joy in the Ninth Symphony, the historic German publishing house Schott has released a series of anthologies for violin, cello, piano, flute and clarinet to celebrate their publication of Beethoven’s epic work and the 250th anniversary of their business.

The violin anthology is a collection of eighteen various fascinating and long neglected works based on the first editions by Schott, held in their archives at the Bavarian State Library. Arranged in chronological order of composers’ dates of birth, the focus is mostly on the Romantic period. Original gems by Tchaikovsky, Wieniawski, Gounod and de Bériot are interspersed with transcriptions by leading violinists of the 19th century of popular tunes from operas such as Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel and Bizet’s Carmen. Whatever the origin or inspiration, each piece is illuminated by the strong connection of the composer or arranger to the expressive qualities of the violin. Preface notes inform that “Original fingering and bowing indications have been adopted where given”, a wonderful insight into past performance

practices! This intriguing and attractive collection of salon pieces is ideal for advanced students, their teachers and professional violinists looking for a range of engaging short recital or encore works beyond standard repertoire.

NEW KLEZMER TUNES – 16 Pieces for Violin & Piano (Guitar/Accordion), Bass ad lib.

Joachim Johow SCHOTT 23372

www.schott-music.com

What a fine and colourful collection of tunes that celebrate everyday life along with the dances and songs from weddings and special events! This album comes with online audio material of a piano MP3 accompaniment file and audio tracks accessed through a code at the Schott website, along with a bass part. While most of the music is of intermediate level, some melodies could be played by relative beginners, but more advanced players could add greater levels of sophistication. The editing of the violin part is excellent, with clear suggestions for ornaments and effects. Many of these violin tunes also work well on the viola exactly as written. Perhaps there’s the possibility with this publication format, of adding versions for other instruments on the website in future? This is Eastern Jewish Klezmer music, and the editor writes: “Not merely a relic of the past, this music continues to develop”.

Scales – Arpeggios – Intonation

A Technical & Aural Based Approach to Learning the Fingerboard for Violinists of all Levels from Beginner to Advanced John Officer WOOLHOUSE PRESS

Available exclusively through Whitehorse Music, 689 Whitehorse Road, Mont Albert VIC 3127. Tel: (03) 9890 1049

Website: www.whitehorsemusic.com.au

John Officer studied at the Melbourne Conservatorium, worked professionally in the Australian Opera and Ballet orchestra, completed post graduate violin studies in Switzerland, taught extensively in several schools on return to Australia, completed Suzuki Teaching Accreditation and now is retired from school teaching and teaches from his home studio. The preface is written by Lois Shepheard, who played a significant role in his Suzuki accreditation

“Scales form the basis of Western music” asserts the author. This locally published book, developed over many years of revision, is much more than just another scale book, as it makes many comprehensive and excellent suggestions about developing skills sequentially to navigate the fingerboard. Sound, vision, perception of patterns and movement all form part of building the technique necessary to play an instrument and these are all illustrated well in the book. There are photos showing arm and hand positions, fingerboard diagrams, ear training suggestions, helpful tips on progressive fingering choices, inspiring examples from standard repertoire, reasons for choosing one fingering over another and suggestions for further study. The book falls into three parts, beginner, intermediate and advanced, and includes scales (major and two minor forms), arpeggios, dominant and diminished sevenths and chromatic scales. Resonance and intonation are highlighted right from the start, alongside the need for

daily practice, hopefully developing musicianship alongside technique.

What a valuable resource for violin teachers and students!

POP FOR VIOLIN – Movie Special 10 pop hits arranged for two violins SCHOTT ED 23489

All the great movie tunes you know and love, both old and recent, this collection includes Skyfall, He’s a Pirate, Forrest Gump, Pink Panther, My Heart Will Go On and Circle of Life. Set at moderate level in both violin parts, this book could be useful in several ways – building rhythmic confidence (particularly syncopation and the use of ties), extending sight reading, providing teacher-student or two- student ensemble practice, and popular repertoire for encores and community concerts. I once taught a student with lots of academic pressures in final high school year, and her instrumental lessons were a form of entertainment and therapy. Following her interests entirely, we spent happy lessons exploring a solid yet varied diet of movie tunes. With online audio accompaniment, an album like this would be ideal for such a student. There is also an edition for two cellos. Still wondering? Listen to the arrangements on YouTube at www.schott-music.com/popforviolin-movie

Neopolis Concertino, for viola and piano

Paweł Łukaszewski (born 1968)

Composer website: lukaszewski.org. uk/#news

POLSKIE Wydawnicgso Muzyczne, Kraków 2021 www.pwm.com.pl

Written in 2017 for a commission by the Baltic Neopolois Orchestra, this work is a chamber version intended for violin, viola or cello solo, accompanied by a piano reduction of the orchestral score. Paweł Łukaszewski is a well-established Polish composer, university lecturer and plays a significant role in Polish cultural life. He has written many liturgical and choral works. Both his website and the back of the score contain extensive information about the composer and his compositions.

The concertino is three contrasting movements. The first movement explores a variety of textures, rhythmic ostinati featuring particularly octaves, fifths and fourths. The soloist and accompaniment have quite independent but interlocking rhythms. The second movement is slower, lyrical dialogue. It is harmonically basically tonal, with very widely opened dissonant chords, with the dark harmonic colours somewhat reminiscent Kilar or Górecki. The lively third movement begins with a romp in 5/8 time, followed by many great effects, the solo part leaping around and culminating in the solo cadenza, followed by a final coda which has a hint of the opening of the first movement. The music is clearly printed and even has a three-page section to avoid impossible page-turns.

The viola part remains entirely in the alto clef, as the range does not go past three octaves, however this work is not for intermediate players of either solo or piano part due to rhythmic ensemble challenges. Advanced players would bring greater expressive powers to the score, and would benefit by adding a contemporary sophisticated European work to their repertoire.

Helen Tuckey

Cello Sheet Music Reviews

by Catherine Milligan

CONCERTO IN G MINOR For Two Cellos, Strings & Basso Continuo RV 531 Antonio Vivaldi BÄRENREITER BA 10946-90

This joyous and energetic concerto is cherished by performers and audiences. It is unique amongst Vivaldi’s large output for the cello, as it is the only concerto for two cellos. The three-movement work dates from around 1713-1717 during Vivaldi’s time at the Ospedale della Pieta in Venice, where regular performances raised both finances and public prestige for the institution. The two solo parts take centre stage with virtuosic and imitational passages, but lie on the cello so well that the work can be played comfortably by advanced students.

This urtext edition is based on Vivaldi’s autograph score, and some inconsistencies from previous editions have been clarified. The solo cello parts with piano reduction correspond to the edition of the score with critical report (BA 10946). Any editorial additions (trills, accidentals, slurs and dynamics), although minimal, are indicated in the musical text. The solo parts are well-spaced and clear, and are without awkward page turns. The edition allows for a flexible realisation of the work, either by full orchestra, or by one performer on each part as was common in the early 18th century.

SCHERZO STRINGS - CHARACTER-FILLED PIECES FOR CHAMPION CELLISTS

Edited by Sarah Jameson BLACK CAT MUSIC, SYDNEY 2022 www.scherzostrings.com.au

This is a collection of seven short pieces with piano accompaniment, designed for younger cellists. The pieces are tuneful and cheerful, and allow students to explore different genres and rhythmic styles, using various string techniques. The range of difficulty is from preliminary to approximately grade 5. The pieces could be used in concerts or as extra lists for exams.

All but the first piece require basic shifting in the neck positions, while the three more advanced pieces require reading in tenor clef. So Basically the only piece for solo cello, makes use of percussion on the cello, pizzicato and a swung quaver rhythm. Lazy Morning Blues is also in a jazz style. Jump makes use of a 5/8 metre, while Twilight Tango has some engaging rhythms and interesting harmonies, and encourages an expressive cantabile tone. Most of the pieces are in ternary form with a contrasting middle section. The piano accompaniment is supportive.

The composer, Sarah Jameson is a Sydney-based cellist who also teaches and conducts school string orchestras. With clear and well-spaced performance parts, the works have bowing markings and clear tempo and dynamic markings. Fingering markings are minimal, and further direction here would add to the accessibility for students.

CELLO SONATA OP. 1 NO. 1 in G major CELLO SONATA OP. 1 NO. 2 in E minor Leokadiya Kashperova. Editor: Graham Griffiths

BOOSEY & HAWKES 19832, 19833

Leokadiya Kashperova (1872-1940), a respected pianist and chamber musician in St. Petersburg for two decades, was also a successful a composer. She had studied composition with Nikolay Solovyov and piano with Anton Rubinstein. Although remembered as Stravinsky’s piano teacher, Kashperova’s music was largely forgotten after her death. More recently there has been a growing interest in her musical talent and creativity as a composer.

