The Edinburgh International Festival is just on the horizon, & the Mumble managed a wee blether with four members of The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra; conductor: Marin Alsop, Vice-President: Tonya McBride Robles, Director of Operations: Rebecca Cain & Director of Artistic Planning: Abhijit Sengupta

Where are you from and can you describe your musical background?

Marin: When I was nine years old, my father took me to see one of the New York Philharmonic’s Young Peoples Concerts. I studied violin, but when I saw Leonard Bernstein conduct that concert and watched the freedom of his movement and his passion for the music, I knew then that I wanted to be a conductor. It was a dream come true years later when I had the opportunity to study with him at Tanglewood.

Tonya: I’m originally from North Carolina. My father is a minister, and my mother is a church musician, so I grew up singing in church. I started voice lessons at the age of ten and later attended a performing arts high school to study voice, music theory and music history. I graduated from the Peabody Conservatory and received a Bachelor of Music Education and a Performer’s Certificate in Voice; I studied voice with Phyllis Bryn Julson. Just before my final year of college, I worked as an intern with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in the artistic administration department. I found my calling as an orchestra administrator and am thrilled to serve the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra as General Manager for this international tour some 25 years after I started as an intern.

Rebecca: I’m from a very small town in North Carolina. I played a variety of instruments before settling on the bassoon and becoming a professional bassoonist, my first career.

Abhijit: My parents are from India, but I was born in New Jersey and grew up mainly in Houston, where I began viola lessons at age 11. Although I attended an arts high school and was a very active young musician, I attended Yale University and graduated with a degree in economics. Campus life was musically rich, and my college years were full of orchestra concerts, chamber music, recitals and music history. I ultimately chose to pursue a career in music, attending the University of Southern California School of Music in Los Angeles for a master’s degree in viola performance before joining the New World Symphony. I was a special jury prize winner at the 1997 Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition and went on to serve as principal viola of the Florida Philharmonic, the Houston Grand Opera & Ballet Orchestra and co-principal of the Bergen Philharmonic in Norway before realigning my career to include administrative duties. I have continued to play professionally as a core member of the Grand Teton Music Festival and as a regular extra with the Houston Symphony.

For you, what are the qualities of a great orchestra?

Rebecca: I think the most important quality over the long-term is people who really listen to each other – musicians who are truly committed to listening every second they’re playing music, supported by everyone else who makes concerts possible.

Tonya: First, it’s all about the music – a great ensemble performing extraordinary repertoire under the leadership of a gifted Music Director. In this day and age, the music must be met with a connection to the orchestra’s community to bring relevance to a centuries-old art form. One of my favorite aspects of the work we do is watching Baltimore city schoolchildren hear live symphonic music for the first time at an education concert: this music retains the ability to transform and inspire.

Abhijit: In addition to the precision and virtuosity we have come to expect from the many great orchestras in the world, I really listen for sound quality. The conductor plays a major role in the way an orchestra produces sound, but there is a core sound that is always there with great orchestras. But greatness cannot only be achieved through artistic means. Great orchestras, in my view, also serve their respective communities through education, innovation and inclusion. The reason the repertoire endures is that it has the power to transform people, so the orchestras that are sincerely making an effort to ensure this incredible music touches the lives of as many people in their communities as possible are the truly great ones.

Who are your favorite three composers and which is your favorite piece by each?

Tonya: It’s difficult to narrow my favorite composers to three. Since I come from a vocal background and love choral music, two of my favorite pieces are the Requiems of Mozart and Verdi. They’re completely different in their approach but equally powerful. I also love the Concierto de Aranjuez of Rodrigo because I lived in Spain for three years shortly after marrying my husband, and this concerto is so evocative of a place and time I loved.

Abhijit: I couldn’t possibly name any favorites, but here are three of my desert island composers and pieces from the orchestral repertoire: Mahler Symphony No. 3, Brahms Symphony No. 3 and Sibelius Symphony No. 5. It’s hard to choose just one Sibelius symphony actually, as I hear them as one epic journey, but I include the fifth in this list because it was a rare moment of joy in an often dark life.

