Collaborations with Conlon
Discussion on the post below has moved on to rehearsals, which deserve their own thread. Being able to look in on the process is a privilege, and another amazing feature of this webcast. There is a huge amount of work going on here–in a crushingly busy rehearsal schedule–that the public rarely gets to see; come performance time, all the sweat should be wiped away, the score markings and other signs of tinkering invisible. The competitors each have their own distinctive interaction with Conlon, who has not only his own ideas about the pieces but also the conductor’s knowledge of what an orchestra can and can’t be made to do in a concerto setting. Feel free to repeat yourself from the other thread, especially those of you with experience at this (I’m looking at you, Eric Zuber).
James McQuillen
June 2nd, 2009 at 12:04 pm
I deeply apologize James, but I fear I’ve already repeated myself more than is in good taste! If you’d like to copy and paste my last comment for the general public, please feel free! Watching these one-on-one rehearsals between Conlon and the soloists was a wonderful insight for me as well! Many thanks to all those who made it possible.
June 2nd, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Well, to summarize — many of us notice that maestro Conlon is approaching the rehearsals not only as a colleague, but also as a teacher. His instructional comments have been significant and detailed. The question discussed in the previous thread is the extent to which this is appropriate when dealing with players who already have international careers.
I am particularly interested in the dilemma it presents to the competitor, who wants to be polite, might gain terrific value from Conlon’s comments, but also might be in conflict. At times it seems to me that Conlon is asking the performer to change musical choices that have probably been arrived at with the performers’ teachers in preparation for this thing, and practiced endlessly to execute flawlessly.
Everyone agrees that Conlon has good intentions; it’s a matter of style in the unique circumstance of a top-level competition.
June 2nd, 2009 at 12:26 pm
I’ll repeat what I just typed in the previous thead-
Eric- I much enjoyed hearing your personal perspective from your competition experience. Thanks for sharing.
About Di Wu- The delightful combination of great intelligence, common sense, and outgoing humble graciousness has me won over. Though each contestant has their own unique and special qualities, her personality is my favorite of the competition and everytime I see her I feel this energizing, engaging quality about her that is quite captivating. This may have been my favorite 1 on 1 yet. Conlon and her worked so well together, and as was seen from her Quintet rehearsal/performance she truly loves and respects ensemble playing.
Forgive me for repeating- but I’m just blown away we are getting to see this. [The cameraman DID get ridiculously close to her face for a bit there though] And so enjoy hearing the passages of Rachmanioff’s amazing piano writing in the concertos sans orchestra.
Finally- Did ANYONE go to the Marathon recitals???
Can you give us a review? Impressions of the performances, size of the audience, piano sound/accoustics or anything unusual that happened?
Many thanks in advance.
June 2nd, 2009 at 12:35 pm
The rehearsals are archived, at least the first 3 are. They are under the “Off Stage” heading just before the performer portraits.
Eric, thanks for sharing your persepctive. It is quite informative.
In fact, perhaps under your influence, I did feel the “weight” of Conlon’s input during the rehearsal with Haochen. Among other suggestions, he proposed to play the concert attaca. Haochen agreed initially but when the request was reiterated about the 2nd/3rd movement, I was no longer sure. I imagine such a decision would have to be discussed with his teacher?? I am curious to see how it ends up being played. I actually did not think of the role of the competitors’ teachers (they seem so accomplished already!.. and I am obviously NOT a performing pianist.. sheesh).
June 2nd, 2009 at 12:38 pm
The archive fooled me for a bit: when you are on the WebCast page, you have to select “Offstage”, just below the screen, to get a scrolling list of what’s archived here, *including the rehearsal material” (ie, it’s “Offstage” because it’s not actually a “Performance”…..).
However, it does seem that it’s just the one-on-ones with Conlon that are available, which is a pity as I’d love to see how they seque into a full orchestral rehearsal, and I can’t easily catch all this live…
AGB
June 2nd, 2009 at 12:41 pm
@ALAN: I think you’re right. We got just a glimpse of rehearsals in the last two documentaries, and even in that tiny exposure I had the sense of Conlon pushing for slower tempos because this (very good but) regional orchestra cannot articulate at high speed. He said that almost exactly to Di Wu today, at the 3rd movement coda.