The two cello sonatas were written in 1895 and 1896, just after Kashperova had graduated from the St. Petersburg Conservatoire. They were dedicated to Russian cellist, Aleksandr Verzhbilovich, who gave the first performances. Although very early works, the sonatas show compositional assurance and are highly expressive, each with four expansive movements. The sonatas reveal the richness of Russian romanticism, although some movements are a little juvenile in style. Brilliant piano writing gives an indication of the composer’s own abilities. The cello part sits well on the instrument, and the writing shows an understanding of the cello’s cantabile qualities.

These new reprints by Boosey & Hawkes are well-spaced and clean. There are no fingerings or bowing directions given. Brief biographical and editorial notes are provided.

Catherine Milligan

by Sharon Lierse

SONATA FOR PIANO & CELLO, OP. 183

Joachim Raff (1822-1882)

BREITKOPF EB 9406

www.breitkopf.com

German-Swiss composer Joachim Raff’s works were well known during his lifetime. Today, they are largely forgotten. His output includes 11 symphonies, concertos, opera, chamber music, works for solo piano, five violin sonatas, a piano quintet, two piano quartets, a string sextet, and four piano trios. For cello, he composed the sonata, duo for cello and piano, two Fantasy pieces and two Romances. The four-movement cello sonata in D major was composed in 1873.

The first is a lively and energetic Allegro which in some ways is reminiscent of Beethoven’s D major Sonata for Piano and Cello. Interestingly, Raff also titled his sonata, for Piano and Cello. Here, he features the interplay between the two instruments highlighting the virtuosity of the piano and the cello’s range of melodic and expressive tonal colours.

It is Classical in its form, but Romantic in scope. Movement two is a lively Vivace in d minor featuring the piano’s soaring melody in the trio section. The Andante in B flat major is reflective and offers some respite from the frenetic first and second movements.

The final movement is an Allegro containing folk elements to the melody. The Sonata would be considered a major work for an advanced cellist, challenging in its scope yet highly accessible.

SUITE FOR STRINGS

Victor Kosenko arr. Robert Debbaut

Carl Fischer CAS139F

Viktor Kosenko (1896-1938) was a concertmaster, pianist, educator and composer. He arranged a collection of music by Soviet composers entitled The Young Soviet Violinist and another collection: Kosenko’s Children’s Pieces. The music has been arranged by Robert Debbaut who has led a range of orchestras and operas in the USA, Europe and Asia. Debbaut has a Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting from the University of Michigan where he was the first American conductor to be Fellow in Conducting. The Suite for String Orchestra has four movements: I. Scherzo, II. Melody, III. Olden Dance, and IV. March.

The Scherzino is in D minor with a lively melody performed by the first violins. Melody is a contrasting slow and reflective movement in A minor with a lilting quaver counter melody in the viola part. The Olden Dance is a folk inspired elegant dance in the style of a Minuet and Trio. The cellists have a delightful solo in the Trio part. The final movement is an energetic rhythmic March in D major. The music is graded level three to threeand-a-half in which the players require some shifting and chromatic note skills. Each of these attractive short pieces can be played alone or together in a performance.

SYMPHONY NO. 2. 2nd Movt.

William Grant Still, arr. Todd Parrish

For String Orchestra & Harp CARL FISCHER AS144F

Todd Parrish (b. 1971) studied violin, piano and string pedagogy at ORU where he received a Bachelor of Music Education.

Later he received a Master of Music from the University of Arizona in Tucson where he studied conducting, string quartet and violin. Parrish has taught orchestra at public schools for over 20 years, arranges classical music for school orchestras and writes original compositions. He became the orchestra editor for Carl Fischer in 2018.

William Still (1895-1978) has been described as the ‘Dean of African-American Composers’..His groundbreaking work includes the first to have an opera performed by the New York City Opera, and to be part of the Harlem Renaissance. Still’s music is infused with jazz and blue styles and classical forms. His Symphony No 2 was premiered in 1937 by the Philadelphia Orchestra under Leopold Stokowski subtitled; ’ Song of a New Race.’ It is infused with elements of blues and jazz into the classical form. Here it is arranged for strings and the original harp part. The string parts are best suited for an intermediate or advanced string orchestra with a competent harpist.

ZEPHYRUS for String Orchestra

Todd Parrish

Carl Fischer CAS138F

Zephyrus is named after the west wind which is depicted by triplet octave leaps and scalic passages creating a whirling sensation. The energetic music commences in b minor and has a middle section in D major. Most of the second violin and viola parts are in unison; thus the players can provide each other with support. A significant cello melody has an accompanying separate bass part. The music is for a level 3 string group and is therefore ideal for an intermediate string group.

Each publication in the Carl Fischer Junior String orchestra series is designated with a suggested grade level and can also be viewed and heard on their website, making it easy to choose works for your ensemble. All pieces come with a full score and multiple string parts.

WINTER STARS

Kathryn Griesinger

Carl Fischer YAS211F

Kathryn Griesinger’s. Winter Stars was inspired by a poem by Sara Teasdale. It is a level 2 work, in the key of D Major and marked Tranquillo. The music is arranged for strings and a piano part. The program notes describe how these: “Gentle phrases capture the wistful hope the poet felt as she contemplated the steadfast stars that ‘burn steadily as long ago’ even as the world changed below”.. The music changes from D Major to G Major and also shifts briefly to a minor key. The music is atmospheric and sounds like program music for a beautiful movie. It would be a lovely interlude or slow piece in a recital for a first or second year string orchestra.

ARTEFACTS

Kathryn Griesinger

Carl Fischer FAS123F

Cellist Kathryn (Griesinger) Parrish received her BA from the University of Akron and has taught string pedagogy there as well as in Ohio and Florida. Her current role is an orchestral editor in educational music publications. Artefacts is written for a junior string group. It has been inspired by a ‘mysterious hunt for ancient artifacts’. Some of the concepts used here are staccato, accents, bow-lifts, pizzicato, dynamics, 4th finger, and natural symbols without using low-2 finger patterns. The piece has been arranged with Violin 2 doubling the viola and double basses. There is also an optional piano part. The music commences with staccato crotchets followed by quavers, then a pizzicato section. Much of the music is rhythmically in unison which makes it easy to perform and conduct. At 68 bars long, it has the complexity of different melodies, but still sustains the listener and players with the overarching theme. Griesinger’s work for young players with both the range of techniques and in a minor key is a welcome addition for a string orchestra.

CELLO CONCERTO IN B MINOR OP 104

Antonin Dvořák (1841-1904)

G. HENLE URTEXT HN1185

www.henle.com

Nicknamed the King of the cello concertos, the Dvořák concerto is a well-loved work in the cello repertoire. As a student, there weren’t many publications available so this new edition by Annette Oppermann with fingerings and bowings by Steven Isserlis is a welcome addition to my music library. The piano part includes a page of the autograph score and an extensive Foreword in German, English and French detailing the development and first performances of the work. There are also extensive comments elucidating what was in the original score and the justification for the changes in this edition. Two cello parts are included. The first is the edited part, and the second contains Isserlis’ fingerings and bowings.

It is interesting to read his suggestions and reasons for changing a note in a chord and his interpretation of some key phrases. This provides a human touch to a work which has many technical challenges and is symphonic in its scope. I highly recommend this scholarly edition for musicians to consider what it has to offer for a much deeper interpretation and new understanding of a concerto which is firmly entrenched in the mainstream cello repertoire.

FANTASIA ON AN ORIGINAL THEME

Liam Ramsey-White

Carl Fischer CAS141F

Liam Ramsey-White (b.1996) is a largely selftaught composer who commenced writing music from the age of twelve for his school orchestra. He continued his training at the Jacobs School of Music with a double degree in composition and music education. He is currently director of orchestras at Creekside Intermediate in League City, Texas. Recommended for a level three group, it is arranged for string orchestra with separate parts for violins 1 and 2, viola, cello and bass. Coincidentally, this work is based on a theme which he composed at the age of twelve. It is lush music in the style of Vaughan Williams, commencing with a melancholy viola solo. Melodies are shared amongst the parts. The music alternates between four and two beats in a bar and features changes in dynamics, pizzicato passages, and changes in tempi. It would be suited for a young string orchestra with a strong viola section, and players who wish to further develop their expression and tone production.

