Friday, 20th – Sunday, 22nd of October
Dear readers
I’ve had an amazing weekend in Vienna, and a really nice Saturday at the MUK.masters class in Vienna. Over summer I received an email telling me that I could apply to the project MUK.masters at the Privatuniversität der Stadt Wien (former conservatory of Vienna) as I won a first prize at the national competition Prima La Musica in Spring. Now fast forward some months until the 21st of October, a day this blog entry is about.
I will outline the activities offered and lectures held that day:
The programme started at 10 a.m. with a meeting of all the participants. A quintet (Flute, Oboe, French horn, Bassoon, Clarinet) performed one of Piazzolla’s seasons for us (though I cannot remember which one), followed by and short talk by the directorate.
First on my schedule was the flute master class with Prof. Gindlhumer, a professor at MUK and flutist at the Vienna Volksoper. We played until lunch break, during which my instrument was, checked through by Markus Lorenz, a Muramatsu specialist, for free. Having gotten little to no sleep (for his wife and he had literally just gotten a baby), he nevertheless did a great job at adjusting my flute. 😉
After lunch the flute class continued, followed then by a performance/stage appearance/mental-training lecture by Mr. Zwicker. It was quite interesting, but regarding the fact that I did write my school-graduation paper (pre-scientific paper) on stage fright and how to overcome it, I was already informed about the tips he gave us. Still, it reinforced me to start mental training additionally to physical practise.
My favourite part is up next- wait for it…..:
Traverso! I love playing the traverso, and I have the idée fixe (to say it like Berlioz or Ravel ;)) to buy one the next semesters. I had borrowed a Traverso in summer 2016, and played other flutes on several occasions (masterclasses, flute exhibitions). But I have not gotten around to take lessons regularly 😦
I love how real it is. There is no need to show off on these instruments by playing your scales superfast. With Traversflöte, intonation and interpretation is everything. You cannot hide behind brilliant technique, because there is only so far you will get fingering-wise on this instrument. Also, each flûte baroque is different, has different kinks and notes that need a little more care. No need to even start talking about the vast repertoire of little melodies and duet tunes one can play light-heartedly. None of Prokofjews firing gunshots – just time to enjoy playing music, no stress, no strain, making organic music 😀
Some people wish for a car at christmas, and get it too…I mean, I just want a baroque flute, that’s not so bad, eh? Maybe in my next blog post I will introduce a “donate” button, so I can have a nice christmas present, too 😀
After this (too!) short lesson, we were off to intonation practise with Andrea Wild. A very entertaining lesson- it was the most fun I have had in a long time. I actually smiling at my computer screen as I am writing this. Anyways, we practised fine tuning with chords and then experimented a bit with tone colours ( we had 2 clarinets in our 5 people flute group).
At the end of the day we assembled in the same studio hall the day had started in to listen to a presentation about “Musikvermittlung” ( =”music communicating”, ideas on how to get people to come hear concerts, to interact with the musicians, to create concerts to fulfil the needs and expectations of all age groups.). The presenter was well-informed and sparked a few ideas in my mind. How can you really bring/communicate music to those who do not want to go see the opera in the evening? What about school kids or elderly people? Maybe they are interested in music, but not interested in spending three hours in a packed hall where they are given dirty looks when coughing (okay, the last one was a bit over the top, but you get the point.) ?
Very fascinating.
Masterclass over. Let the Fun begin!
I’m joking, of course.
BUT I did see one of the best performances I have seen in my short lifetime, and that was Rosas danst Rosas in the Odeon Theatre in Vienna. The repetition, the familiar gestures, the precision, the individuality, the exhaustion. It was breath-taking. I might have wiped off a tear or two on my cheek. I found it phenomenal.
For those of you that do not know it, it is a dance performance of four women. The choreographer, Anne Theresa De Keersmaeker, became well-known after introducing the choreography. This is the 4th generation of Rosas, or so I believe. If you like watching dance, it is a must-see. Look it up on the internet (thank you, 21st century.)
So that was my Saturday in Vienna. The day before, Friday, was spent at University and travelling to Vienna. The day after was spent travelling to Graz. I am on the way of becoming an ÖBB (The Austrian Railway) regular. Can you collect miles on trains?
See you around.
xx,
Leona
leonarajakowitsch 