I don’t know what would stop a juror from watching these.
June 2nd, 2009 at 12:42 pm
@Ann S- thanks for the clarification of where the 1 on 1’s are located on the screen/page. Besides the Bozhanov, Tsujii and Son rehearsals with Conlon, I see we have all the other goodies they have been playing repeatedly thru the breaks including now the finalists being announced.
Great job all you who are running this website.
Kudos and bravo!
June 2nd, 2009 at 12:48 pm
ALAN & Brad- I asked about this in an earlier thread while expressing my concern of what the jury can see of all these rehearsals/interviews and what-not.
Indeed- what on earth besides some honor system is to stop the jury from watching everything we are on their laptops. I mean they aren’t sequestered like the OJ Simpson jury for goodness sakes.
I really am curious what they are 1. allowed to see
2. supposed to not see 3. actually and entirely seeing
June 2nd, 2009 at 12:53 pm
Regarding what the Jurors should or should not see, my guess is that it depends on how much weight the Cliburn wants to give to the “overall” qualities of each contestant, not only as performers during an actual concert.
In a way, you could say the Cliburn is using this competition as a pre-screening and recruitment process before deciding on which 3 pianists to “hire” for the next three years. Shouldn’t they be allowed to look at all aspects of each contestants’ persona?
June 2nd, 2009 at 12:59 pm
I would like to offer my sincerest apologies if my previous comments about these one-on-ones sounded in any way disrespectful towards Maestro Conlon. They obviously garnered a bit more attention than I thought they would. I meant absolutely no disrespect towards him whatsoever.
As I stated previously, I value his depth of experience and understanding, and actually learned much from some of his comments to the competitors as I’m sure everyone listening has, and I’m positive that the soloists will appreciate his sincere remarks, and take them into consideration at the appropriate time. I was simply surprised. That’s all.
June 2nd, 2009 at 1:06 pm
Eric- I think many of us were a bit surprised to see the extent to which Conlon goes in his teaching and “instruction” compared to what we have heard of other competitions. Your insights and perspective were most valuable.
June 2nd, 2009 at 1:11 pm
It seems Conlan is compelled to assert his Maestro-sized ego in these sessions. He begins by telling the soloists that he’s there to facilitate THEIR interpretations, then at numerous spots throughout the rehearsal he proceeds to tell the performers how he thinks the piece ought to be played! I thought his mini-lecture to Di about the Rachmaninoff recordings was particularly egregious. Surely she and her teachers have discussed and worked through these issues at length.
June 2nd, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Everyone has different perceptions, but I have found more appealing in these rehearsals to be those finalists who were more assertive in expressing their preferences and points of view with James Conlon (Bozhanov, Vacatello and Wu) than those who appeared more deferential/passive in this situation (Son and Zhang). (Tsujii could not be compared in the same way since there was much less of the back and forth that took place than in the rehearsals of the other contestants.) I could be imagining this, but it appeared that James Conlon may have preferred when the performers expressed a point of view, even if he disagreed.
June 2nd, 2009 at 1:18 pm
Lily - I agree with you. It is even possible that Mr. Conlon somehow perceives the artistic maturity of each finalist based on how much push back they would give to his suggestions.
June 2nd, 2009 at 1:18 pm
@Mr. Zuber: You are obviously a very perceptive and courteous young man, and I would enjoy having the opportunity to hear you perform! The truth is that you have identified the real problem in your last post when you addressed “the appropriate time” for these bits of advice and instruction. In my opinion, THIS is NOT the appropriate time. How many of us want to make changes the day before a performance with no more rehearsals remaining?
June 2nd, 2009 at 1:20 pm
After seeing all of the rehearsals with Conlon,, man…Anyone else thinking of a possible tie…. possibly for the silver…?