FIRESTORM

Liam Ramsey-White

Carl Fischer CAS142F

Firestorm is arranged for string orchestra with an optional piano part. What is immediately striking on the score is the expressive mark Con Fuoco, crotchet equals 160 beats per minute and the alternating 4/4 and 3/4 tempo. The program notes describe this as a ‘fiery piece for string orchestra depicts the ferocity of an out of control blaze’. In the key of a A minor the melody in the first violin part is then passed throughout the other parts; ‘like a fire jumping across an asphalt road’. There are lots of accented rhythms requiring strength and rhythmic precision. This piece is graded at a level three and would be a great final piece in a recital.

SYMPHONY NO 1 – 1st Movt.

Joseph Bologne Chevalier de Saint-Georges arr. Todd Parrish for String Orchestra

CARL FISCHER CAS140F

Joseph Bologne Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799) was a French violinist and conductor. He wrote string quartets, symphonies and symphony concertantes. His style is reminiscent of Haydn’s early string quartets and symphonies with lightness and elegance in the music. Symphony No. 1was originally scored for two oboes, two horns and strings, but has been arranged for string orchestra by Todd Parrish. It is in the key of G major with a light, cheerful melody in the first violins with support by the other strings. It would be suited for a string orchestra with advanced first violin players who can musically capture its charming style.

Sharon Lierse

by Anne Berry

SONATA IN F MAJOR for cello & basso continuo

Benedetto Marcello (1686-1739)

Ed. Annette Oppermann

Figured Bass realization: Wolfgang Kostujak

Cello part marked by Thomas Klein

G. HENLE URTEXT HN 1481

This Sonata in F Major is the first of six (sometimes referred to as Opus 1) composed by Marcello, first published in Amsterdam in 1732. No autograph copy has been found and it is thought they were likely composed some years before they were published. These six works are popular amongst cellists and have also been arranged for a variety of other instruments including viola, recorder and trombone. This edition’s informative Preface notes the importance of these sonatas as an early contribution to the cello sonata genre. The original title clearly indicates that these six sonatas are for cello. However, some awkward fingerings and the fact that the sonatas are generally in the higher registers, avoiding the C string, have raised the question of instrumentation –perhaps for viola da gamba or a five- string or alternatively tuned cello. Or perhaps the higher register is simply due to it being a melodic part.

This Henle Urtext Edition includes two inserts, for solo cello and a cello and basso continuo part – as well as the figured bass for keyboard. These inserts facilitate practice and performance in ensemble. Minimal fingerings and bowings added to the cello part are helpful although many cellists may prefer to reverse the suggested bow direction in the bariolage sections in the 2nd Allegro movement as the repeated note is of the higher pitch. The first two movements, Largo and Allegro, are in the Fifth Grade AMEB cello syllabus. However, students would do well to study and perform the entire sonata for its gorgeous, simply expressive 3rd movement and lively 4th movement.

Anne Berry

Double Bass Music Reviews

by Marian Heckenberg

THREE AFTERIMAGES for solo double bass

by Marcin Stańczyk PWM 12662 www.pwm.com.pl

The score for Stańczyk’s Three Afterimages for solo double bass is very confronting at first for those of us who are used to reading traditional notes and creating conventional sounds with the bow or pizzicato. Inspired by a series of modern paintings that depict the bright distorted optical images we see after staring at the sun, this piece ranges from delicately atmospheric to dramatically bold. Three Afterimages is a world of extended techniques not only for the bass part but also for the performer’s voice that interjects at meaningful moments.

At times the score seems to have four parts running simultaneously. It takes time to decipher all the instructions and realise it is possible to face the intellectual challenge of this epic work. Without doubt, a virtuosic performance of this piece would be totally enthralling. In his lengthy performance instructions Stańczyk says, ‘This piece requires the use of two or three microphones, a headset to amplify the musician’s voice, an omnidirectional microphone set up in standard position to amplify the double bass and a cardioid microphone placed behind the instrument to amplify the percussive effects created on the body of the instrument’. This epic three movement work boasts a very difficult double bass part augmented by a dramatic range of extended techniques and vocalisations. If you like a challenge this work will delight you.

UKRAINIAN FIDDLE TUNES for Two Double Basses

Compiled & arranged by Deborah Greenblatt www.greenblattandseay.com

Deborah Greenblatt and David Seay continue to introduce folk music from around the world to young musicians. It’s a fun way to learn about the various tonalities and rhythmic patterns specific to these nationalistic tunes. This set of duets for two double basses is an adaptation from the original version for two violins. All of the publications in this series are available for viola and cello too, so the combinations are flexible. The colours and idiosyncrasies of Ukrainian traditional songs and dances feature toe- tapping syncopations and haunting tonalities especially the Ukrainian Dorian mode. Many of the duets are charming and lively but my favourites feature the melancholy minor modes.

Chords are marked throughout so adding a guitar or piano line is easy and certainly desirable to break up the often muddy texture of two bassists playing harmonies within the same octave. find that playing the top line an octave higher really enhances the arrangement as close harmonies on the bass are very dense. The advantage however, of using the lower positions is that the pieces are accessible to the beginner.

Many of the duets are homophonic, so these are particularly busy and this creates a chunky effect, but the arrangements where the lower part functions as a simple accompaniment work very well. Combining a violin or viola on the top line with the lower bass line would also expand the musical possibilities. Greenblatt dedicated these duets to her Ukrainian grandfather, so this publication has a personal touch.

ARIA from the opera Bildbeschreibung

for double bass

PWM 12705

www.pwm.com.pl

Agata Zubel is known for her unique skills as a singer and composer. Aria from the opera Bildbeschreibung for double bass is a work requiring a five string bass with the lowest string tuned to B; it also requires the bassist to vocalise. The work relies on the performer interpreting the layers of sound as well as understanding the German text so word painting can be used effectively. There is quite a cerebral approach in the conception of this work and deciphering the performance instructions for this wildly difficult bass part

is quite a task. After digging into the technical challenges the work starts to reveal its charm but achieving a relatable narrative would be very time consuming. Undoubtedly a meticulous performance of this complex, expressive work would be compelling but it would require a virtuoso with a passion for drama and extended techniques!

BEST OF DOUBLE BASS CLASSICS

16 Famous Concert Pieces

Double Bass & Piano

Edited by Charlotte Mohrs

SCHOTT ED22412

www.schott-music.com

Charlotte Mohrs is dedicated to enriching the lives of bassists and has published many wonderful books for beginner and intermediate bassists. This time she has compiled sixteen famous advanced bass solos with close reference to original scores and first publications. Her own editorial suggestions are desirable but clearly marked as optional.

Finally it is possible for bassists to buy one book that contains essentials like the Eccles Sonata, Capuzzi’s Concerto, Bottesini’s Elegy, Saint Saëns’ Elephant and The Swan. She also includes important pieces by Koussevitzky, Sperger, Fauré and Simandl to name a few, so this collection is a must have for bassists over Grade 4 AMEB.

One of the most useful aspects of this publication is Mohrs’ insight into the requirements of orchestral tuning versus solo tuning. She has provided piano accompaniments for both tuning systems, which is greatly appreciated. After playing favourite solos from the Baroque, Classical and Romantic eras, her compilation ends with a delightful pair of fantasy pieces by Mohrs herself. This is a thoughtful and varied collection of works for bass edited by an excellent bassist who is also a high motivated educator.

CONNEXION

by Marcin Antkowiak for double bass & tape

PWM 12261

ISMN 979-0-2740-2025-5 www.pwm.com.pl

GLOSSY by Aleksandra Słyź for double bass & electronics

PWM 12 882

ISMN 979-0-2740-3503-7 www.pwm.com.pl

The annual Tadeusz Ochlewski Composition Competition aims to promote Polish composers and in 2016 the task was to write for double bass and electronics, the winners were Marcin Antkowiak and Aleksandra Słyź.

Antkowiak’s Connexion for double bass and tape is a short contemporary piece inspired by sounds produced by technology and exploring the idea that they can be considered music. As a traditional classical musician with only moderate experience with world music and contemporary music, I am committed to performing this work on a solo recital later this year. The abstract work was immediately userfriendly with the taped track available online via a link and the printed part is notated logically. Initially the pre-recorded tape is jarring and confronting, however it quickly blends with the

dark double bass tones and creates an effective merger of rhythmic and textual sound worlds.

The bass part cannot be described as melodic but it does have a lyrical presence in the texture with sonorous harmonics and punctuating pizzicatos. There are a few but effective extended techniques and some technical challenges to make the work interesting! Preparation of Connexion has been a journey in self awareness for me and an examination of where and when does sound become music to our ears?

