"Bewitched by Flemming"

November 6, 2005 at 10:57 PM

Today was going to be another day in the life of a violinist. It is a beautiful fall in The Netherlands, cool air and beautiful skies and that special way the sun shines in the fall that gives everything that fairytale like color, like the trees in the Vondelpark (Amsterdam's Central Park)
So biking this afternoon through the park on my way was enough to be already thankful. But the whole afternoon I got to work on Brahms 2nd and Tzigane (and I can tell you there are not many pianists who play Tzigane by heart!!!) and it was an absolute treat. His Swiss girlfriend invited me to dinner and since a long time I ate a nice dinner with my favorite "nüsslisalat". So when you think you have a pretty good day and you think you are going home and on my bike passing the Concertgebouw thinking let's see if there are tickets for the concert tonight and you get to go for 7.50 Euros to a recital of Renee Fleming, it is one of those days, you know are a gift from God.

Because what I heard tonight was from another world. Here I was sitting, second row on the balcony, watching this Lady descend the famous stairs, in a beautiful creation, probably from Dior or something. And then she opens her mouth... goosebumps. Purcell at its best. I could hear every letter, every little detail, an articulation we string players can only dream of. And that with a charisma, this woman bewitched about 1500 people at once.
Then all of a sudden George Crumb. The pianist was excellent in the Purcell, so excellent, you did not really notice him, but in Crumb - Apparition - he was there. As usual the piano was not just a keyboard, put it was a whole universe of sounds, playing kind of pizz. in the instrument, knocking, making glissandi like a harp. And with that a voice that had her glissandos times like no other. After the break were Alban Berg's Altenberg Lieder and Previn's "The Giraffes go to Hamburg"with Alto-Flute. Here again the acoustics of the hall could be admired, I could not here sometimes where the piano stopped and the Flute began. At the end we were all treated with Schumann Lieder. If I could only find a way to play the violin like that. It was so human. You could here the laughter, the sadness, all ranges of emotions in her voice without ever compromising her tone! Which ofcourse reminded me about the thousand times Mr. Perlman has told me NEVER means loosing bowing contact. Now I understand, it's like a singer trying to sing but the air escapes through a whole in their throat.
I am in seventh heaven. I know what my scale practising tomorrow will be about. Articulation, phrasing and tone. Because that's what makes the difference.

From Jim W. Miller
Posted on November 6, 2005 at 11:24 PM

Renee Fleming

From Carley Anderson
Posted on November 6, 2005 at 11:31 PM

Thank you for the violin lesson, Carla...I learned a lot, just from reading your post. Wish I could have been there!

From Emily Grossman
Posted on November 7, 2005 at 1:27 AM

I like the way you describe losing contact as a song escaping through a hole in the throat. That's it, exactly.

From Laurie Niles
Posted on November 7, 2005 at 4:55 AM

How inspiring!

From Pauline Lerner
Posted on November 7, 2005 at 5:00 AM

Carla, it's good to hear from you again. I'm glad you had such a great day. I hope I can go to Amsterdam and the Concertgebouw some day. I think it's wonderful that you will try articulation and phrasing with scales. I'm sure you will make the scales sound beautiful.

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"Bewitched by Flemming"

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