by Barbara Rose Shuler
Last year, violinist Edwin Huizinga agreed to speak with me about his experience of the Bach Festival. Edwin is easy to spot in the orchestra. He's tall with shoulder-length red hair and is an impressive figure on stage, especially as a soloist in Baroque concertos and chamber works, where it is traditional to stand while playing. Here is an adapted version for this blog of the article I wrote after our time together, which gives a younger person's perspective of the importance of the Bach Festival.
This evening Bruno will conduct his Heroic Beethoven concert of Symphony No.3 in E-flat Major, "Eroica" and Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major with acclaimed pianist David Breitman. Festival Dramaturge David Gordon and maestro of this website will be giving a talk on this concert at 6:45 at Sunset Center. The talk is free and will be excellent. See you there!
Here's Edwin's story:
The Carmel Bach Festival is not just about making glorious music each summer; it's about people. It's about connecting with friends and strangers who share a love for the festival, the music and a certain ineffable quality unique to this event in this place.
The musicians also look forward to returning each summer to Carmel. The festival is as special for them as it is for patrons. A relative newcomer to the festival ensemble is violinist Edwin Huizinga, age 26, who fell in love with the Carmel Bach experience when he joined the orchestra.
A prodigy who has been playing since the age of 5, Huizinga attracted the attention of concertmaster Elizabeth Wallfisch. She immediately brought him to Carmel after identifying his talent during a master class she taught.
Sitting down with Huizinga for a conversation was a pleasure, not just because of his love of music and the festival, but also because of his deep commitment to making a positive difference in people's lives.
"There is such torment all over the world," he says. "Classical music can bring you together and open you so that you can let your emotions flow and react to beauty. Or it can allow sadness from a Requiem that's happening and you respond can to how you feel. I think if people could respond this way more to their emotions then it wouldn't be possible to have such aggressively terrible things going on all the time."
Huizinga is especially concerned that young people be touched by the liberating affects of music.
"I just think there are so many issues with emotions being shut down with children, not being allowed to show themselves, or to cry," he says. "Music lets us know when it's ok to dance, to relax, to feel.
"I love to play for kids. I tell them how fun it is. I often give them free tickets and they enjoy it. I think classical music can help our society so much."
Huizinga says Pop music mostly doesn't give you a chance to be honest with yourself.
"It's like three minutes and often a loud beat and decibel level, and its commercial," he says. "They are spending a lot of money to drill something out of you. And classical music, through a few geniuses in the universe, really touches you. It touches everyone if you let it. And if you play right for children they want it and are hungry for it. Even young adults that are troubled, if you can get through to them, also love it."
At the Bach Festival, Huizinga soaks in everything he can, especially from Wallfisch.
"I learn from her every day," he says. "She is one with her violin, such a natural player. She's so open to where music can take her. She gets incredible sounds out of the violin."
He also appreciates his time with Weil.
"All year I look forward to working with Bruno," he says. "He's incredible. I don't think I have even told him that but we have such a good time together on stage. He has such unbelievably playful musical enthusiasm. I receive it and I give it back as much as I know how. He is also incredibly knowledgeable."
"I think it is really important that the festival exists and that it is here," he says. "There are all kinds of things that every single individual brings to the festival in the audience and on stage. That is just in the air. You feel it. They feel it. That's why I am here. That's why they come back."
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Barbara Rose Shuler writes Intermezzo, which chronicles classical music, in the Monterey Herald's Go! Magazine each week. She can be contacted at wordways@comcast.net.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
The Bach blitz begins! (with Haydn's "Creation")
By Barbara Rose Shuler
------------------------------
Hello everyone!
It’s a pleasure to dive into blogging the Carmel Bach Festival.
A little background about me. Most of my professional life has been spent in the arts and media—writing, public and commercial radio broadcasting, voice-over work and related enterprises. Though I attended Bach Festival events before Bruno’s tenure as music director, I began covering the festival as a print and broadcast journalist the year he arrived, 1992.
It has been my privilege to cover the festival over the years for various media concerns but most prominently for the Monterey Herald, which has provided the most extensive coverage of the Carmel Bach experience of any media. And, bless them, in spite of their shrinking budgets and space, the paper still considers the festival important enough to cover well, though in a more condensed way.
Each year, I mark the calendar for the week after the 4th of July as the beginning of the “Bach blitz” as I call it, when musicians gather from all over to begin rehearsing. The editors and I decide on how the coverage will look-- how much space for reviews, advances, features, etc.
I become familiar with the program schedule and get a sense of the themes and focuses as well as the fun and interesting stuff that readers will enjoy.
Then, I set up interviews with principal members of the artistic and executive staff (a favorite part of my job!) to learn more about the music and intentions of the festival creators. After that, two intense waves of writing occur: the advances the week before opening and then the coverage itself.