Aleksandra Słyź’s work Glossy was inspired by a character in Stephen King’s The Shining who gradually goes mad. In the design she aims to fuse the double bass part with the electronic layer. All the sounds on the tape and the live electronics originate from the double bass and combine with the live playing. The taped material is accessed via an online link along with a daunting list of required electronic equipment and instruction. The extended techniques (like hitting the bass, note bending and trilling between the fundamental and its harmonic) are woven into the solo bass line with ‘real’ notes and thematic material. A double bass with five strings is required for this brief but provocative piece as the jagged thematic material heavily features the very low B string. Even though the work is abstract the notation is approachable, so it is clear when to activate the tape or the live electronic component. The result certainly sounds insane!

Marian Heckenberg

CD Reviews

by Helen Tuckey

L’Orchestre

de Chambre de Genève, cond. Gábor Takács-Nagy

Mikhaïl Pletnev, piano

Works by Beethoven and Shchedrin CLAVES CD 50-3039/40

This CD, recorded live at Victoria Hall, Geneva in 2021, is very much a product of the musically challenging times of the pandemic – a concert that had to be turned into a live streamed concert at the last minute. Three minutes before the recording started, five first violins had to leave due to being close contacts of the concert master, who had just tested positive for Covid minutes before the start of the rehearsal!

The opening track on this two-CD album is Beethoven’s festive and sparkling Overture to King Stephen op. 117, written for a play for the opening of a hall in Budapest, and dedicated to King Stephen 1 of Hungary. Mikhaïl Pletnev is the piano soloist in Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, op. 37. A composer and conductor as well as pianist, Beethoven lies close to Pletnev’s heart as he has also conducted a cycle of the Beethoven symphonies. This experience no doubt gives an added perspective to his interpretation as a soloist in this timeless work.

The second CD features a work by Shchedrin for strings and percussion based on themes from Bizet’s Carmen. This very creative orchestration should be studied by all who aspire to write for strings and percussion. Like the characters in the opera, the score is full of humour, drama and colour, and there are many adventures in technique and texture for the performers. In this recording, there are definitely issues of balance, with percussion predominating and some close miking of violins, who work so hard to compensate for absences.

From my symphonic background, I miss at times the warmth and fullness of orchestral sound, as this was played by a numerically constrained and somewhat spread out chamber orchestra. The logistic challenges give an interesting up-close aural perspective to orchestral playing, and at times one can hear sounds of fingers hitting strings, breathing, and humming sounds reminiscent of Casals. However, there is much of musical interest and some very fine chamber and solo playing. A spirited and fiery recording, with much character throughout, no doubt spiked by the adrenalin of recording in such challenging circumstances!

Helen Tuckey

by Andrew Lorenz

ALONE TOGETHER

Jennifer Koh, vln

CEDILLE CDR 3011

The brilliant violinist Jennifer Koh writes, “This music is not only a musical archive of the COVID-19 pandemic, but testament to the best parts of humanity.” Alone Together expresses a magnificent, divine dichotomy and is celebrated superbly in these recordings. Hats off to all the composers and Koh (dare say Co.) who brought this stunning project to fruition. It has spawned a wealth of creativity; a smorgasbord of 39 newly commissioned vignettes in world premiere recordings for solo violin.

Koh’s two CD set recently won the Grammy for Best Classical Instrumental Solo. It would be unfair to highlight any particular work or composer but suffice it to say that there is something for everyone in these recordings. There are so many inspirational and creative moments and the masterful ‘connector’ is Koh. One listening is certainly not enough to digest all the compositions. The liner notes are invaluable in that they express the composers’ thoughts about their pieces and help the listener to understand the many varied contemporary and often traditional sounds. Sometimes the sonic effects are ugly but valid in the context of what the composer is trying to communicate. Again, bravo to all!

BEETHOVEN COMPLETE STRING QUARTETS VOL.2, THE MIDDLE QUARTETS

Dover Quartet

CEDILLE CDR 90000 206

Exquisite playing! The Dovers continue their beautiful exploration of the Beethoven string quartet cycle. Here we have the second volume (3 CDs), middle period quartets. The playing is both mellifluous and dramatically contrasting when required.

Often referred to as the “Russian Quartets”, the three Op.59 string quartets were composed in 1806, commissioned by their dedicatee Count Andreas Razumovsky, the Russian ambassador in Vienna. Beethoven was a very busy lad because at this time he also wrote his 4th symphony and 4th piano concerto. He was also completing Fidelio. His publishers Breitkopf and Härtel must have been very happy. The next ‘cab off the rank’, the 10th string quartet (1809) was given the nickname the Harp quartet by Breitkopf in reference to the pizzicato opening. In a letter to George Smart, Beethoven wrote that the Op.95 in F minor should “never be played in public”. Thank heavens the Schuppanzigh Quartet was unaware of the above request and premiered the work in Vienna in May, 1814.

After winning numerous competitions and awards the Dover Quartet is the Ensemble in Residence at the Curtis Institute of Music amongst others and long may they reign.

VIOLIN SONATAS

Branco, Ravel, Villa-Lobos

Bruno Monteiro, vln, João Paulo Santos, pno ETCETERA KTC 1750

www.etcetera-records.com

www.bruno-monteiro.com

www.etcetera-records.com/album/810/violin-sonatas

The Sonata No.1 for Violin and Piano was written by Luís de Freitas Branco (1890-1955) in 1908 when the composer was only 17 years old and studying at the National Conservatory in Lisbon. He was to become one of the great Portuguese composers of the Romantic era. The work won first prize in a composition competition in the Portuguese capital and does not deserve the neglect that it has received. This very fine sonata is in four movements and rather forward looking in its melodic and harmonic content. Monteiro and Santos’s ensemble work is excellent and the violin tone is attractive. However the intonation and slides in the violin part are sometimes unconvincing. Ravel’s (1875-1937) Sonata No.2 (1927) fares better in performance, especially the Blues movement. Occasionally the violin tone reminds one of Mischa Elman and this can be heard in the Sonata No.2 for Violin and Piano Fantasia by Heitor Villa-Lobos (18871959). He composed four violin sonatas and this second one, consisting of three movements, was composed in 1914 and exhibits a fantasy like style as suggested in the title.

AGGREGATE FORMS

Catherine Lamb (b. 1982)

Jack Quartet

KAIROS 0018010KAI

Catherine Lamb’s String Quartet Two Blooms composed in 2009 begins with a unison C and gradually the interval expands, eventually enlarging at about the 20 - minute mark, to a major third which gradually goes out of tune and then slips back into tune. In the 27th minute the interval returns to a unison C. It is an otherworldly experience, dare I say, a meditation in tones. At least with Lamb’s explanation about her work, the quartet may represent the mindfulness of meditation.

The booklet includes excellent explanatory notes. Some of the diagrams discuss aggregate forms with pitches relating to a kaleidoscope of numbers which, when linked together, look like a drawing of an ammonite – a rather beautiful shape from the natural world. The sincerity can be heard in Lamb’s writing but I don’t relate naturally to what she describes as her “synaesthesia with numbers.”

The quartet finishes with a C in octaves which to me, actually sounds a little sharper than the original C in unison. (I could be wrong.) This is esoteric writing, at the cutting edge of contemporary, avant- garde composing. Divisio spiralis (2019) is similar to the quartet and the above is not necessarily a critique but rather observations about this two CD set.

PROKOFIEV AND SAINT-SAËNS

Peter and the Wolf, Carnival of the Animals Narr. Henri Dès, Musikkollegium Winterthur, dir. Roberto González-Monjas, Winterthur String Quartet, Duo Vilija

Poskute & Tomas Daukantas

Claves 50-3047

Claves has brought out a very fine and stylish recording of Peter and the Wolf (1936) by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) and The Carnival of the Animals (1886) by Camille SaintSaëns. Henri Dès sounds absolutely charming in his French narration but alas, I do not understand a word of it. However, is not French a charming language n’est pas? (The liner notes are also in French only.)

The CD cover of animal drawings is very cute and colourful and the performances are first class. The Musikkollegium Winterthur is directed by Roberto González-Monjas and the core musicians for the Saint-Saëns include the Winterthur String Quartet and pianists, Duo Vilija Poskute and Tomas Daukantas. The composer described the work as a bit of fun and did not want it published in his lifetime. What posthumous success it has had! The educational value of the music for youngsters is invaluable. Prokofiev described his work as a “symphonic fairy tale for children”. The recording quality of the CD is outstanding, as you would expect from Claves.