June 2nd, 2009 at 1:26 pm
I seem to remember Jade in one of her many interviews/chats with Buddy Bray that the phrase “sequester the jury” was used. Can’t remember specifically in connection with what, but I had the idea that the jury operates in a media blackout.
June 2nd, 2009 at 1:28 pm
Lily–it’s possible that Mr. Conlon appreciates the push back. It’s also possible that he prefers total submission. It’s a matter of personal style, and in either case, it shouldn’t matter–he doesn’t sit on this jury. As for all the advice-giving, there exists a very delicate state in which a performer is empowered with the feeling of friendly support coming from the collaborating conductor. It is so crucial, especially given that now is the most nerve-wracking stage of the competition, that the pianist doesn’t get distracted, having realized that he/she just omitted one of the Maestro’s many suggestions…
June 2nd, 2009 at 1:30 pm
@Lily, I agree in general with your observation. It was obvious that Conlon backs off when the contestant pushes back. But the contestant’s reactions should also be framed in the context of their upbringing, social and musical. Not surprising that the Korean and young Chinese pianists were more deferential..
Overall I think this is fascinating and Conlon managed to get a feel for the personality of the contestants, as they did of his. If they have a solid plan for their piece, I don’t think Conlon’s input changed it much.
June 2nd, 2009 at 1:30 pm
@nate: If the jurors are “sequestered” it must be a recent development. The last time I attended the Cliburn they were having a “high old time” right along with the contestants, administrators and visitors!
June 2nd, 2009 at 1:33 pm
@alan: WOW! really?? How disappointing … I’m sure I misheard then … it may be the 342 hours straight of live webcast getting to me! I think I’m gonna need a crowbar to get this earbuds out on Sunday nite!! lol
June 2nd, 2009 at 1:38 pm
I think Jade meant that the jury is sequestered in a room during actual deliberations, just before announcing the next stage.
June 2nd, 2009 at 1:40 pm
@Nate: Talk about webcast overload… Last night I had a terrible night’s sleep. Part of the problem was that I dreamed of playing pieces that I cannot play when I’m awake. Now, I’ve discovered the secret, play while asleep.
Those earbuds of yours are probable growing into your years. I have a pair of Bose speakers attached to my laptop. When this is over, I’ll let you have them cheap!
June 2nd, 2009 at 1:44 pm
Yes, Brad, that sounds reasonable … and explains at least why I hear that word.
@roger: then I could become an eccentric artist at last … glenn’s humming, langlang’s rocking, nathan’s snoring …. lol
Btw, I’d love to exchange emails with some of you guys to keep up after this is all over.
June 2nd, 2009 at 1:52 pm
I’m really loving this rehearsal with Vacatello doing the Prok3. Notice the rapport between her and Conlon? Also, how Mo. Conlon speaks fluent Italian.
June 2nd, 2009 at 1:54 pm
lol … like a mad horse close to the end … great quote
June 2nd, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Again, this is where interpersonal relationships, social savvy, not to mention personal and musical chemistry come into play.
Wu appears to me the most developed from this point of view. Eager to please, excellent social skills, yet confident about what she’s doing and knows how to go about it.
Tsujii has the disadvantage here, language and personality-wise. There was little to no true dialogue at his rehearsals. I’ve learned that no matter how good things are, or how well one plays, the social rapport is particularly important.
June 2nd, 2009 at 2:11 pm
I love Vacatello. There’s no nonsense with her. She’s there to work, and she bangs it out. I missed the first movement, which in her hands I expect will be as thrilling as it gets
June 2nd, 2009 at 2:12 pm
I feel Conlon is doing an excellent job in these rehearsals. He works efficiently, zeroes in very well on problem spots as far as coordination, etc. is concerned, and gets results from the orchestra. I haven’t seen all the rehearsals, but enjoyed his work with Bozhanov and just now Vacatello - fine collaboration all around.
