Evening at Schwetzingen Festspiele

On Thursday, I attended a wonderful duo piano concert performed by the husband/wife team Liuben Dimitrov and Aglika Genova at the Schwetzingen Festspiele. They performed a beautiful program of Ravel (Daphnis et Chloé), Liszt (Variations on Mozart's Don Giovanni), Bernstein (excerpts from West Side Story), and Gershwin (excerpts from Porgy and Bess) with ease, unbelievable precision, and convincing interpretation. The audience (myself included) loved them and enthusiastically rewarded them with what I call the European Uni-Clap (the whole audience magically morphs from chaotic individual clapping to a unified rhythmic clapping... this seems to only happen in Europe), thereby squeezing 3 encores out of this pair.

The concert took place at the Schwetzingen Castle, a famous palace which "was the summer residence of the Electors Palatine Karl III Philip and Charles Theodore, and is most notable for its spacious and ornate gardens. Prior to the concert, I walked through the castle gardens. WOW. Gorgeous. And huge. Flowers and plants and trees and birds from around the world... Winding rivers and beautiful ponds and small lakes... Decorative buildings erected in the style of buildings from around the world.

(Sleep)-walking to the Neckar River and Four Castles

My Dad has been hiking up and down the mountain every morning since we got here. I've been sleeping in... but woke up early enough today to join him.

We headed down the mountain, zig-zagging on a steep incline through lush, green woods with birds serenading us all the way. We made it to the Neckar River, which was sparkling in the bright sunlight, and walked along a path by the river until we reached a lock, with a bridge for pedestrians above the river. We walked over the river (peering at it over the sides of the bridge, but also through the metal grates we were walking on) and into the town of Neckarsteinach, joking that we can combine our workout with grocery shopping (since there is no grocery store in Dilsberg). We walked around town, visiting two beautiful churches (one Catholic, one now Evangelical but formerly Catholic) and then followed the signs to "Vierbürgen" (Four Castles), which we could already see... perched on the top and sides of the hills just outside the town. We walked up to one, which is privately owned (yikes! who owns this incredible building and property? one can make out a chapel and tower from outside the castle walls), and then around it through the woods, and arrived at the fully explorable ruins of another. I spotted a bench and decided to lay down to enjoy the warmth of the sun, the fresh air, and the singing of my birds, my Dad (of course) climbed up to the top of the tower). Half-opening one eye, I had the most beautiful view of the river, the town behind it, the mountain of Dilsberg, and, a few feet from me, a little black bird perched on a rock, singing to me...

The rest of the day: practicing, eating, and (in the evening) watching Poulenc's opera, "Les Dialogues des Carmélites" on ZDF television...

Visit the Dilsberg Website

www.burg-dilsberg.de

And view us on Googlemaps:
http://www.maplandia.com/germany/baden-wurttemberg/karlsruhe/rhein-neckar-kreis/dilsberg/

Our residence is the building furthest to the right and highest up in this aerial view (to the right of the castle):
http://lhcb2006.physi.uni-heidelberg.de/images/dilsberg.jpg

Cello Jamboree

The concert went very well - YAY! Now I can disclose that I barely looked at the piano since my return from China (no time to do so) and was honestly worried about this performance... Ironically, the only piece I had a flash of doubt as to "what comes next" while playing was my own composition, "Northern Lights" which I played as an encore...

Let me explain the context of this concert: cellist Michael Flaksman organized a four-day course for young cellists (ages 8-16) here in Dilsberg, from May 1-4. He invited 8 young cellists (2 from Italy, 3 from Germany, 2 from Poland, 1 from Korea) to come here to have lessons with him and two other cellists, his wife (Jelena Ocic) and Wolfgang Lehner (a Swiss cellist... who happens to be a good friend of my family, though until this week we hadn't been in touch for some years). The cellists participated in masterclasses, rehearsed and performed works for cello ensemble, and performed solo recitals.