WORKS FOR VIOLIN & PIANO

Karol Rathaus (1895-1954)

Mateusz Strzelecki, vln, Andrzej Śąlazak, pno paladino music pmr 0124 www.paladino.at

German-Austrian Jewish composer Karol Rathaus studied with Franz Schreker in Vienna and Berlin and, due to the holocaust, eventually migrated to the USA via Paris.

There are 12 years between the Sonata for Violin and Piano No.1, Op.14 (1925) and the Sonata for Violin and Piano No.2 Op.43 (1937) yet the first is contemporary sounding with its imaginative use of atonality. A meditative opening develops into an Allegro of multilayered melodic strands and varying moods. The Intermezzo is rhythmically quirky while the Rondo finale is quite ‘Stravinskyesque’. The second sonata is far more overtly lyrical with the melodic opening theme used in both the first and last movements, and thematic motifs are more clearly defined. A plaintive unaccompanied violin solo introduces the middle movement.

We move back to 1927 for the four- movement Suite for Violin and Piano, Op.27. The wide leaps in the opening movement remind one of the first violin sonata. The Andante is meditative, contrasting very effectively with the Capriccio which follows. The last movement is brilliant in its relentless driving rhythm. The very effective Dedication and Allegro, Op.64 (1949) was commissioned by the violin virtuoso Tossy Spivakovsky. It was written in New York as a tribute to Frederic Chopin on the centenary of the composer’s death. Mateusz Strzelecki and Andrzej Śąlazak are a very fine duo and present these demanding works with great conviction.

SHOSTAKOVICH AND ARENSKY PIANO TRIOS Trio Con Brio Copenhagen ORCHID CLASSICS ORC 100181

The ‘romanticism’ of Czarist Russia combines with magnificent yet also grim aspects of the Soviet Union to produce an intriguing CD. Arensky’s (1861-1906 Piano Trio No.1 in D minor, Op.32 (1894) is rather underrated yet very fine and contrasts beautifully with Shostakovich’s (1906-1975) masterpiece in the Piano Trio No.2 in E minor, Op.67 (1944), relating the horror of Jewish experiences in the holocaust. In between we have Shostakovich’s Piano Trio No.1 in C minor Poème, Op.8 (1923), a transitional piece in terms of the two eras described, and yet it shows another face of the great Dmitri Shostakovich.

Trio Con Brio Copenhagen is the finest piano trio I have heard since the great Beaux Arts Trio. Each musician is of the highest calibre and the delicacy and drama in the playing is superb, the pianist Jens Elkever never overwhelming the string playing. The phrasing is a sheer delight. This CD has won the German Record Critic’s Award and is also the Gramophone Editor’s Choice. Give yourself a treat and buy a copy or a download of these masterful performances. You certainly won’t regret it.

TANGO FINESSE Traffic Strings

SonArt Records

If you are a lover of the tango, this is the CD for you. Lucian Moraru has arranged 10 pieces by Astor Piazzolla and Jealousy by Jacob Gade. Other works include movements from Tango Suite for piano, Oblivion, Tango Choc & Plus Ultra and more. Traffic Strings is heard in live performances, the group consisting of two violins, viola, cello, double bass, panpipe, accordion and piano. Moraru states in his liner notes, “This ‘timbral mix’ gives the project an exotic air which is totally distinct from the sound universe we got used to when listening to Argentine tangos . . . this new timbral combination brings to the forefront rhythms that give the feeling of a sonority created by percussion instruments.” For this reviewer, sometimes the very wide vibrato in the loud playing of the pan-pipe is rather disconcerting; however overall, the tone is attractive. Traffic Strings features fine ensemble work which makes for some exciting and dramatic performances. The writing is virtuosic and the spirit of the tango is certainly brought to life.

CONCERTOS ET OEUVRES POUR ORCHESTRE

Pierre Wissmer (1915-1992)

Nora Cismondi, ob, Oleg Kaskiv, vln, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, John Fiore, cond.

CLAVES 50-3045

www.claves.ch

I recently read a fascinating book, The Prince of the Skies by Antonio Iturbi which is based on the life of Antoine de SaintExupéry, the adventurous pioneering aviator and author of the popular The Little Prince. It was this book which inspired Pierre Wissmer to compose his symphonic score, L’Enfant et la rose, d’apres Le Petit Prince de Saint-Exupéry (1957). The work bears the inscription of the famous quotation: “One can only see well with the heart, the essential is invisible to the eyes.” The music consists of a Theme e Introduzione followed by twelve variations illustrating the action in the novel. It is very entertaining

listening and could be described as outstanding and fabulous film music in the true sense of the word. The excellent liner notes by Jacques Tchamkerten state that “Imbued at first with a post-Ravellian neoclassicism, over the years his style has shifted toward a more distanced relationship with tonality and a more inner language.”

Wissmer’s excellent Oboe Concerto (1963) and Violin Concerto No.3 (1987) demonstrate this later style although the violin concerto also exhibits the influence of Alban Berg (1885-1935).

Based on a Lutheran chorale, Clamavi, triptyque symphonique (1957) is most effective; Tchamkerten mentions that it is “the most Honeggerian work of Wissmer”. If this disc is any indication, the Swiss born composer should be far better known. The soloists are outstanding and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande directed by John Fiore is first class. Apart from the violin concerto, all the works are world premiere recordings

Andrew Lorenz

by Susan Pierotti

SONATAS for violin, violone & cembalo, Op. 1

Elias/Kishi/Palmer-Jones

Castrucci

CENTAUR RECORDS

www.centaurrecords.com

A student of Corelli and a contemporary of Handel and Geminiani, Pietro Castrucci was employed as Handel’s concertmaster in London. Castrucci’s twelve Sonatas Op. 1, written in 1718, are replete with drama, turbulence and virtuosity. Mostly in minor keys, there is no overall set pattern to movements, which include dances, a French aria, a Venetian Allegro, an Amoroso and in the last one, scordatura with a fugal fantasia and a chaconne. This is the first recording of these fine pieces. Geminiani wrote that ‘Good taste...[consists] in expressing with strength and delicacy the intention of the composer’ and the musicians here deliver that, and more. Elias is extremely fleet of finger, throwing off the finger-twisting ornamentation with ease and elegance. Nishi’s fine cello and Palmer-Jones’s harpsichord continuo provide strong and energetic support.

Susan Pierotti

Cello CD Reviews

by Catherine Milligan

BEETHOVEN CELLO SONATAS

Alisa Weilerstein - cello;

Inon Barnatan - piano

PENTATONE PTC 5186884

Long-time musical partners Weilerstein and Barnatan joined together in 2020 to record these touchstone works. Through the five relatively concise sonatas, we not only hear Beethoven at the various stages of his musical life, but see how the relationship between the piano and cello develops and blooms.

Alisa Weilerstein is an ardent cellist with a very idiosyncratic musical style, and so for me, these recordings were a mixed bag. Both performers display great skill in the projection of articulations, especially the Beethoven fortepiano, as well as an impressive command of dynamic shaping and range. For my taste there is an over- use of rubato. Especially apparent in the A major sonata Op. 69, rather than broaden

the expression, liberties taken with tempo restrict the flow of the musical line.

On the other hand, there are moments of refined playing, such as the Rondo of Sonata Op. 5. No.2 which displayed great delicacy. The Allegro molto piu tosto presto of the G minor sonata felt rather too careful and lacking in rhythmic drive, but energy and vitality were not lacking in the allegro movements of the 4th or 5th sonatas. Weilerstein’s expressive vibrato, which was too effervescent in the early sonatas, was toned down by the later sonatas to give a better tonal blend with the piano. Similarly, overly expressive shifting, which seemed incongruous in the early sonatas, was less bothersome in the later sonatas.

This CD recording shows realistic balance between cello and piano. It was pleasing that the places where the piano writing naturally engulfs the cello sound remained un-engineered to favour the cello.

SCHUMANN GOES TANGO

Roger Morello Ros- cello;

Alicia Koyama Muller – piano;

Sara Cubarsi - violin

AUSTRIAN GRAMOPHONE AG0025

This debut CD recording by Spanish cellist Roger Morello Ros and German pianist Alicia Koyama Muller combines sumptuous works by Robert Schumann with tango music from the 20th century. Perhaps not such strange bed-fellows after all, since all works began with inspiration from folk music, and exhibit a similar character of quickly changeable moods and heightened emotion.