In the one-on-one rehearsals, that’s a bit of another story, and here I feel he’s walking too fine a line. A little tip here or there about tempo, dynamic gradation or timing between movements, for example, is fine, but he simply can’t yield to the temptation, if it’s there, to coach these young pianists or suggest things that can’t be assimiliated in the day or so remaining. And those with more deferential personalities might feel they have to do it that way, or else later….you know?
Speaking as someone who is and has been on all three sides of the fence - soloist, conductor, and teacher - it’s a delicate balance. Especially when it’s all being recorded and observed online…I feel like a voyeur…I feel the jury ought NOT to be seeing any of this, it’s like watching you practice!
Here we go with Zhang - got to run!
June 2nd, 2009 at 2:17 pm
I agree– the rehearsal with Mariangela was conducted beautifully by Conlon, and Vacatello’s Prokoviev 3 was marvelous. Also, the orchestra sounds wonderful from what I can tell off the streamed sound. It will be a beautiful final!
June 2nd, 2009 at 2:19 pm
Is there anything as purely evil sounding than when the brass come in at the end of the cadenza to the Prokoviev Second Concerto? Gives me chills….
June 2nd, 2009 at 2:28 pm
I agree guys … I love that moment in the Prok2. So much of Prokofiev is sarcastic … but no sarcasm there, just pure rage and hate.
June 2nd, 2009 at 2:31 pm
@Brad: Have you ever seen the incredible Georgian Pianist Alexander Toradze? His Prokoviev 2 is the slowest I’ve ever heard but extremely interesting and heartfelt. The pain is palpable. His sound is also just gargantuan. If you hear him live you literally feel like the room will implode. His recording with Gergiev is much better than the following youtube video, but just for comparison I thought it might be interesting to you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjJQovEQSxM
June 2nd, 2009 at 2:36 pm
@Brad - you’re right - the brass often are late on the F and D, but it sounded fine here
June 2nd, 2009 at 2:38 pm
@Eric - I’m glad you brought up Toradze - when he played this in the ‘77 finals, it was about the loudest sound on the planet. He’s surely refined it since then - I hope so, anyway.
Zhang is doing this REALLY well - and no banging, praise be!!
June 2nd, 2009 at 2:56 pm
@Eric: thanks for the recommendation. Toradze’s recordings of all 5 Prok concertos is in Rhapsody, and I started playing the 2nd within seconds of seeing your comment.
Rhapsody is an amazing music service, BTW, and especially strong in classical.
June 2nd, 2009 at 2:58 pm
Thx for Toradze clip. This is extremely off-topic … but hurray for balding, tubby pianists!!!!!!!!!
June 2nd, 2009 at 3:00 pm
You know, I wouldn’t consider it a stepping out of bounds if Conlon were to point out to these wonderful young pianists the few but very obvious misreadings of notes in Prokofiev that I have noticed…Just now, for example, 4th movement, 2nd, 4th and 6th bar after no. 133, the second beat is an E-flat and not E!! I practically knocked over my laptop hearing that. Why hasn’t he (or anyone else along the way) mentioned this to Zhang?
June 2nd, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Yes, and there’s another one in the Prokofiev 3rd I just heard with Vacatello in the 3rd movement, involving an 8-va, but it might be too dicey to change in such a short time. But an aware jury will notice!!!
June 2nd, 2009 at 3:04 pm
@Nate: I’ll thank you to know that I’m not tubby.
June 2nd, 2009 at 3:06 pm
Good to know Roger … I was just cheering myself on!
June 2nd, 2009 at 3:07 pm
@Brad: Great! I didn’t know about the Rhapsody service, but I’ll look into it. His Prokoviev 3 is even better in my opinion (but one has to be very open-minded about tempi). Anyway, let me know what you think.
June 2nd, 2009 at 3:40 pm
To those who are wondering about the orchestral rehearsals not being archived: it is almost certainly because of the compensation for the orchestra musicians. A rather complicated contract would have to worked out in order to allow unlimited playback of a full orchestral rehearsal, and there is probably not really a precedent for something like this. There is language in most bargaining agreements allowing for a certain amount of repeat broadcasting of performances, and there are frameworks for what we call a “buyout” of rights to a performance.