Rebecca: It’s almost impossible to choose, and my answers to this change a lot, but right now it’s:
Mozart – Gran Partita Serenade
Mahler – Symphony No. 2
John Adams – Dr. Atomic Symphony

What other genres of music do you like besides classical?

Abhijit: I listen to and love all sorts of music, and my own collection has a little bit of just about everything in it. I have presented a great deal of jazz in my career, so I have a special affinity for it. I also have a soft spot for Brazilian music.

Rebecca: I listen to a lot of different genres, but lately have been listening to lots of American “roots” music – blues, bluegrass, folk – with a side of the Hamilton soundtrack.

Tonya: I like a variety of popular music – my three most played albums are the Greatest Hits of Michael Jackson, the Original Cast Recording of Hamilton and U2’s Joshua Tree.

What do you like to do outside of working for the BSO?

Rebecca: I read, knit, and compete very slowly in triathlons. Knitting is a cover for my other hobby – watching tv.

Abhijit: I’ve always been a soccer player, but that is hard to do without a group or league of some sort. I’m new to Baltimore, but perhaps I’ll find one. Beyond that, I’m an enthusiastic, if somewhat mediocre, tennis player and an active hiker, especially in the mountains of Wyoming. I also love to cook and wish I had more time to read.

Tonya: There’s not a lot of time outside of work, so it’s fortunate that I love my job! I enjoy spending time with family and friends, especially at the beach. To that end, my family spends a portion of every summer at a Chautauqua community on the coast of Maine.

What is the history behind the BSO’s Edinburgh International Festival performances – how did they come about?

Tonya: Our Music Director, Marin Alsop, is so beloved in the U.K. that our invitation to the festival came to us initially through her. When the head of the festival heard the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra play live, he realized that we have a world-class orchestra. The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra has a distinguished international touring history, but it has been over a decade since the orchestra had toured abroad. I can’t wait for Edinburgh Festival audiences to experience what we’re able to enjoy each week in Maryland.

Abhijit: I joined the BSO in February 2018, and these performances were already planned. One of the programs is an homage to the great American conductor, pianist, composer and educator Leonard Bernstein, who was Marin Alsop’s teacher and mentor. Marin is a paragon of all that Bernstein represented, and she has been presenting concerts throughout the world in celebrating the Bernstein centenary.

Marin: I’m very excited to bring the BSO to Scotland for their Edinburgh International Festival debut. It’s especially meaningful to me that we will be performing the music of my mentor, Leonard Bernstein, on what would have been his 100th birthday, August 25. We’ll also be joined by the fantastic violinist Nicola Benedetti for Bernstein’s Serenade, which is one of the highlights of our tour repertoire. After Edinburgh, we go on to London for our BBC Proms debut and finally the National Concert Hall in Dublin, where we open their International Concert Series 2018-19 season.

Have you visited Scotland before? If so, when and which cities?
Tonya: My maiden name is McBride, and research into our family ancestry indicates that I’m descended from the Clan Donald from the Isle of Skye. As part of this research, my family visited Scotland and stayed in Edinburgh and the Isle of Skye. I’ve been back a couple of times, including a trip to Dunoon for the Highland Games, and absolutely love your beautiful country.

Abhijit: This will be my first visit to Scotland. I love Islay whiskeys, but sadly, I won’t have time to make a trip up there.

Rebecca: I’ve been to Scotland twice – both times to Edinburgh. (One of the visits was a whirlwind trip to prepare for this tour).

What pieces will the BSO perform at EIF?

Tonya: We are performing two concerts at the Edinburgh International Festival this year, one on August 24 and then a second on August 25, with BSO Music Director Marin Alsop leading both performances. The first concert includes Stravinsky’s Suite from The Firebird, Schumann’s Symphony No. 2 and Gershwin’s Concert in F with Jean-Yves Thibaudet. The second concert, which falls on the 100th anniversary of Leonard Bernstein’s birth, is a tribute to Bernstein. We perform selections from Birthday Bouquet, a set of variations written by eight different composers in honor of Bernstein’s 70th birthday. The program also includes Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, Three Dance Episodes from On the Town and Serenade, with violinist Nicola Benedetti.