Along with the Five Pieces in Folk Style Op.102, and the Adagio and Allegro Op.70 (version for cello and piano), is an arrangement for cello and piano of five of Schumann’s Spanish Love Songs Op.135. Throughout the CD, there is a pleasing conversational interplay between cello and piano, with the ensemble very well balanced and warm-toned in the recording. Cellist Morello Ros plays with great spirit and the interpretations are tonally varied, sensitive and imaginatively coloured. His forte tone is robust with an earthiness that suits the folk-style idiom. Schumann’s Adagio is perhaps a little too hasty to capture the extreme tenderness and subtle emotion in one of my favourite works.

Two works for cello and piano by Italian-Argentine cellist and composer Jose Bragato (1915-2017) demonstrate his admiration for the work of Astor Piazzolla and the “Nuevo Tango” form. Bragato’s Milontan and the Graciela y Buenos Aires, allow the musicians to extend their vibrant playing styles, while Morello Ros shows his technical flair in some long cadenza passages. The CD concludes with Autumn for Piano Trio by Piazzolla (arranged Bragato) where violinist Sara Cubarsi joins the ensemble. The modern tango music is played with suitable Latin panache, passion and dance energy.

Catherine Milligan

by Robert Ekselman

PRIMAVERA II the rabbits

Matt Haimovitz

PENTATONE PTC 5186293

In this 2022 digital release, Primavera II the rabbits, we see Matt Haimovitz exploring new frontiers. His own label, Oxingale has joined forces with Pentatone to feature 13 new commissions for solo cello.

This is the second of six albums in a momentous series encompassing 81 world premieres for solo cello. These North American composers respond in their unique ways to Italian Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli’s enigmatic and controversial 15th century painting, Primavera. As if this wasn’t challenging enough, world renowned contemporary artist Charline von Heyl’s triptych reinterpretation of Spring spins the final overlay of complexity. Von Heyl’s work –featuring the rabbit trilogy from which this album takes its title – is prophetic in nature, suggesting the social upheaval prevalent in our times.

Multi-Grammy award winning Israeli-born American cellist Matt Haimovitz has had a distinctive if non-conventional career trajectory; following early success on the concert circuit and termination of his Deutsche Grammophon contract, dissatisfaction with a traditional career resulted in his focus on non-standard repertoire, as well as non-standard venues. (In 2002 he performed the Bach Suites in night clubs and restaurants right across the US.)

The works are all of short duration. The meaning of the allegory represented in the Botticelli work is open to a range of interpretation, as is von Heyl’s contemporary take. ‘These compositions provide plenty of contrasts of pace and ambience. Special sound effects abound: ponticello, col legno, tapping, etc. Make of them what you will! The interpretations are full of vigour and imagination. In some of them Haimovitz takes on all parts, overlaying four individual lines. In others, his is the lone voice. Native-American rain dance rhythms are represented along with old Korean melodies; all touching on primal motifs of eternity, rebirth and communal ecstasy.

Robert Ekselman

by Anne Berry

MUSIC FOR CELLO & PIANO

Cello Concerto (1976) for cello & orchestra

Fünf Stucke für Klavier (1958)

Nore (1964) for cello and piano

Interludium A (1982) for piano

Espace 1 (1992) for cello & piano

Isang Yun

KAIROS 0015090KAI

Isang Yun was a Korean cellist, composer and teacher of composition (1917-1995). The music in this CD is drawn from different periods of his difficult and tragic life which included incarceration and torture in South Korea. Yun established an orphanage for war orphans and his political goal was peace and reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula. His list of compositions is extensive, including 5 symphonies along with opera, choral, orchestral and chamber music. Beginning with his cello concerto (1976) this CD covers works from much of Yun’s lifespan.

Initially this CD was difficult to listen to, later listening drew me into the soundscape. Not because of the performances as these were artistically and professionally recorded – but because of the intense, tragic mood of these works. I found it difficult to listen to the concerto after the worldwide chaos and tragedy over the last couple of years. This work exemplifies much of the characteristics of Yun’s music which fused traditional Korean music with avant garde musical techniques through glissandi, pizzicato, vibrati and a rich vocabulary of ornaments making it technically and stylistically difficult to perform. This was a full and expressive performance by the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra with Tatsuya Shimono conducting.

As a cellist I was most drawn to the two works for cello and piano. Nore is a gentler work; improvisational with a light texture due to piano and cello generally alternating rather than playing together. However, the use of harmonic resonance combines for flow across the work. Espace 1 alternates contrasting, tinkling piano with more dramatic cello in a feel resembling Debussy. Both works are demanding. The ensemble between Luigi Piovano (cello) and Aldo Orvieto (piano) is musical and seamless. Both works explore the full range of cello pitch, tonal colour and special effects.

WORKS FOR TWO CELLOS, VOL. 1

CD 1 Three Duetts Concertante, Op. 8

CD 2 Two Sonatas for Cello with a Second Cello, Op. 2

Johann Stiastny (ca. 1764 – 1826)

PALADINO MUSIC, PMR 0121

www.paladino.at/cds/pmr-01

Little is known of the composer Stiastny whose name has been recorded with a variety of spellings and whose lifespan is sketchy. He was a Czech cellist and composer who composed pieces for cello with 11 opus numbers. He is known as one of the founders of the Czech national cello school.

The music in this 2 CD set is amongst the most demanding in the cello literature. The 3 duets Op. 8 share equally in leading and accompanying the two parts. Their appealing variation movements are typical of Stiasny. They have been recorded as separate tracks on the CDs which makes them more accessible for in- depth study.

By contrast, in the two sonatas, the first voice leads whilst the second accompanies. Sheet music for the two sonatas, in D and Eb major was published by Paladino in 2021. (pm 0077).The D major Sonata is quite brash and bright while the Eb major Sonata is gentler, darker and more expressive. Interestingly, the Allegro first movement of the Sonata in D was included in the supplement to Op. 30 by Sebastien Lee published in Paris in 1842. Other works by Stiastny can be found on IMSLP but not the Op.8 duets. Some of the tracks from this recording can currently be accessed on YouTube.

Martin Rummel is well known for his dedication as a pedagogue in both recordings and sheet music publications – improving cellists’ access to a wide variety of cello literature. His work is always well researched. His recordings reflect the teachings of William Pleeth with an emphasis on the music, not the musician. Rummel’s warmth of tone creates a wellbalanced ensemble with the expressiveness of German cellist Alexander Hülshoff.

Anne Berry

by Sharon Lierse

BURKHARD EGDORF Works for Strings

Alexia Eichhorn

Friedmann Eichhorn

Alexander Hülshoff

PALADINO MUSIC

www.paladino.at

Born in Bremen in 1954, Burkhard Egdorf has worked as a radio journalist, composer and music editor. He writes chamber music and pieces for organ.

There are eight works on this CD which use two violins, viola and cello in various combinations. However, there are none for a traditional string quartet.

Instead there are duets for two violins, violin and cello; solos for violin, viola, cello, and a trio for violin, viola and cello. Egdorf’s music is “complex with lots of layers” yet retains Western tonality. There is also a playful, whimsical element with a minimalist sound to it. The programme notes contain an interview between the performers and the composer which explains that the works evolved in collaboration with the performers; thus there is a a biographical aspect to the music. The quality of the playing is excellent both in technical mastery and interpretation. The CD is recommended for advanced players who wish to extend their modern repertoire.

CALM. Trio for Flute, Violin & Harp

listening to the music, it is easier to identify the Armenian flavouur. Ani and Marta perform seamlessly with an innate understanding of the style and sentiment. A highly recommended CD for those who enjoy listening to cello music from different countries and cultures.

COMPLETE WORKS for Cello & Piano George Enescu (1881-1955)

Rudolf Leopold, cello

Raluca Stirbat, piano

PALADINO MUSIC www.paladino.at

WORKS FOR CELLO

Ivan Fedele (b.1953)

Michele Marco Rossi – cello

Francesco Abbescia - electronics

KAIROS Records

www.kairos-music.com

www.kairos-music.com/cds/0015115kai

Double Bass CD Reviews

by Marian Heckenberg

BRAHMS AND HINDEMITH

Sonatas for Double Bass & Piano

Josef Gilgenreiner

(Double Bass)

Matthias Gerstner (Piano)

Austrian Gramophone AG0026 /LC 48665

Michael

Bakrnčev open.spotify.com/artist/4BfkeR6xPC

CDFaKz6i9ooV?si=88HvoOZOT6C_ RNUwTBrMKg

Michael Bakrnčev (b. 1989) is a Melbourne born composer of Macedonian heritage. In 2013, he graduated with First Class Honours in Composition from the Queensland Conservatorium – Griffith University. He is currently studying a Master degree in composition at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music - The University of Melbourne. His music is heavily influenced by both modern classical music and Macedonian folk music. Bakrnčev’s music has been performed in Australia, Europe, the United Kingdom, USA and Canada. He has also won numerous awards.