This blog posting represents the first moment of the second wave, which becomes a two-week total immersion in the festival, attending daytime and evening recitals and concerts and writing, writing, writing.
Last night was incredible! When Bruno first conducted The Creation Oratorio 18 years ago, his first year, I remember being stunned by the experience, unforgettable. For me all these years, that one evening watching him lead the ensemble through this Haydn masterpiece stands out as the most powerful imprint of this conductor on my soul. Though every year, he has touched me deeply in his approach to the music here at the festival.
Last night was a moment of rare musical perfection, art at a higher turn of the spiral, an transmission of what it means to strive and create with the highest aspiration over time, refining and distilling like a patient alchemist tuned to the divine. This is what the Creation Oratorio was for Haydn, his “opus summum” as Bruno calls it.
On opening night, Bruno offered his own “opus summum” in this work he cherishes--refined further during this Haydn anniversary year through a cycle of conducting the work internationally-- to finally come, full circle, to his beloved Bach Festival with the brilliant ensemble he has built and perfected over two decades in a great hall (the renovated Sunset Center) that he called into being so we could hear the music as it was meant to be heard.
It was a very good opening night!
--------------------------------------------------
Barbara Rose Shuler writes Intermezzo, which chronicles classical music, in the Monterey Herald's Go! Magazine each week. She can be contacted at wordways@comcast.net.
------------------------------
Hello everyone!
It’s a pleasure to dive into blogging the Carmel Bach Festival.
A little background about me. Most of my professional life has been spent in the arts and media—writing, public and commercial radio broadcasting, voice-over work and related enterprises. Though I attended Bach Festival events before Bruno’s tenure as music director, I began covering the festival as a print and broadcast journalist the year he arrived, 1992.
It has been my privilege to cover the festival over the years for various media concerns but most prominently for the Monterey Herald, which has provided the most extensive coverage of the Carmel Bach experience of any media. And, bless them, in spite of their shrinking budgets and space, the paper still considers the festival important enough to cover well, though in a more condensed way.
Each year, I mark the calendar for the week after the 4th of July as the beginning of the “Bach blitz” as I call it, when musicians gather from all over to begin rehearsing. The editors and I decide on how the coverage will look-- how much space for reviews, advances, features, etc.
I become familiar with the program schedule and get a sense of the themes and focuses as well as the fun and interesting stuff that readers will enjoy.
Then, I set up interviews with principal members of the artistic and executive staff (a favorite part of my job!) to learn more about the music and intentions of the festival creators. After that, two intense waves of writing occur: the advances the week before opening and then the coverage itself.
This blog posting represents the first moment of the second wave, which becomes a two-week total immersion in the festival, attending daytime and evening recitals and concerts and writing, writing, writing.
Last night was incredible! When Bruno first conducted The Creation Oratorio 18 years ago, his first year, I remember being stunned by the experience, unforgettable. For me all these years, that one evening watching him lead the ensemble through this Haydn masterpiece stands out as the most powerful imprint of this conductor on my soul. Though every year, he has touched me deeply in his approach to the music here at the festival.
Last night was a moment of rare musical perfection, art at a higher turn of the spiral, an transmission of what it means to strive and create with the highest aspiration over time, refining and distilling like a patient alchemist tuned to the divine. This is what the Creation Oratorio was for Haydn, his “opus summum” as Bruno calls it.
On opening night, Bruno offered his own “opus summum” in this work he cherishes--refined further during this Haydn anniversary year through a cycle of conducting the work internationally-- to finally come, full circle, to his beloved Bach Festival with the brilliant ensemble he has built and perfected over two decades in a great hall (the renovated Sunset Center) that he called into being so we could hear the music as it was meant to be heard.
It was a very good opening night!
--------------------------------------------------
Barbara Rose Shuler writes Intermezzo, which chronicles classical music, in the Monterey Herald's Go! Magazine each week. She can be contacted at wordways@comcast.net.
Friday, July 17, 2009
The Downbeat is Here!
Friday evening, 8:20pm
After consuming quantities of delicious food on the patio outside the Sunset Center lobby, the 700 audience members are now sitting in the auditorium hearing part one of Haydn's Creation. And so begins the 72nd Carmel Bach Festival.
Were you in the audience or onstage tonight? Send an email to us with your thoughts, opinions, or musings!
Meanwhile we will have new postings daily through August 2.
After consuming quantities of delicious food on the patio outside the Sunset Center lobby, the 700 audience members are now sitting in the auditorium hearing part one of Haydn's Creation. And so begins the 72nd Carmel Bach Festival.
Were you in the audience or onstage tonight? Send an email to us with your thoughts, opinions, or musings!