Technically, until such an agreement is signed, the performance (or rehearsal) is the intellectual property of the musician in question. Doubtless the competitors signed a release agreement allowing the competition to make use of these performances and rehearsals. The orchestral musicians are probably receiving an additional fee of some kind for the fact that this rehearsal is being broadcast, but not for an unlimited viewability.
There is further the fact that neither the Rachmaninoff nor Prokofiev concerti are in the Public Domain in the EU and other countries where copyright is life of the composer plus 70 years. There would have to be royalties paid for viewing in those countries, or they would have to be blocked by the website. All four of the works were published before 1923, and so are public domain in the US as well as Canada, where copyright is life of the composer plus 50 years. While they may be heard in the USA without paying royalties, it only seems appropriate that a truly international competition take an international approach to it’s broadcasting.
Lecture over! I just want to add that being able to see and hear so much of this competition has really rekindled my love for the instrument and the repertoire. It’s easy to be discouraged about how marginal live performance seems to be today (I’m a professional pianist and opera singer who makes a living largely from performances), but the existence of these fine young performers who have clearly given their lives to this art brings renewed hope. I think most of those commenting on this site feel the same.
June 2nd, 2009 at 4:23 pm
Toradze produced the most thundering mind-blowing sound I ever heard in the Rach 3 when I got to hear him with with MN Orch @ in Mpls. I believe it was the early 90s and while it was the most thrilling performance of this concerto I have ever witnessed, with probably the loudest sound I honestly don’t think he had refined that sound much even then. That is in the big, loud sections. Anyhow folks were talking about his performances of it that week for months if not years.
btw- there really ought to be a collection of all the descriptive comments Conlon throws out whether they are original with him or not. Loved the Elephants marching in the mud in the Prokofiev 2 and the- Its a non-stop flight- in the Rach 3 concerning the connecting of the mvts. Di Wu got some BIG sound going there. I simply revel in having many of those sections and passages repeated several times with all the adjustment made concerning tempi and dynamics as well as seen from different camera angles. What fun and inspiration this all is.
June 2nd, 2009 at 4:27 pm
Di wu just reheasled the Rach 3 looking 80% of it to the maestro and it does sound like a sinfonic aproach rather than a solist/orchestra fight.
Zhang his also making history with such bravura in the last movement. I personaly prefer toradze/Gergiev tempos os 1st and 3rd movement but not everybody likes potatoes…
I find Colon much better conducting than 2001 and 2005, and he his beeing very respectful to all of them. All competitors seemed to have played it with orchestra several times and their interpretations are already “formated” to work with the orchestra. For instance Tsuji already Recorded Rach 2.
I remember when Artur Pizarro won Leeds competion, he only had plaeyd once with orchestra because Sequeira Costa (his teacher) had to cancel once.
This young pianists seem to have played several times simply because the number of orchestra worldwide are about 2000% more than in the 80`s.
June 2nd, 2009 at 4:43 pm
Has the performance schedule been posted anywhere? I’m not seeing the performers’ lineup on the regular Cliburn schedule page.
June 2nd, 2009 at 4:44 pm
@Dave - I’m sure folks were talking about Toradze’s performance months and years afterwards - their ears were probably still ringing after all that time :))
Yes it’s been amazing, having this - I have to call it illicit - peek into these rehearsals. Di Wu was really good in the Rachmaninoff (even if Olga Kern remains, for me, sole owner in the under-40 age group) and wow, this is going to be one hell of a final.
June 2nd, 2009 at 5:13 pm
Brad - to see the detailed performance schedule you need to click on the Daily Schedule link on the main Van Cliburn web page.
