Violinist.com

Review: Gil Shaham performs the Berg Violin Concerto with LA Phil, Dudamel

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:22:46 GMT

By Laurie Niles:

I realized on Thursday night that despite having listened to recordings of the Alban Berg Violin Concerto countless times, I hadn't come close to understanding it.

Seeing a live performance enlightened me; moreover, seeing a live performance with violinist Gil Shaham, conductor Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Disney Hall energized my senses. The evening also included two symphonies by Mozart, the & ldquo;Prague, & quot; K.504, and the & ldquo;Jupiter, & quot; K.551.

Is the Berg Violin Concerto something I play over loudspeakers while relaxing after a long day? No. Berg's last piece was written as a memorial to a girl who died too young: Manon Gropius, the 18-year-old daughter of Alma Mahler and her second husband, Walter Gropius. The composer himself died shortly after completing the work, and the violin concerto's premiere performance in 1936 was as much a memorial to Berg as it was & ldquo;to the memory of an angel, & quot; the young girl. This is not to mention that Hitler was exercising his full powers over Europe at the time. Not happy stuff. Not a happy time.

The work also is based on a tone row & ndash; the basic concept of which I normally find to be corrupt, based on simple math but in no way based on the physics of sound or on the aesthetics of music. However, Berg was rather careful in the creation of his row, giving it some potential for tonality, and he also threw in fragments from an Austrian folk song and a Bach chorale to mix things up. Even most twelve-tone haters grudgingly admit that this work will likely stand the test of time.

The opening of the piece reveals the composer's dual instinct: to stay true to the nature of the violin while experimenting with this then-new style. The soloist begins by tracing the open strings and goes on a kind of spooky exploration from there, as the orchestra awakens, stretches.

To me the folk song fragments sounded more like a deranged, disjointed waltz, returning in various ways throughout the piece. Shaham's playing was ever smooth, never a crunch in the bow. When the melody fragment appeared in fingered harmonics, it poked through with clarity. As the second movement & ldquo;Allegretto & quot; progressed, it sounded to me like an old, mad mind, where bits of lucidity emerge from the murk.

Then came the & ldquo;Allegro & quot;: & nbsp; boom boom boom & ldquo;Scrreeeeeeeee... & quot; Violent and frenzied, like my mind would be after 20 cups of Peet's cappuccino & ndash; though that's something I'd never do unless I were suicidal.

Are you loving this yet? But this is where the performance started getting interesting, with Shaham, who by now was definitely in a zone, channeling the full energy of this piece. I enjoyed the cadenza-like spot with left-hand pizzicato over a legato line. Shaham's hand crept up the fingerboard like a plucky little spider & ndash; a graceful one. It was clear that he'd long overcome the technical demands of this piece and was simply living it.

In fact, he looked a little possessed, crouching over, bobbing his head as he walked forward, looking something like a beetle on its hind legs. I loved it, it completely fit the moment. Undoubtedly those who are distracted by movement might complain: Shaham walked all over the stage during the performance of this piece. When the music was unbalanced, Gil was rocking back on his heels dangerously & ndash; unbalanced as well. When it came to stasis as the clarinets played a church-organ-like passage, he became straight and still. The music never suffered for the movement. As Dudamel has said, music is energy, and Shaham's motions came from that energy.

As the music turned back to that exploratory mode from the beginning of the piece, Shaham turned to the concertmaster, who joined in playing the same part as the soloist. Soon more first violins joined, then all. The second violins joined, little by little. Soon all of the strings in the orchestra were playing in unison, leading to a giant climax of unanimity and sound.

Whatever it represented & ndash; a surrender to death perhaps & ndash; I found what followed to be the more poignant gesture: The strings drop from the solo line as they joined, abandoning the soloist to his own lonely line. The solo violin eventually ascends to the stratosphere where it hovers, as though disembodied, over the rest until it all dies away.

To Pinch, or Not to Pinch

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:13:32 GMT

By Clayton Haslop:

I received a couple of interesting notes in my inbox in response to my most recent blog.� One, coming from Kenton, down Florida way, was the �violin� entry in an old Webster�s Dictionary.�

And though the accompanying illustrational was quite odd indeed, the text was right-on in its characterization of the violin hold I thought.� It said, ��held nearly horizontal with the player�s arm with the lower part supported against the collarbone or shoulder.�

It did not say, �held between the chin and shoulder�, as many might believe.