What a gifted group of kids! They performed the most difficult works (e.g. Lalo, Schumann, Haydn, Shostakovitch, and Saint-Saens Concertos, Schumann Fantasy Pieces, Shostakovitch Sonata, Tchaikovsky Pezzo Capriccioso, Popper Hungarian Rhapsody, among others) with finesse (clear interpretive ideas) and great technical prowess (fast and agile fingerwork, excellent intonation, excellent bow control). I volunteered to accompany two for works that I've played many times, the Tchaikovsky Pezzo Capriccioso and the Popper Hungarian Rhapsody... But never have I heard either work played as fast as these boys did (at Ferrari test-course speed). I personally wouldn't choose to play (or listen to) either of these pieces at the tempi they chose, but it was impressive nonetheless. Probably a combination of ambition, adrenalin, competition with their peers, and purely being able to handle the pieces technically (showing off).

The 8-year-old (Riccardo Giovine) pulled off an impressive solo recital consisting of Bach's Arioso (accompanied by cello ensemble), Bach's Menuetto I and II from the G-major Suite, Vivaldi's 5th Sonata, Squire's Danza Rustica, and the finale of Goltermann's 4th Concerto.

I also attended a fantastic concert performed by Jelena Ocic (cello), Connie Shih (piano), and Phillip Roy (violin). Prior to the start of the concert, I accompanied the audience as we sang "Happy Birthday" to Michael Flaksman... The Trio performed Beethoven's Trio Op. 97 (Archduke) and Mendelssohn's Trio in d-minor Op. 49. A wonderful performance, performed with incredible passion (picture hair flying in all directions as they shook their heads to the music... a la rock stars). My Dad and I sat in the seats reserved for us... in the front row... an arm's distance from the cellist (I really could have reached out and touched her bow if I wanted to... wouldn't that have caused an outrage!).

Now, they've all gone home and Dilsberg feels a little empty... (except for all the birds, singing beautifully).

Germany: the beginnings of a 2.5 month adventure, part II

Dilsberg is GORGEOUS. I'm literally living in a medieval castle and village. Much of the castle is in ruins (though you can go up and walk on the castle walls and climb the tower), but the Kommandantenhaus (Commander's House) and tower, which was built in the 13th century, is a beautifully restored 5 level-building. It's built on a hill, so levels 1, 2, and 3 are all 'ground floor.'

Level 1- Cellar, kind of dungeon-like but much friendlier. Used as a dining room for groups
Level 2-Kitchen and Reception area
Level 3-Concert Hall. Features a fantastic Hamburg Steinway, and beautiful modern artwork painted by artists who have had residencies here. Gorgeous view out of the windows, to the rest of the castle and village, the town down below (waaaaaaay down), the Neckar River, and tree-covered mountains .
Level 4: Meeting room
Level 5 (gotta go up a narrowly winding stone staircase to get there): Our apartment! Two bedrooms, a kitchen-dining area, and bathroom. Beautifully furnished. Windows have an incredible view.

The town is as picturesque as can be. Cute houses, little pathways leading between them, cobblestone roads, flowerpots on the windows, herb gardens, a Chocolaterie and Inn, a park, two churches, and hiking paths down the mountain. There are so many birds singing... Am I living in a fairy-tale land?

And the food is great too :-) We were welcomed with glasses of wine and canapes. My Dad went shopping yesterday and bought a carful of some of my favorite food (white asparagus, potato dumplings, Musli, yogurts and quark, and smoked eel) as well as 'standard' groceries.

I just finished a rehearsal of David Popper's Requiem with a cello trio (three cellists). What a beautiful piece. I played it a few years ago but completely forgot about it until this morning, when I was asked if I could jump in to play this piece at a concert... tonight. I'm also playing Chopin's Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise Brillante and George Gershwin's Three Preludes. Wish me luck...

Germany: the beginnings of a 2.5 month adventure, part I.