Meanwhile we will have new postings daily through August 2.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Final Prep for opening night
Wednesday evening, July 15
After a week of really intense rehearsals, we are nearing opening night. Last night was the final Creation working rehearsao on stage. Tomorrow evening (Thursday) is the dress rehearsal for Creation. Meanwhile the rehearsals continue for the Sunday Bach/Mendelssohn/Brahms concert, and the countless recital and chamber music rehearsals.
Tonight was a working run-through of the Sunday program. The choral ensemble - Chorale and Chorus - sounds absolutely spectacular.
The artistic team had its second planning meeting today, already beginning to create the 2010 Bach Festival. Lots of exciting plans, none of which I can talk about yet!
Everyone seemed to hit a wall of fatigue today. Tomorrow things will pick up. The silent auction display is set up in the lobby, the boutique opens on Friday.
There is an old theater saying that "The definition of opening night is: the night before you are ready to open." I don't think that's the case here, but we are working hard to get things ready.
We'll have more updates and more frequently now that things are getting up to speed.
If you'd like to write a few words on this blog, send them in an email to me, David Gordon at moderator@classicalmusicmatters.com
After a week of really intense rehearsals, we are nearing opening night. Last night was the final Creation working rehearsao on stage. Tomorrow evening (Thursday) is the dress rehearsal for Creation. Meanwhile the rehearsals continue for the Sunday Bach/Mendelssohn/Brahms concert, and the countless recital and chamber music rehearsals.
Tonight was a working run-through of the Sunday program. The choral ensemble - Chorale and Chorus - sounds absolutely spectacular.
The artistic team had its second planning meeting today, already beginning to create the 2010 Bach Festival. Lots of exciting plans, none of which I can talk about yet!
Everyone seemed to hit a wall of fatigue today. Tomorrow things will pick up. The silent auction display is set up in the lobby, the boutique opens on Friday.
There is an old theater saying that "The definition of opening night is: the night before you are ready to open." I don't think that's the case here, but we are working hard to get things ready.
We'll have more updates and more frequently now that things are getting up to speed.
If you'd like to write a few words on this blog, send them in an email to me, David Gordon at moderator@classicalmusicmatters.com
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Let the Festivities Begin!
The 72nd Carmel Bach Festival has begun! All the out of town musicians and crew have gathered to get ready to produce nearly 100 events between July 9 and August 1.
I spent an hour with Bruno Weil this morning going over the script for the Tuesday night concert "Haydn Seek". He conducts, I narrate. We delve into the comic, romantic, and idealistic Haydn in this concert.
The stage is mostly set up, the acoustic shell is in place. Most of the stage lighting is in place but still needs to be focussed.
Rehearsals started this afternoon and continued until 9:30 this evening. The company had a great welcoming party 5-7pm, at Sunset Center. Chorale and Chorus rehearsed with Andrew Megill for the Friday and Sunday concert programs. The orchestra's first rehearsal with Bruno is tomorrow.
While Andrew Arthur led a rehearsal of Vivaldi's Four Seasons onstage this evening, Doug Mueller and I discussed our plans for creatively lighting the concert. We're hoping to create some subtle eye candy that will enhance the tone painting in the music.
More details from other contributors and from me as life becomes more interesting and we enter into the fulness of the event.
David
david@classicalmusicmatters.com
David Gordon is Dramaturge of the Carmel Bach Festival. This is his 21st season with the Festival. For the first nine of those years he was principal tenor soloist.
I spent an hour with Bruno Weil this morning going over the script for the Tuesday night concert "Haydn Seek". He conducts, I narrate. We delve into the comic, romantic, and idealistic Haydn in this concert.
The stage is mostly set up, the acoustic shell is in place. Most of the stage lighting is in place but still needs to be focussed.
Rehearsals started this afternoon and continued until 9:30 this evening. The company had a great welcoming party 5-7pm, at Sunset Center. Chorale and Chorus rehearsed with Andrew Megill for the Friday and Sunday concert programs. The orchestra's first rehearsal with Bruno is tomorrow.
While Andrew Arthur led a rehearsal of Vivaldi's Four Seasons onstage this evening, Doug Mueller and I discussed our plans for creatively lighting the concert. We're hoping to create some subtle eye candy that will enhance the tone painting in the music.
More details from other contributors and from me as life becomes more interesting and we enter into the fulness of the event.
David
david@classicalmusicmatters.com
David Gordon is Dramaturge of the Carmel Bach Festival. This is his 21st season with the Festival. For the first nine of those years he was principal tenor soloist.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
The birth of a blog
This is a place to comment on classical music issues and events in the Monterey Bay Area. Share your thoughts with us!
You can post an article or a review on our blog. Use this form.
Please include your name and email address. We will omit your email address from the published posting, if you request.
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The CMM Team
You can post an article or a review on our blog. Use this form.
Please include your name and email address. We will omit your email address from the published posting, if you request.
Yours
The CMM Team
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