Usher Hall
Fri, Aug 24, 2018, 7:30 pm Marin Alsop, conductor
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano STRAVINSKY //Suite from The Firebird
GERSHWIN // Concerto in F
SCHUMANN // Symphony No. 2 in C Major

BUY TICKETS HERE

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Usher Hall
Sat, Aug 25, 2018, 7:45 pm Marin Alsop, conductor
Nicola Benedetti, violin JOHN WILLIAMS, LUCIANO BERIO, JOHN CORIGLIANO // Birthday Bouquet
BERNSTEIN // Serenade
BERNSTEIN // Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
BERNSTEIN // Three Dance Episodes from On the Town

BUY TICKETS HERE

www.bsomusic.org

Perth Concert Hall
Sunday 17th June 2018

Perth Youth Arts Festival was rounded off in great style with a feast of Trad music served up by the young musicians of The Gordon Duncan Experience supported by Eabhal, a foursome of wickedly talented young players, who demonstrated with flair that Celtic roots music is alive and thriving.

Eabhal, named after a hill of North Uist, from where the band draws its roots, are Megan MacDonald (Accordion), Jamie MacDonald (Fiddle), Nicky Kirk (Guitar) and Hamish Hepburn (Bagpipes, Flute and Whistles). The band were recent victors at the Hands up for Trad Battle of the Folk Bands 2018 . The set included traditional compositions and pieces penned by the band, demonstrative of an artistry and skills that belie their tender ages. ‘The MaSÌm’ was written by Jamie MacDonald for fiddler Simon Bradley of Asturian folk group Llan de Cubel, and with nods at Iberian rhythms, is echoic of that wider pool of Celtic music. Cadences of ferocious fiddle-work make a mesmerising piece to kick off a set with.

Eabhal were accompanied by the mellifluous vocals of Kaitlin Ross for some simply beautiful traditional Hebridean walking songs and mouth music. Kaitlin’s sweet and pure tones made ‘Aoidh Na Dean Cadal Idir’, a simple lullaby from North Uist, at once tender and wistful. The foursome have already released an eponymous EP and have been in the studio preparing a soon-to-be-released long player. If the sample tune performed, ‘Pangaea’, was a taste of what is to follow, then it should be a collection worth looking out for.

The second half of the evening showcased the fantastic young talents of The Gordon Duncan Experience. I remember hearing this youth Trad orchestra first play at the Gordon Duncan Memorial Concert in 2010. The band members may have changed a fair bit but the sheer enthusiasm of this ensemble is still as strong today, matched by some real talent too. The GDE started off with three sets from Duncan’s “The Circular Breath” album, under the masterful lead of Steven Blake. Superb piping was matched by equally skilled horns, woodwind and percussion to give a crisp, snapping rendition of Duncan’s intricate compositions. With ‘Clan meets Tribe’, the band dived into woo-woo ethno-trad mode. This must be what the skirl of bagpipes in a rainforest sounds like. The musicians clearly had as much pleasure performing as the audience had listening.

‘Pressed for Time/Earl of Seaforth’s Salute’ is one of those compositions that lies somewhere in the collective Scottish unconscious – play it and toes start involuntarily tapping out its maniacal rhythms. Given a big band treatment, it was still that instantly familiar yet totally novel little gem. I would humbly suggest that Gordon Duncan’s legacy is well cared for in the playing of talented young artists like The Experience, respectful of the traditional while having fun stepping to its sides. Horsecross Arts deserves praise too for the ongoing support it gives to this great project. There were hints of a further concert some time in the near future. How much better, when you are as good as this, is it possible to get?

Mark Mackenzie

Meadows Festival, Edinburgh
Saturday 02.06.2018

It was a humid tropical afternoon, the week had been one of character building proportions. Dance solves most problems so this was the one. Having been a fan of Ms Piltcher’s work for some time, have written about this brilliant Edinburgh band on more than one occasion. No Quarter are playing Eden Festival next weekend, I knew that this was the warm up for that. So was quite excited for this one. A band coming into a new strength, they take their name from a Led Zep song and Rebecca Pilcher certainly channels some of that Led Zep Grace in her guitar licks.