June 2nd, 2009 at 5:17 pm
The finals schedule was posted in the official Cliburn 2009 email sent June 1, 2009
SCHEDULE OF FINAL ROUND PERFORMANCES
Wednesday, June 3
Evening Performance:
7:30 p.m. - Ms. Mariangela Vacatello (Recital)
intermission
8:45 p.m. - Mr. Evgeni Bozhanov (Chopin, Piano Concerto No.1 in E minor, Op. 11)
intermission
9:45 p.m. - Ms. Di Wu (Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 19)
Thursday, June 4
Evening Performance:
7:30 p.m. - Ms. Yeol Eum Son (Recital)
intermission
8:45 p.m. - Mr. Nobuyuki Tsujii (Chopin, Piano Concerto No.1 in E minor, Op. 11)
intermission
9:45 p.m. - Mr. Haochen Zhang (Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466)
Friday, June 5
Evening Performance:
7:30 p.m. - Mr. Evgeni Bozhanov (Recital)
intermission
8:45 p.m. - Ms. Yeol Eum Son (Chopin, Piano Concerto No.2 in E minor, Op. 21)
intermission
9:45 p.m. - Ms. Mariangela Vacatello (Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58)
Saturday, June 6
Matinee Performance:
1:30 p.m. - Mr. Haochen Zhang (Recital)
intermission
2:45 p.m. - Ms. Yeol Eum Son (Prokofiev, Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 16)
intermission
3:45 p.m. - Mr. Nobuyuki Tsujii (Rachmaninoff, Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18)
Evening Performance:
7:30 p.m. - Ms. Di Wu (Recital)
intermission
8:45 p.m. - Mr. Evgeni Bozhanov (Rachmaninoff, Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18)
intermission
9:45 p.m. - Ms. Mariangela Vacatello (Prokofiev, Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26)
Sunday, June 7
Matinee Performance:
1:30 p.m. - Mr. Nobuyuki Tsujii (Recital)
intermission
2:45 p.m. - Mr. Haochen Zhang (Prokofiev, Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 16)
intermission
3:45 p.m. - Ms. Di Wu (Rachmaninoff, Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30)
5:00 p.m. - Awards Ceremony
June 2nd, 2009 at 7:19 pm
So…watching Zhang rehearse sans sheet music, the Mozart concerto.
I wonder if he’s memorized the whole thing without even a ‘refresher’…
June 2nd, 2009 at 8:08 pm
@Maestra M . . . I am in total agreement that after what I have heard and observed the last two days, this is definitely going to be one hell of a final.
June 2nd, 2009 at 8:38 pm
From a traditional sense, the conductor is supposed to be autocratic, and usually has complete authority in hiring/firing players for his orchestra. Essentially, he “owns” the orchestra.
When a soloist (aka, a competitor) comes in, the conductor will collaborate, but the bottom line is, the soloist is a “guest”, so the “guest” needs to be polite when coming to the conductor’s “home” , aka, his “territory”.
There is a famous story about violinist Cho Liang Lin (currently professor of violin at Juilliard) being asked to solo for conductor Eugene Ormandy when he was still a student at Juilliard under Dorothy DeLay. Ormandy told him the moment they met, that he has worked with Jascha Heifetz, David Oistrakh, Yehudi Menuhin … playing and recording this concerto many times in his professional life, so you better listen and learn.
Don’t get cocky just because you’re a finalist. James Conlon has conducted these concertos with Jon Nakamatsu, Olga Kern, Stan Ioudenitch, Joyce Yang and many other Cliburn finalists since at least 1997. Don’t you think he knows something ?
June 2nd, 2009 at 9:59 pm
@Gerrie: Maybe Horowitz or Slenzynska wouldn’t have made that comment, based on their experience and knowledge of the work. Zhang is a kid - a wunderkind for sure - but he lacks breadth and sophistication.
June 3rd, 2009 at 4:56 am
Did any of you hear the rehearsals last night? They GREATLY livened up my packing to leave my house for the rest of the summer
The maestro did quite a lot of work with the orchestra on all the tuttis, and it’s all sounding very stylish.