In another response Stephen asked �whether one pinches the neck between the thumb and base of the index finger horizontally, or whether the thumb should be under the neck so that you can squeeze into the notes and roll the vibrato like a cellist�.

Now it is certainly easy to dismiss the former, I�ll have no pinching of violin necks in any coaching or master class of mine.� Pinching of violins or violinists is strictly verbotten.�

Doing this not only tightens your hand, it severely limits your ability to get around the violin.� Not a good thing.

The latter concept is almost all good, however.� There is just one little thing.� I like to think of the thumb and base of the index finger as forming something of a �V�, with the violin resting between and atop the first joint of the thumb and the base of the index finger.

And yes, I do like the idea of squeezing or, better yet, massaging the fingerboard with the fingers � note that both these images imply pliancy within the hand and fingers.

Nothing is ever stiff, locked, or unyielding in the hand.

In yet another emailed response Al referred to the sweet spot where the violin rests as a �birth� for the violin.� I like that.

Now, all this being said, I don�t want to give the impression that I make a religion out of the neck�s location in the hand either.� When I play there is quite a bit of flexibility in my hand, and the neck may indeed rest on the thumb, at times, or deeper in the �V� now and again.

Yet the exceptions prove the rule, as the old saw goes.�

And a good deal of my practice is spent relaxing and balancing my left hand as I perfect challenging passages.�

I want to arrive at the point of maximum efficiency, minimum effort, and minimum hand distortion for anything I do.

I certainly look to keep my chin free of the chinrest if at all possible.� Downshifts, moving from a higher position to a lower position, are the one exception in this.� Why? Because the fiction generated by the left hand moving away from the body must be counteracted.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop
�

The Death of Stage Fright

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:27:04 GMT

By Mendy Smith:

�It's amazing how it actually happened. �For years I was in the "flight" mode. �Internal chatter took the stage front and center... what if I played a wrong note, missed a beat, come in late, and most of all - what will others think of me? �My bow arm would shake like a leaf, I made horrible intonation mistakes. �All my musical ability (such as it was) flew out the window the moment I stood on stage. �Then a turning point came in my life - overcome the flight instinct or lose a scholarship. �That day, fight won over flight. �At first I thought it was a temporary thing, but the more I played the less fright had a role to play in my music.

Fast forward to this evening. �It was just a rehearsal, with an audience of two. �Last time I rehearsed in front of two people (back in March preparing for the audition), I got the shakes. �But not tonight. �This time the opposite happened. �It was just me and the harpsichordist having a musical conversation. �My body dipped and peaked with the changes of the phrases naturally. ��I completely forgot that I had an audience of two, present to criticize the music. �

When the piece came to an end, I was reminded that there were others in the room when the feedback began. �It came back predominantly positive. �There were some suggestions on dynamics to make a better balance between the two instruments in the hall, and an observation on a minor intonation issue. �But the feedback that made me leap for joy was a compliment on my baroque tone and style. �All those years of studying Bach paid off. �I "get" it now. �

I'm now looking forward to November 29th, the day I perform solo once again. �

The Rest of My Life

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:13:41 GMT

By Sydney Menees:

�I�ve reached the final stretch of the first semester of sophomore year in college.� Here at Bard, this is a critical time because we are supposed to moderate into our major.� When I was stressing about what to major in last year, people I spoke with who didn�t go to Bard didn�t understand why it was such a big deal.� �I changed my major seven times!� They would say.� Not so here.� When one declares a major as a freshman, it is simply an �intended� major.� When one moderates, it becomes her official major.� Moderating entails writing a paper responding to a prompt pertaining to one�s intended major and presenting it to a board of three professors.� Now you understand my dilemma.

When I first came to Bard, I had only ruled out one major: music.� This wasn�t because I was jaded or bitter, but simply because I view music as a hobby of mine, not something I want to pursue as a career.� Now, just to decide what I wanted to major in�� Freshman year, I took classes in the Political Science, Math, Biology, Writing, and Music departments trying to find something.� Sometime in the second semester, I decided I wanted to be a doctor.� Yes!� Career choice figured out!� Now what major?!� Some people think you need to be a Biology major to be a doctor, but to go to Medical School, one only needs to fulfill certain class requirements; the major does not matter.� The choice left up to me, I decided to major in my hobby: music.� I am pleased with my decision because I will be taking music classes every semester anyway and it has given me so much incentive to practice!� In order to moderate into music, I can either write a music history paper or give a recital that is at least a half hour.� I have also chosen to moderate first semester junior year instead of next semester.� I am relieved to have all this planned out (finally) and I am genuinely excited about all of it!� Now I just have to get perfect grades.� Ha.