I was joined in the audience by Shoony Eh who is the amazing lead guitarist of the band Jamie and Shoony. I looked at him and looked at Miss Piltcher and said to Shoony, you are my fave Male rock ‘n’ roll guitarist and that lady on stage is my fave female Rock N Roll goddess guitarist. A light bulb went on. And No Quarter delivered a blistering funky hard rocking set of songs, which in an instant, brought the dancer out in me. Soul Songs of life’s challenges and how we recover from them. Beautifully sung and the lead guitar of this tight unit, bringing powerful flavours of funk-based Rock.

I got lost in it completely. The horn section of; on saxophone played by Adam Cook, on trumpet and supporting vocals Lesley Wilson infuse the funk; a rhythm section of; on bass guitar Liam Tucker, on drums Ian Robertson. On supporting guitar and vocals,  Oliver Wardle. These guys had us in their power. There was a light shower of rain while they played to cool down the humid boogie. But yes it was certainly the antidote to a challenging week. To have seen this band grow in confidence over the years, I know how well rehearsed the material is, No Quarter have never been anything other than a great Rock-Out. I was nae disappointed in the slightest. A truly exceptional performance. No Quarter are on the rise.

Mark ‘Divine’ Calvert

The Mumble have just had the honour of having a wee blether with one of America’s finest young guitarists, who just happens to be in Liverpool…

Hello Nolan, so where ya from & where ya at, geographically speaking?
Nolan: I’m from Tacoma, Washington, and I currently live in Liverpool.

Where, how & when did the Liverpool connection come about?
Nolan: The idea of going to Liverpool came from one of my teachers in high school. We were chatting about after graduation and he suggested checking it out and I thought why not. Was ready to see something new. I came over here September 2017, and will be here for at least another year.

So what do you think of Liverpool, & the English way of life?
Nolan: Liverpool is great, I think it’s like perfect size for a city. It’s compact and I can walk everywhere, but there’s always something to do. It’s also just really good place for creativity and being a musician I think, there are so many venues that host live music, and I think the general attitude is very supportive of artists. I don’t think the English way of life is that different from back home, I definitely drink a lot more tea now though. Beans on toast as well haha. Everyone has been so nice though and I’ve always felt very welcomed in the U.K. It’s a cool place.

When did you first realise you were musical?
Nolan: I started playing music when I was 8 years old, simply because I needed something to do and then realized I actually really liked it. I think I loved the idea of being able to see myself progress in something without having competition, which was not the case when I played sports before that.

Your guitar skills are rather phenomenal at times – when did you start playing & how have you been taught?
Nolan: Ah thank you. Started playing guitar when I was 8, I took lessons and I think my relationship with my guitar teacher was a big factor in encouraging me to stick with it.

Who are your influences as a guitarist?
Nolan: I’d say my biggest influence is Jimi Hendrix , not only as a guitarist but at as a performer. I feel like he sort of transcends guitar playing when I watch live clips, it’s just raw emotion. The most important thing for me as a player is that communication of emotion, notes are an afterthought really. I’m also a big fan of Nile Rodgers and the funky rhythm stuff he does, and some jazz players on occasion.

You are stranded on a desert island with a solar powered CD player and three albums – what will they be?
Nolan: Hmmmm.. probably something by Kendrick Lamar , either GKMC or TPAB. Then Fear Fun by Father John Misty, and maybe something from Tame Impala. That’s a tough one haha.

What music projects have you been up to in Liverpool?
Nolan: I have been involved in quite a lot, but recently I’ve cut down to focus more on my own project. At the moment, I have my solo stuff, then I have a side solo project called PONSKI, which is something I like to do to stay creative. I’m also involved in a project called Aztex, where I play guitar and keys and that’s been really fun, something a bit different than I would normally do. I also play in this sort of jazz fusion band called Tucan which is cool. I do the occasional random collaboration as well, anything that keeps me challenged and creative I think is great.

So you’re heading back to Seattle soon for a few months, whats all that about?
Nolan: Just going to go home and see my family and friends. I’ll do some gigs, and probably do a lot of writing. Also do some collaborating and a bit of producing for some friends.