After returning from China, I had two weeks to do laundry, see friends for a brief "hi" and "bye," and repack my bags, this time for a 2.5 month trip to Germany. The Borowsky Trio was invited to be artists-in-residence at the Dilsberg Castle, a few miles up the Neckar River from Heidelberg. We accepted the invitation last year and have been looking forward to this "retreat" and the chance to focus on learning new music, composing, writing, thinking, resting, enjoying the natural world, and enjoying good German food and wine...

I drove myself to the airport (Dulles) on Wednesday afternoon, tried to check in with my e-ticket (but was denied due to "itinerary changes" that I wasn't aware of and had to wait in a long line to talk with an agent), went through security (each time I fly the process of going the security gets slightly more elaborate), hopped on a shuttle to Termínal A, and waited for my flight to Zurich

My Dad picked me up in Frankfurt. What a HUGE airport. After finding the car in the enormous garage (with just a wee bit of trouble) we drove to Lorsch to visit an old cloister and walk through the town. We also browsed through the wares at a flea market, picking up a beautiful English teapot and sugar container for a mere 4 Euros.

China, April 1-15, 2008

My family and I spent the first two weeks of April in China for Pre-Olympic concerts ("Great Harmony: One World, One Dream, One Family"). We performed recitals in major Chinese cities, including Tianjin and Beijing. We also performed a concert as soloists with the Tianjin Symphony Orchestra consisting of John Williams' Olympic Fanfare, the Beethoven Triple Concerto, David Popper's Hungarian Rhapsody, Camille Saint-Saens' Introduction and Rondo Cappriciosso, Chopin's Polonaise Op. 22, and a 'medley' of music from around the world that I arranged for our family and orchestra.

Most interesting experiences:

-Eating exotic foods such as chicken feet (rubbery, chewy skin on 2 inches of claw and foot), sea cucumber (essentially a slug of the sea), and tree fungus... but also lots of INCREDIBLY DELICIOUS foods (well spiced, beautifully decorated and presented).

-Protocol of eating with important people: animated discussions on who sits where, lots of food, lots of drinks ('gambe!' means 'bottoms up!' and cannot be turned down or else you are rejecting a token of friendship), and lots of toasts (presented by each and every person at the table, some made multiple toasts)

-Meeting with the Mayor of Tianjin in an elaborate private room (gold everything) of a high-end restaurant which former Pres. Bush once ate, and being serenaded by traditional Chinese musicians... which played music we picked from a "music menu"

-Visiting Tianamen Square, the Temple of Heaven, the Forbidden City, and the Great Wall

-Dressing up like a Chinese guard for a picture with my family (why they put me in the guard attire when everyone else was in royal clothing is a mystery). I kinda looked like Xena, the (Chinese) Warrior Princess

-Being treated as if we were rock stars. Our audiences took pictures of us (often during the performance), asked for our autographs, and gave us bouquets and plush toys. The girls sooned over Emmanuel (western boy = desireable) and envied Frances' blonde hair

-Walking into a lecture hall a few minutes prior to my Dad's lecture and hearing our afternoon practice session being broadcast over the loudspeakers (they surreptitiously recorded us!)

-Meeting a university student (majoring in computer engineering) who insisted on playing for me (very, very good pianist) and proceeded to tell me about all the differences between my Ekier edition of the Chopin Polonaise Op. 22 and the Paderewski edition, and then started telling me about his favorite pianists, composers, pieces... He let me listen to one of his compositions (a la Ravel) on his i-pod, then asked me if I'd like to come to a music store "to buy pirated CDs." He also suggested that we play a duet at the concert... which would be taking place the next day and broadcast nationwide on TV.

-Finding out that Chinese musicians and orchestra personnel (manager, conductor, concertmaster, principal cellist, conductor) enjoy playing drinking games with their soloists (perhaps trying to make us a little tipsy)!!! That's an experience I won't forget soon.

-Waking up to smoggy sunrises in Tianjin. Watching the smoggy, gloomy sunsets. Coming home and LOVING the blue skies of Baltimore.