First Tunes

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:14:54 GMT

By Laurie Niles:

Does anyone ever forget the first tune he or she learned to play?

Mine is seared in my head and hands, and I continue to teach it to beginners, before Twinkle, unorthodox as it is in its pedagogy (double stops, all down-bow, Shinichi Suzuki would shudder!). My teacher called in the & quot;Irish Jig, & quot; but I think it's not a Jig, and it might not even be Irish. It's all open strings and is a duet.

Here are some of the & quot;first songs & quot; listed by V.com members who entered the contest to win Mark O'Connor's new method books. (By the way, the contest is still going, if you want to enter!) & quot;Twinkle & quot; is certainly in the lead! The tune that Mark O'Connor has first in his book is & quot;Boil 'em Cabbage Down, & quot; and it looks like at least one person learned that song first, other than Mark!

Twinkle Twinkle (26)
Mary Had a Little Lamb (7)
Lightly Row (3)
Hot Cross Buns (3)
Irish Jig
Dulce Dame Jolie
Jolly Old St. Nicholas
& quot;The Snowman & quot; from the Sam Applebaum series, aka & quot;French Folk Song & quot;
Hoe Down
Tunes from & quot;Tune a Day & quot;
Hobby-Horse by Tchaikovsky
The theme from the movie & quot;Superman & quot;
Tennessee Waltz
The E String Concerto
O Susanna
Merrily We Roll Along
Open String Waltz
Smoke on the Water
Bile em Cabbage Down
Autumn Moods
The Monkey Song
& nbsp;

Avoid THIS Playing Pain

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:21:51 GMT

By Clayton Haslop:

Just returned from a quick weekend jaunt over to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where I cavorted in the back-country with a friend.� On Sunday we ran through snow showers, arriving well above the 10,000 foot level before making the turn for home.

Got a great, old-fashioned �Rocky Mountain High� on THAT one let me tell you.

Today, however, I�m sitting at my desk facing the red-rock buttes of Sedona.� And I just spent a good hour or so reviewing some wonderful videos on YouTube.

Amongst them was one featuring Zukerman in an interview on violin playing and the importance of learning to play properly.�

The interesting, or perhaps a little confusing thing about this particular video, however, was that Maestro Zukerman begins his remarks by saying how much physical pain he suffers while playing.� And it is within this seemingly ironic context of pain that he expresses the need to learn to play �correctly�.

Now, Zukerman is an extra-ordinary violinist, and my comments here should in no way be taken as a criticism of his playing or musicianship.�

I also don�t want to give you the impression that I don�t experience any discomfort whatsoever when I play.� As Zukerman himself points out, the very positions we take when raising the violin are undeniably unnatural to the human body.�

Yet there are things we can do to keep the discomfort to a minimum; to where it does not overwhelm or detract from the pleasure of playing the instrument.�

After all, one of the great pleasures of the playing the violin or viola is the close proximity they have to our ear while we play them.�

We are literally enveloped by the tone.

The irony of Zukerman�s comments, however, arise from his emphasis on learning correctly, on the one hand, and the specific pain he experiences in his neck and shoulders from his �hold� on the other.

You see, Zukerman was taught to secure the instrument to the shoulder with his chin.� Most of us have been taught this, actually.

Yet fortunately for me, and now potentially for you, 3 decades ago I came under the tutelage of a fairly decent fiddler by the name of Nathan Milstein, who had something quite different to say about this important subject.

He said, very matter-of-factly in his heavy Russian accent, �hold the violin with your left hand, not with your chin.�

Wow, what a concept.� �Can this really be done,� I thought to myself.

Yet there the man was, standing in front of me playing the G Minor Caprice � he always referred to them by key, not by number; #16, in this case � playing with the violin slid half down his shoulder with absolute ease.� It would have taken the neck of an ostrich to reach the chinrest from where it was.

Ok, I�m exaggerating just a tad.

Yet the point remains, you can alleviate much of the neck pain and chin abscess issues you may be experiencing by weaning yourself away from the constant reliance on the chin, and to keeping the instrument pinned to your shoulder.

