April 2006

About conductors and horses...

April 22, 2006 07:01

Well, my last weeks have been more about horses than violin to be honest. Yeah, I played a couple concerts, but honestly I think I found something I could be as passionate about as violin playing. I have had several private lessons, went riding in a beautiful province in the North of the Netherlands and tonight I'll go see the worldcup at "jumping amsterdam"...
Many will wonder what's up with me and horses. Well, I used to ride as a little kid, but my parents were not too thrilled about it, with their minds on my violin lessons and broken wrists etc. However, now 27 years old, I decide what I do and since sport climbing was no longer an option, horsebackriding seemed to be something that caught my interest, especially since I live so close to forests, dunes and the beach.

When you are sitting on a horse, you have to completely try to become one with the animal... something which is practically impossible as a beginner. You have to feel the movements and even anticipate them. You have to guide the animal, but at the same time realize that the horse is so much stronger than you. I hate to say it, but I think a conductor must feel that way. At all times he is the one in charge, but if it comes to a powermatch, he'll never win from an orchestra. When you ride you keep at all times contact with the mouth of the horse, very softly, it does not mean pulling the reins. I realized that the best conductors are not the ones pulling the orchestra, pushing it, yelling... the onces deserving most respect are the onces that gently keep contact with the orchestra at all times, not using a whip, but their breath.

The things one learns during horseback riding lessons...

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Easter performances

April 12, 2006 00:31

The past days were colored by Easter and performances for it. I'd never played a piece from Joseph Martin, but in the last days I have played his pieces 5 times. Last sunday was a true Marathon, 4 concerts on one day. I do have to say, my shoulders were protesting quite badly, as was the rest of my body, by the time I got home. Yesterday I had another performance. I also played in all concerts solos; Biber's Passacaglia, slow movements from Bach and once Schindler's List with a pianist that has an incredible gift for improvising (was a lot of fun). He was also at all performances and yesterday I felt much more comfortable to actually improvise myself during solo's in the choir pieces.
The church I played in yesterday was hughe. I think there were at least 700 people and still it felt it was only felt halve. The echo, sound would stay in the air for almost 7 seconds. Great for Biber, but very hard for the enseble. The organ was all the way in the back, so it always felt that we were in front of it. It's a whole other ballgame.

At one this morning I was back. And in the mail I found two things: a first "edition" of the CD that was recorded last January with me playing two things from Schindler's List and the audition material for the auditions at the Concertgebouw Orchestra. Both things kept me awake until about five, then I finally fell asleep. Now four hours later, I am trying to forget violin for a moment; I am going to have my first horseback riding lesson. Just pray I don't fall off and brake something, cause then there will not be much to lay awake about! More about these things later...

Have a beautiful week before Easter.
Carla

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More entries: August 2006 • March 2006

April 2006

About conductors and horses...

Easter performances

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