He is a member of the Australian Music Centre and also founder and artistic director of the Melbourne Metropolitan Sinfonietta. Calm – Trio for Flute, Violin and Harp’was composed as a wedding gift for his wife and performed in 2017 on their wedding day. It was recorded by Helene Fay (flute), Peter Voronov (violin) and Mercedes Bralo (harp). As a flautist and harpist with some skills in violin, was interested to hear this combination of instruments. The closest is the Debussy Trio which uses flute, viola and harp. Calm has undulating harp arpeggios with a sustained melody in the flute which is then passed over to the violin and then back and forth between the two instruments. The music has a strong Macedonian influence and utilises the tonal aspects of the instruments. At nine minutes, it would be a lovely interlude in a chamber music recital.

GEMS FROM ARMENIA for Cello & Piano

Aznavoorian Duo

CEDILLE RECORDS

Cedillerecords.org

American sisters Ani and Marta Aznavoorian present a CD of Armenian music to honour their homeland. The aim of their project is “to help preserve and promote a treasured musical legacy that has always had significant meaning in our lives”. The music spans three eras. Firstly, the late Romantic composer Vartabed has written five traditional folk tunes arranged for cello and piano.

20th century composers commence with the great Khachaturian with two folk songs, Babajanian who has written an Elegy, Aria and Dance, Terterian’s three -movement Sonata for cello, Kradjian’s traditional Sari Siroun, Arutiunian’s Impromptu and Sharafyan’s Petrified Dance. The CD concludes with the world premiere of Peter Boyer’s 21st century composition, Mount Ararat. There are extensive sleeve-notes on each composer and their works.

The music is sad and soulful with a blend of Middle Eastern and Russian rhythms, melodies and harmonies. After

When listening to the CD, I wondered why these works were not part of the mainstream cello repertoire. Enesco has skillfully written for the cello in a style which could be best described as late romantic. I could not resist listening to this recording several times. We don’t often associate George Enescu with the cello. A Romanian composer, conductor, violinist and teacher, he is known as the teacher and mentor of the late Yehudi Menuhin.

Enescu loved to play the cello and in regular house concerts, he would often borrow the instruments of each of his string quartet colleagues and play a movement in turn.

On the CD are two cello Sonatas: Sonata in F Minor (1898); Sonata in C Major (1935); Allegro for cello and piano (ca.1898); and Nocturne et Saltarello for cello and piano (1897). The Nocturne is especially beautiful. Enescu also wrote a Symphonie Concertante for cello and orchestra (1901) which is not included on this recording.. Rudolf Leopold plays with beauty and sophistication with a seamless piano part by his associate artist, Raluca Stirbat.

GRISCHUNS DAL COR

Sebastian Bohren, violin Kammerphilharmonie Graubünden cond. Philippe Bach

CLAVES 50-3031

www.claves.ch

This CD is a compilation of four modern works performed by the Kammerphilharmonie Graubünden, a Swiss orchestra conducted by Philippe Bach. There are four works on this CD. The first is Raffaele D’Alessandro’s (1911-1959) Symphony No 2 for Orchestra Op. 72. D’Alessandro is a Swiss composer who studied with Nadia Boulanger. His work can be described as rhythmical, using much percussion for effects. liked his mastery of his use of instrument grouping, thus highlighting the tonal qualities of each instrument.

Paul Juon (1872-1940) was born in Moscow. Burletta for Violin and Orchestra Op. 97 composed in 1939 was one of his last works. Commissioned by Max Strub, the piece contains folk music and other thematic material. Gion

Antoni Derungs (1935-2012) wrote ten symphonies of which this is the ninth. Tre poeme per orchestra Op. 173 is a departure from his other works where he employs a chamber symphony. Derung’s music can be described as enchanting, ethereal and pastoral in mood. Oliver Waespsi (b.1971) wrote La Partenza in 2011/2012, receiving first prize in the Société Fédérale des Orchestras. It is based on the Grison’s folk tale of Margriata and is programmatic in nature. The music is skillfully performed, displaying the unique stylistic characteristics of each composer.

Italian composer Ivan Fedele’s style is best described as post modern. He studied piano, composition and philosophy and has a passion for mathematics which he owes to his father, a mathematician. These works for solo cello have been “engaged with the perceptual mechanisms inherent in ancient forms as archetypes to be reinterpreted in modern forms”. Here the inspiration is the Baroque form based on a single idea and reimagined in a new and innovative way.

There are four pieces on the CD. Three presented here are Suite Francese III composed in 2010. This has four movements and comprises exclusively open strings and harmonics. Suite Francese VI and VIb were both composed in 2018. They are in the style of a Baroque Suite with a Preludio, Ostinato, Corrente I, Interludio and Corrente II. Fedele uses harmonics, microtonal intervals, tremolo, playing on the bridge, harmonic glissandos, crushed quarter-tones, and percussive effects in the left hand. The final work is Partita, written in 2019. The movement is entitled Hommagesquisse, Threnos, X-Waves and Z-Point which provides a clear indication of the style of the music. Fedele’s music is interesting from an intellectual perspective and deepens one’s understanding after reading the background and performance notes. This is ideal for a musician with a special interest in modern and new music.

SWISS CHAMBER SOLOISTS

Xavier Dayer

Heinz Holliger – oboe

Felix Renggli – flute

Irene Abrigo– violin

Daria Zappa – violin

Jürg Dähler– viola

Daniel Haefliger – cello

CLAVES 50-3007

www.claves.ch

The Swiss Chamber Soloists formed in 1999 to create “a common cycle between Basel, Geneva, Lugano and Zurich”. Their repertoire encompasses Baroque music on Period instruments and extends to modern and contemporary music, often presenting premiere performances of new works. This CD is a compilation of works by Xavier Dayer (b.1972). This Swiss composer studied with Eric Gaudibert at the Geneva Conservatoire. In 2004 he joined the teaching faculty at the University of the Arts in Bern where he now directs the Masters course in Composition. Dayer has written operas and chamber music. There are five works on this CD each with different instrumentation: Solus cum Solo (2009) for solo cello; Come heavy sleep (2016) for flute, viola and cello; De Umbris (2018) for flute and string trio; Mémoire, cercles (2011) for oboe and string trio; and Nocturne (2014) for flute and string trio. The CD comes with extensive programme notes in French, German and English which provide insight into the background and rationale of each work. Dayer’s music can be best described as post-modern in style with depth and complexity.

Sharon Lierse

Josef Gilgenreiner is a true double bass virtuoso and his collaboration with superb pianist Matthias Gerstner playing the Brahms E minor Cello Sonata and Hindemith’s famous double bass composition transports the listener. Purists who know the Brahms cello sonata may need time to adjust to hearing this adapted version, but will quickly be wowed by bassist Gilgenreiner‘s mastery of this challenging work. It is truly an uplifting experience to hear a world class double bassist perform a master work like the Brahms. There is no hint of the extreme technical challenge bassists face when adapting such a piece for an instrument that is twice the size than the original. This interpretation blooms with expressive lines, especially dark colours and stylish touches. The Hindemith is an important work for double bassists as few renowned composers have historically written for this giant of the string family. Gerstner effortlessly takes the listener through this fascinating work; the jazz influence and rhythmic intricacies combine with grace and humour while the tender slow movement pulls at the heartstrings. Gilgenreiner and Gerstner approach these works as equals creating authentic chamber music together. Their performance will charm and inspire.

Marian Heckenberg

Concert Reviews

by Ros Hurst

MUSICA VIVA VAN DIEMEN’S BAND ‘BORDERLANDS’

Llewellyn Hall, Canberra May 12, 2022

This brilliant group of six young Baroque musicians, comprising two violinists, Julia Fredersdorff, Artistic Director and Violinist, Simone Slattery, violinist and recorder, Katie Yap viola, Laura Vaughan Bass viol, Anton Baba Bass viol & cello and Donald Nicholson Harpsichord are well known Australian and international performers.

Following the opening tribute to our Aboriginal Heritage, the Band performed a collection of fairly obscure 17th century works amassed by the artistic director that explored musical and geopolitical borders. The opening work Becker’s Sonata no 5 in F major covered the 30 years’ war and its aftermath. The Borderlands Suite takes the listener on a journey from war, to loss and grief and then to celebration.

The 2nd half continues this theme with two new compositions intertwining with two period works. Clockworking, by Siegfusdottir, showcases a baroque string trio with prerecorded tape lighting.