So can we hear some of your music?
Nolan: Here’s a link to my most recent single:

Nice tune! So, how about your songs, do they come easy, are they well-crafted?
Nolan: I try and write something everyday when I have the time, and I think songwriting is just like anything else. You gotta spend the time doing loads of it and then hopefully you’ll get a good song out of it eventually.

Can you describe your songwriting process?
Nolan: Songwriting process varies all the time. Most of the time I like to write and produce at the same time, helps me get into the feel of where the track should go, plus you have a solid demo by the end. Other times I just like sitting down at the guitar and piano and write like that, less distractions that way.

How do you know when you have written a good song?
Nolan: I can tell when I’ve written a good song, if I have the desire to finish it or go back to it and continue working after the initial writing session.

Well, its been nice chatting to you Nolan! What are your plans when you get back to Britain later in the year?
Nolan: Just finish up my last year of university , hopefully do lots of gigs, write lots of tunes, and see what happens.

Glasgow City Halls

Nov 30th 2017

Take any class of schoolchildren (not that last night’s near-capacity audience contained more than a couple of kids); say from p5 upwards, and ask them what leads an orchestra. The answer might emerge, ‘The conductor’s baton’. Continue, in teacherly style, ‘But what leads the conductor’s baton?’ ‘The composer’s score? The conductor’s musical skills?’ Yes and yes, but the best answer might also mention the conductor’s ears! Throughout last night’s wonderful concert Alexander Vedernikov’s listening often seemed almost to physically lead the sound, ensuring entries blended in so that the story of the music could best unfold. Vedernikov showed himself to be a great story teller, and what marvellous stories Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich had given him to tell!

It was just the sort of night which might inspire a lifetime’s enjoyment of the sound of the symphony orchestra. There really wasn’t a dull moment, and after countless highlights (including an encore in the first half) the music ended with much cheering. The City Hall’s acoustic helped considerably, and I have to again mention it; one was constantly aware of being in the same room as every sound, whether it be a lyrical flute solo over pizzicato strings, or the terrifying dynamism of the orchestra at full pelt, loaded up with and deploying tam-tam, cymbals, bass drum, tympani, snare drum and tubular bells. You don’t get the sort of excitement I’m talking about in a recording, and as I’m writing this I’m wishing I could hear all of it, all over again. (It will be on, in Edinburgh’s Usher Hall on Sunday 3^rd Dec 2017 at 3 pm.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9lo9ZDYuDU&feature=youtu.be

The attentive audience was thrilled (despite one sniffy comment I overheard – there is an attitude, best ignored, that you will always get), and went out for the interval, several voices humming the tunes almost involuntarily. Then came the Shostakovich. His symphony 11, subtitled ‘The Year 1905’ is really quite extraordinary. Very briefly, it was ostensibly based on the 1905 massacre of unarmed citizens of St Petersburg by Tsarist troops. But it was actually composed the year after the brutal suppression of Hungarian uprising of 1956. The story goes that one lady at the premiere said, ‘That wasn’t people being shot, that was the tanks rolling in and people being squashed.’ When relayed to Shostakovich he acknowledged the accuracy of the observation. In truth the reason that the symphony was able to face in two directions simultaneously is because of the terrible engaging dynamism of the theme of war. Instead of being sent to prison Shostakovich received a Lenin prize for composition. But the music isn’t too much, is not unpalatable. Children would like it, and I really wonder why there were not more young people there. There were a good number of students, but surely music teachers, tutors, musicians, parents, all those involved in the whole business of instrumental education can’t think that such musical experiences are unimportant? On the upside it only takes one such concert to be remembered for a long time. But this was one of the really special ones.

Reviewer : Catherine Eunson

Perth Concert Hall
24th November 2017

Two of the finest acts in traditional music came together for a spectacular evening of Trad and Gaelic music and song at Perth Concert Hall. Both Julie Fowlis and Session A9 were making a very welcome return to Perth, having performed as part of Perthshire Amber Traditional Music Festival in past years.