In the process you may also learn a thing or two about how to balance and organize the fingers of your left hand.� And guess what, by doing THAT your playing immediately becomes more seamless and fluid.

Not a bad addition to the bargain, I�d say.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. By the way, last Thursday we finished recording the music to �Avatar� which required some 60 or so hours of recording over the past couple months.� I also learned that I will be given screen credit for the violin solos; a welcome exception to the general and very arbitrary practice of excluding musicians from such recognition.
�

VIOLIN TECHNIQUE/VIOLA TECHNIQUE: Left Hand / No Bow

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:13:48 GMT

By Drew Lecher:

and Cello & Bass Technique�

�

Question:��

�Dear mr. Lecher

I hope you are fine. I have a new question for you...in the library i ran into Gaylord Yost's "Principles of violin playing", where I strongly advocates practicing "percussion" with left hand's finger to acquire more and more strength.

I was wandering if it makes sense for you to practice Repetition Hits just with the left hand, hitting the strings enough to clearly hear tone and resonance �(which means intonation also), and if this could be a good mean to practice accuracy and strength (which I sometime miss on the double bass) at the same time.

Thank you as always for your commitment.

Best regards, M. P.�

�

Hello M,

�

Yes, that is valid to a large extent, but do not use extraordinary force. Also, do some work with weights for strength and flexibility. Stretches are most important along with strength training. Work every part of your body, not just hands, wrists and arms.

�

You can also use a slow-motion squeeze of the note, concentrating on the shape, form, balance and energy flow into and through the finger.�Pay particular attention to any pulling or pushing of the string�an indication of tension and poor balance. The string should go straight toward the fingerboard, allowing for the arch of the board.

�

Many years ago, I learned a Beethoven Sonata in the middle of the night without use of the bow. It was 2 or 3 in the morning and I couldn't sleep�a habit of mine:-) Though I was not working the left hand hard, with the stillness of the hour the fingers sent the notes out like cannons. I actually put a heavy practice mute on so I would not disturb anyone.�

�

In addition, there was a tremendous sense of musical phrasing via the left hand action, whether legato or staccato�technically and artistically, balance and timing became amazingly keen.�

�

I performed it the next day in a master class with wonderful success. Having sorted out the left hand in all its detailing, the bow went together almost instantly shortly before the performance.�

�

When doing the above practice, I was very mindful of the bow though I was not using it�thinking through string crossings, rhythms and styles of strokes, etc.

�

This practice caused me to be aware of unwanted tension that was in other parts of my body, especially the shoulders and bow arm, but really throughout the body. These became areas I would focus on freeing totally.

�

Try it, and I think you will discover many wonderful technical and artistic benefits.

�

Hope this helps�

�

Take care and God bless,�

Drew

�

Author of

"Violin Technique, the Manual"

"Viola Technique, the Manual"

�

�These two volumes offer a comprehensive practice methodology that addresses the full gamut of fundamental technical issues on the violin and viola;�these books certainly chart a course towards the acquisition of an in-depth technical understanding�whether used to build one from scratch or to hone individual aspects.�� the Strad, London, September 2008�www.thestrad.com�

�

Elgar violinconcerto

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:40:00 GMT

By Bram Heemskerk:

Some years ago I heard the�violin concerto of Sir Edward William Elgar (1857-1934)�by Hilary Hahn. This year agian by Vineta Sareika�from Letland during 1th finalevening of the Elisabethviolincompetition..

Rethinking Genius

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:51:24 GMT

By Danielle Gomez:

& nbsp;Last week I posted a blog questioning why it is that we classify Bach as a musical genius. & nbsp;The subsequent discussion began to touch on what the word & quot;genius & quot; really means. & nbsp;I would like to expand on that discussion.

I am the type of person who learns best through debate. & nbsp;I like to present theories to have holes poked in them. & nbsp;With this in mind, I would like to present the following theory: & nbsp;in American culture, the concept of & quot;genius & quot; has been blown out of proportion to the point where it is now used as an excuse for failure rather than a description for merit.

My arguments for this theory are as follows:

The purest definition of genius is synonymous with idiot-savant. & nbsp;An idiot-savant is someone who excels in one particular area to the point that they are dysfunctional in all other areas. & nbsp;For example, an idiot-savant in math can do incredibly complex math calculations in their head. & nbsp;But, in these cases, math calculations are usually all they can do. & nbsp;They will have no social skills to speak of, may not be able to write very well, etc.