The final work Spirals, a commission from the Band’s Harpsichordist has a recurring bass line as a reflection on

how history repeats itself, with a Ukrainian prayer interwoven as a tribute to the Ukrainian people.

This program was not only entertainment but an education on how the present is shaped by historic information. The band’s performance was exquisite.

ACO MOZART & BRITTEN Llewellyn

Hall, Canberra, May 14, 2022

When Frank Bridge accepted the young Benjamin Britten as a student, he had already written his Elegy for Strings which was not performed in his lifetime but was premiered in Australia at the start of the ACO’s current tour. An interesting, rather intense piece, it demonstrated the potential of things to come. Britten was a great admirer of Mozart and was indebted to him for much of his compositional style.

Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante in E flat major, (arr strings) placed a spotlight on the ACO’s newest member and Principal Viola Stephanie Farrand. Together with Richard Tognetti, they gave a magnificent and inspiring performance.

The ACO brought out the colours of Mozart’s score. The Andante, a lament for Mozart’s mother, demonstrated the excellent partnership and matching sounds of the two instruments. This performance was so impressive that it drew prolonged and robust applause from the audience.

Mozart’s Divertimento in D major followed, with a faultless performance by the 18 member ACO.

Britten’s 11 pieces in Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge were diverse and demanding. The ACO met the challenge with an exhilarating performance.

ACO

THE CROWD & I

Richard Tognetti & Nigel Jamison

Llewellyn Hall, Canberra August 6, 2022

Following a period when pandemic lockdowns left streets empty, this amazing and thoughtprovoking production, The Crowd and I is touring Australia. Directed by Nigel Jamieson, the 80-minute performance features an expanded ACO conducted by Richard Tognetti, the Song Company and pianist Konstantin Shamray, in collaboration with Australian cinematographer Jon Franks.

The project, a decade in the making, is comprised of 14 chapters plotting humankind’s manifestation of a fragile planet, contrasting overcrowded trains in Japan and India with a lone figure walking the Tanami desert. Images of bustling streets, mosh pits, pilgrims swarming the Ganges River, emotional football fans, along with the deeply disturbing Cronulla riots, George Floyd’s murder and ‘Black Lives Matter’ protest marches, were accompanied brilliantly by the ACO. A beautiful rendition of the first movement of Schubert’s ‘Unfinished Symphony’ and Shamray’s sensitive realisation of Chopin’s Nocturne No 7 in C Sharp Minor bookended the performance, providing both consolation and celebration. Other works by Tognetti, Sibelius, Beethoven, Feldman and Adams were decisively placed to add drama and pathos when needed.

Andrew McKinnon presents THE KANNEH-MASON FAMILY Theatre Centre, Canberra, August 16

A large crowd at the Canberra Centre welcomed The Kanneh-Mason family concert which was postponed twice due to Covid lockdowns. To see a family of seven siblings and the fact that they are all outstanding classical musicians almost defies belief.

Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason shot to fame when he performed at the Royal Wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. His sister, pianist Isata, is almost as well known; both have performed extensively, with recordings on the Decca label.

Brother and sister bookended the first half of the program with Frank Bridge’s and Shostakovich’s Cello sonatas in D minor. Both were spectacularly performed but the Shostakovich was especially brilliant. Dark emotion interwoven with whimsical virtuosity captured the audience in Isata’s performance of Gershwin’s Prelude.

The remaining siblings Braimah (24, violin), Konya (22, piano) Jeneba (19, piano), Aminata (16, Violin) and Mariatu (13, cello) joined for the second half of the program. Each demonstrated excellent technique and ensemble work, some on multiple instruments. Three works were performed by the whole family encompassing many genres and played from memory. The highlight was Jeneba’s Hungarian Rhapsody which received prolonged and rapturous audience applause.

The entire family was enthusiastically acknowledged at the conclusion of this wonderful concert.

MUSICA VIVA Z.E.N. TRIO

Llewellyn Hall, Canberra August 18, 2022

The Z.E.N. trio takes its name from an acronym for the three musicians’ initials, pianist Zhang Zuo, violinist Esther Yoo and cellist Narek Harkhnazaryan. All three are brilliant international soloists, prize winners and recording artists. They met at the BBC’s prestigious New Generation scheme and recognised their compatibility and love for chamber music. This magnificent trio thinks with one mind and displays remarkable sensitivity.

The Brahms Trio no. 1 was immediately notable for the breathtakingly beautiful cello line, the almost faultless intonation and dynamic control and the combined expressive lyricism of the fully invested players. The scherzo was masterfully articulated while the violinist and cellist expressed great sensitivity in the Adagio. The Finale was both rhythmic and passionate.

Matt Laing’s composition Little Cataclysms, a highly complex and technically demanding work of five pieces inspired by a line from a song or poem, was premiered brilliantly by the players.

Babajanian’s Trio in F sharp Minor transported us through a full range of emotions with the players capturing every nuance of the music. Pianist Zhang Zuo unleashed immensely powerful, passionate playing at the conclusion, ensuring that together with the brilliant performance of Brahms’ Hungarian Dance as an encore, this would be a never forgotten concert.

Ros Hurst

AUSTA

AUSTRALIAN STRINGS ASSOCIATION LTD

ABN 72 010 228 789

PO Box 187, East Brunswick VIC 3057

Tel: +61 439 885 754

www.austa.asn.au

Patrons

Simon Fischer

Barry Green

Donald Hazelwood OBE, AO

Eduard Melkus

Elizabeth Morgan AM

Graham Wood OAM

Patricia Pollett

Robin Wilson

Howard Penny

Past Patrons

John Curro AM, MBE

Frank Callaway AO, CMG, OBE

Richard Gill AO

Yehudi Menuhin, OM, KBE

Sheila Nelson

Robert Pikler OBE

William Primrose CBE

Max Rostal

Jan Sedivka AM

Board of Directors

National President

James de Rozario president@austa.asn.au

National Secretary

Cara Taggart secretary@austa.asn.au

National Treasurer

Lubino Fernandes austatreasurer@austa.asn.au

ACT

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NSW

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QLD

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Samantha Raftery sapresident@austa.asn.au

TAS

Mission Statement

AUSTA is an association of teachers, players and makers of bowed string instruments which promotes excellence in all aspects of performance, teaching, composing, conducting and string instrument making. AUSTA inspires and supports the string community and facilitates communication at local, national and international levels.

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National Treasurer

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Stringendo

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Editorial

Stringendo is the national journal of the Australian Strings Association Ltd and is published twice a year by the Australian Strings Association Ltd.

David Sanzone dsviolinist@gmail.com

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Gwyn Roberts g.roberts@ austa.asn.au

Stephen Chin s.chin@ austa.asn.au

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Helen Tuckey wapresident@austa.asn.au

It reflects and represents the objectives outlined in the Memorandum and Articles of the Association. It is not the intention of Stringendo to promote any particular person or product. The ideas and opinions expressed in this journal are not necessarily those of AUSTA. Permission to reprint articles from this journal must be obtained in writing and the proper credit given.

April Issue 2023

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Stringendo

Guidelines For Contributors & Advertisers

AUSTA Publications

Responsibility for production of AUSTA national publications rests with the National Editorial Board. The Board produces two journal editions of Stringendo each calendar year, containing a mixture of contributed material, invited articles, news, reviews and short commentaries. The Board welcomes contributions from its readers, but inclusion of material in its publications is the sole prerogative of the Editor. Please note the following guidelines.

Contributions

All contributions should be sent to the National Editor.

Types of contributions sought:

1. Information and brief news items

2. Major articles likely to be of interest to members (1350 words)

3. Scholarly articles (2000 words)

4. Reviews/reports of conferences, seminars, workshops, etc., offering thoughtful and reflective accounts of personal experiences (700 words)

5. Reviews of new string music, publications, recordings and concerts

6. Viewpoints expressing personal opinion (max. 550 words)

Authors of major articles must provide an electronic copy in Word format by email to the Editor: stringendo@austa.asn.au.

Authors should include a two-sentence biography of themselves.

Articles should be in straightforward, concise English. Photographs, musical examples and other illustrated material must be sharply in focus and may be submitted in colour or black and white sent electronically as a tif, jpg or pdf file.

Permission and sources for all images have been sought and acknowledged where possible. If the copyright owner is known but idenitified in the magazine, please contact the Editor immediately. Copyright belongs to the author. However, the Editor reserves the right to first publication of any written material. The Editor reserves the right to edit submissions in the interests of clarity and available space. No material will be returned to the contributor, whether published or not.

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