Session A9, a Trad supergroup if ever there was one, opened the evening with an eclectic set from an extensive catalogue of contemporary and traditional pieces. The opening set of “Wedding Polkas” promised a taste of the truly devilish fiddle-playing to come from Charlie McKerron, Adam Sutherland, Gordon Gunn and Kevin Henderson. These guys play with all the energy of a storm force ten and as tightly as any classical quartet. When slowing the tempo for a rendition of the exquisite “Sleeping Tune,” a piece written by the legendary piper Gordon Duncan, the band had the emotional range of a full symphony orchestra. A fine performance of Jackson Browne’s “These Days” let vocalist and guitarist Marc Clement shine out with a wistful voice that suited the song perfectly. On another Gordon Duncan composition, “Bellydancer” the syncopated rhythms of Brian McAlpine’s electric piano playfully shimmied between some blisteringly hot fiddle and guitar playing.

The traditional tunes like “The Miller of Drone” had a rag-time makeover at these fiddlers’ bows, giving them a freshness and feeling that these guys love what they do as much as the audience loved listening. My own feet couldn’t keep still all night!

Julie Fowlis is an artist in a class of her own. Her reputation as both a curator of historic folk songs from her Hebridean home and a contemporary singer-songwriter, pushing the edges of Traditional music into new territory, has earned accolades from the traditional music scene as well as admiration from mainstream artists like Bjork and Radiohead. Her voice has an absolute purity and a velvety smoothness that makes of the mainly Scots Gaelic songs a beautiful soundscape, so that language comes second to feeling the magnetic pull of her voice. She has the power to transport you to the islands and hills, to hear the sea toss and the wind blow over the dunes on some remote and wild island. The opening “Oran an Roin” (Song of the Seals), with Julie singing unaccompanied, sent a shiver down the spine. Her voice enveloped the concert hall with an otherworldly air.

Julie was joined by Éamonn Doorley and Tony Byrne on guitars, and Duncan Chisholm and local artist Patsy Reid on fiddles to perform songs from her new album, “Alterum” which sees Fowlis sing in English (and Galician!) for the first time. The beautiful “Go Your Way” and “Camariñas” (a traditional Galician folk tune) showed such purity and innocence, with understated accompaniment that only highlighted the strength-in-softness of Fowlis’ perfect phrasing. A Gaelic rendition of the Beatles’ “Blackbird” (Lon-dubh) again displayed how international the scope of Celtic music can be in the hands of an artist like Fowlis.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTN0FNpvGWE&feature=youtu.be

A warmly appreciative audience had the opportunity to join in some Gaelic singing – which actually sounded rather good! Perhaps it was the excellent sound engineering of the venue. Fowlis is a rare talent in a musical landscape already heavily populated with great female interpreters of traditional songs. If you get a chance to hear her sing live, grab it!

Reviewer : Mark Mckenzie

Stevenson Hall, Glasgow
16-11-17

Why write about a concert which has already happened? Play, literature or film reviews might help you to choose whether to buy a book, or attend a performance. But concerts are usually one-offs, so recommendations are surely less important than impressions. Here are some thoughts, then, on the inaugural performance of the RCS Symphonia, when Bach’s Suite in D No. 3 and Richard Strauss’ Metamorphosen were performed in Stevenson Hall.

I wasn’t expecting to find the Bach so engaging and enjoyable but it really was light, tasty and fizzy, with David Watkin constantly adding air into the mix and encouraging thought and direction into the positioning of each next entry. The famous Air (Hamlet cigars) showed off how special long notes can be if they are given the salt of direction rather than the sugar of vibrato, indeed the whole work showed off a wonderful silvery tone, without any vibrato at all being used. Though there was a wonderful sense of dance throughout, and no doubt because of that, I particularly enjoyed the final chords of each movement which were level and true as horizons at sea.

Metamorphosen for 23 solo strings could not have been more different. It was written in 1945 when the war Germany started had destroyed most of what Strauss must have held dear. The plangent late romantic string sound of the work is so beautiful, I’m tempted to say I could listen to it all day, but in fact I was ready for it to end when it did. The live experience was marvelous, however, and such was the richness of the musical texture that it was good being able to watch as well as to listen.

There was a casual vibe in the hall, mostly filled with students and staff from RCS, and it was a short concert at a time of night when neither work nor transport should be an issue. So, to contradict my first point, if you see the next one being advertised – keep the date free and go along!

Reviewer : Catherine Eunson