Now Hear These
I came upon two this week! Both were memorable quotes.
One of them, at the home page of the German trumpeter Matthias Höffs, was rather simple and charming. At the outset of his bio, he reveals that at age 6, he declared the trumpet his instrument “because it shines so nicely.” I was moved by the child-like honesty. It reminded me that so many children have selected their instruments based on an endless variety of personal considerations, musical or otherwise.
I also admire the fact that after a well-established career as a former principal trumpet of the Philharmonic State Orchestra of Hamburg, and as a long-time member of the ensemble known as German Brass, he still admits his initial attraction to the instrument. Given that, I should mention that he’s been a part of polishing up the repertoire of German Brass by making arrangements of works not necessarily written for brass. I often play his brass arrangement of a recorder concerto by the Bach contemporary John Baston. I also play the original version, which Michala Petri recorded years ago with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields.
The other quote greeted me at the website of the late Czech conductor Jiři Bělohlávek (1946-2017) I visited the site in anticipation of the 80th anniversary of his birth, which was on February 24. It reads: “Only in fairy tales is the baton a kind of magic wand, capable of something supernatural. In reality, only a human being can endow it with magic, a person who knows in advance what he or she expects from the music and who can convey this knowledge to the players. “
In-between those lines, I sense the wisdom he acquired over the years. Still, I’d be excited if children imagine a baton to be a magic wand, if that sparks their interest in music and helps them approach it playfully.
Bělohlávek was born in Prague. His father, a lawyer and judge, was also a pianist, He began to teach the child piano and the basics of music at age 4. Jiři became a member of the Prague Philharmonic Children’s Choir for more than ten years. When he began to study at the Prague Conservatory, he learned how to play the cello. He also began to conduct at that point, eventually preferring that to cello playing.
According to the website, there was a legend floating around that he chose conducting because of an accident that occurred while playing hockey on the frozen Vltava river – the Moldau, as many know it. He broke his hand. He claimed that the injury wasn’t the main reason for choosing conducting over the cello, but he did notice limitations while playing the cello. I wonder if hockey came to mind whenever he conducted Smetana’s Moldau.
Bělohlávek graduated from the Prague Conservatory 60 years ago, in 1966, conducting his graduation concert in the Dvořák Hall. According to the website, he would conduct over 400 concerts with the Czech Philharmonic, the Prague Philharmonia, and other ensembles in that hall. That’s just the opening of the story about his career, which is told in much detail and with photos at the site. One thing I didn’t see mentioned was his birthday being the centennial of the birthday of Italian composer Lugii Danza (1846-1922), who wrote the famous song Funiculi, Funicula.
At the website of the Venice Baroque Orchestra. I learned that the ensemble is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. It was founded by Andrea Marcon, who continues to be the music director. On their homepage, they’re identified as I Musici Veneziani – literally, the Venice Musicians. I have never seen a recording of theirs with the Italian version of their name. So, I’ll continue to call the ensemble the Venice Baroque Orchestra, though I always refer to I Musici (also known as I Musici di Roma) and I Musici de Montréal by their long-established names.
I also read that when in Venice, they not only perform as a period instrument orchestra, which means playing the works as they would have been played in the time of Vivaldi. They wear costumes as would have been worn in Vivaldi’s time, including powdered wigs. But when the orchestra performs on tour, the various websites of the tour destinations not only refer to the ensemble as the Venice Baroque Orchestra. The publicity photos show the players in contemporary concert dress.
On radio, it doesn’t really make any difference. You may picture them dressed either way. And be aware that at their recording sessions, they may well be dressed in casual attire.
You may dress as you please when you join us for Classic Mornings. But please do stop by! Tune in Monday through Friday from 9-noon on Illinois Classical 90.9 FM or online at will.illinois.edu.