Obviously, these extreme cases are rare. & nbsp;The term & quot;genius & quot; has been loosened to incorporate anyone who is particularly skillful in a field but not necessarily an idiot-savant. & nbsp;They are functional members of society. & nbsp;Einstein is a good example of this. & nbsp;His work in math and physics is nothing short of brilliant. & nbsp;However, he was still at least capable of pursuing other interests such as playing the violin.

Now enter the word & quot;smart. & quot; & nbsp;This is a term usually dubbed in school to certain students. & nbsp;You have the & quot;regular & quot; kids and the & quot;smart & quot; kids. & nbsp;In order to be smart, a student must test well enough to receive high grades. & nbsp;The skills of a smart student lie not in the actual material itself, but rather in his ability to take a test on it.

Americans are obsessed with tests. & nbsp;We test for IQ, we test for schools, we test for jobs, we test for driving.... we love the fact that we are trying to quantify skill and put a number on it. & nbsp;Because of this, we see a rising number of parents putting their kids in schools for the gifted (aka genius) simply because their child scored well on the entrance exam.

Now this is not to say that smart kids do not retain any of the material they are tested on and that children in gifted schools are unintelligent. & nbsp;My point is that we are starting to lose the concept that is the single-mindedness of genius. & nbsp;Mozart, for example, would spend hours obsessively folding napkins while he composed. & nbsp;Going back to Einstein, the man may have had other interests, but he was completely oblivious as to his appearance or level of hygiene. & nbsp;A genius is not a well-rounded individual.

The fact that the line between smart and genius is fuzzy for Americans has led to a shift in educational attitudes. & nbsp;More and more you see students (of any age) have the attitude that they failed at something simply because they were not smart enough (aka a genius). & nbsp;I see this a lot with beginning adult violin students. & nbsp;They play a wrong note and will immediately berate themselves for being stupid or not talented enough to play. & nbsp;

What they are lacking is not talent, it's the ability to separate the mistake from the process. & nbsp;I will ask them to look at their violin and tell me why they played a wrong note. & nbsp;Sometimes they will stare at the violin for a full 30 seconds before finally saying & quot;oh! I was on the wrong string! & quot; & nbsp;The ability to make a mistake, figure out why you made the mistake, and then correct it is an acquired brain process. & nbsp;It takes patience and practice to be able to break down a process like that and has absolutely nothing to do with how intelligent you are.

My Perspective

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:58:17 GMT

By Clayton Haslop:

Recently I�ve been hearing education discussed in various public forums as this administration implements new standards and national funding policies.

It�s a circus, but one with serious consequences.

So I�ve been mulling over the catch phrase given to the Obama program, namely, �The race to the top,� as it might apply to a life in music.

Now, on the one hand, I certainly don�t have a problem with being the best one can be.� Am I�m sure you feel the same.

What I do have a few reservations about, however, is the implication of self, or group improvement being a race; that we are continuously in competition with each other.

When such thinking becomes endemic within a national psyche it comes with a price, sometimes witnessed in horrifying tragedy � such as the recent student suicides in Korea preceding their national examinations � yet more often in a pervasive, underlying feeling of stress in the society.

Gradually the fun of learning and growing is replaced by a feeling that nothing is good enough.�

And with this ultimately self-defeating mindset, the soul gradually forgets how to breathe.

When I practice, now, I am no longer �racing for the top� � yes, I was at one time a victim of such thinking.� Today I begin by merely becoming present with the feelings inherent in drawing a pure and well-tuned tone from the violin.

Only after I�ve �tuned in� on this very basic level do I begin to stretch myself, and think, �where does it make sense to move from here.�� Sometimes this is a very easy decision, the session flows easily into an etude or piece of repertoire.

Sometimes, however, my left hand is reluctant, tight.� If I were �racing to the top� on such days you can imagine the frustration and impatience I could feel.�

Totally counter-productive and useless.

I must necessarily inhabit in a world of incremental changes on some days, and be thankful for those just as I am for the great leaps in insight or performance that accompany others.

It all begins and ends with being present and excepting of the moment.� Not in a complacent, flaccid sort of way mind you, but one that is dynamic, inquisitive and attentive to unrealized potential, small OR greatly profound.

Bottom line is, I�m sad, in a way, that our public discourse on what should or shouldn�t condition the conduct of our lives must be reduced to such simplistic, desensitizing catch phrases.

You are welcome to disagree with me, of course.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