Mariangela’s Beethoven 4th sounds very elegant, and I’m sorry that I can’t hear her in the hall. She has such gorgeous finger work and is a very experienced collaborator. I’ve heard her play “Gaspard” and the D-flat Shostaovich Prelude and Fugue before, and of course the Prokofiev 3 is one of her warhorses. I expect she will do very well (what a grueling round this is for them!)
Haochen is very young, I know (it’s his 19th birthday today!) but what a wonderful talent. His Mozart K. 466 was perfectly prepared and I expect it will be a great success. I’m also sorry not hear him in the hall — I really like his sound and I actually DO think he’s very sophisticated. [From Conlon, more than once:" D Minor is Mozart's DEATH key!"] Brahms Handel and another “Gaspard” in his recital and then Prokofiev 2? I’m sorry I missed this rehearsal. Whew!
Di’s Beethoven 2nd was excellent too. [From Conlon: " This is not Beethoven. It's Mozart's last concerto."] Never quite thought of it like that, especially the cadenza in the first movement (!), which I know came much later, but still!
She sounds good and plays very elegantly and with (seemingly) a lot of pleasure. She, too, has “Gaspard” programmed — will be fun to compare the three — and I’m glad she has the Schonberg Op. 11 in there. I’m not sure about the F-sharp Minor Bach Toccata (forgive me, I find the Bach Toccatas tedious), but maybe she’ll convince me otherwise. And the ONLY Rachmaninov 3rd in the final?
I can hardly wait for this round to begin!
June 3rd, 2009 at 6:39 am
I was watching Dai Wu’s one on one with Conlon and becoming irritated. First, he kept (not intentionally) messing with her mind by questioning almost EVERYthing she was doing, the tempi (so important to individual expression), etc., and kept at it when she didn’t do it to his preference.
While he SAID the proper thing, that he would go with her, he kept reminding her that her pacing was either “too fast” or “too slow.”
And then she tends to use the Asian woman thing of heavy laughter that is from a sort of cultural training (with some) to be disarming and subservient and friend-making. Coming from a woman with such a clearly Strong mind as seen in her playing!, it was even more discomforting to me. I say that as an Asian female.
I think he decides who will take the master/student relationship most easily and goes with it so he can be seen doing this as it is maybe key to his being hired year after year. His educating forays are actually also for the audience for the final DVD.
Maybe they have told the performers this.
AND, I actually LIKE Conlon and enjoy the way he conducts AND his advice in general, but he overdid it in a few instances Tuesday out of what seemed a need to emphasize Teacher/Student relationship.
It bothered me that they have to think about
SO MUCH that they have to change almost the next day if they take his advice seriously. I don’t mean handling entrances or giving/taking cues, but the whole area of interpretation at this late date. Even the mode of articulation.
It’s rule #1 that a day before the performance it’s not good to suddenly fill performers’ minds with all these things that a listener feels they must suddenly change. There’s a worry that if one doesn’t please a conductor, this can be a point lost in the judging points. It can’t help but increase anxiety not needed in this particular Competition.
In Wu’s case I found his changes led to more conventional readings, and I found it alarming.
They should be able, this once, to express their special sense of timing (even if ‘wrong’) which did not come about without thought and which has had lot of reinforcement in the mind and body.
To create a “No, not this” in their heads when they’re about to present the most important performances in their lives is bad enough. The juror response to their performance can be life-changing, for good or bad.
After working so hard and acknowledged as being in the forefront of upcoming pianists today (most with quite a few international concert/orchestral engagements already and for some time), how they play these Final-Set concertos will be experienced by the listeners as Who they Are.
Not who Conlon wants them to be.
I don’t think anyone should judge them by how well they are deferring to Conlon’s view of the solo part. I do appreciate the times they’re talking about coordinating places that need precise mutual understanding though.
Is the performance about how well the pianist follows the Conductor? Or is it a demonstration of the vision (or lack of it) in the pianist rather than how compliant they are with the conductor’s often edgy attempts to get them to change what they and their teachers/coaches have been working on for so long?
One mild attempt to see something differently is fine, but the repeated attempts to get the performer to see something basic quite differently might be done as a good lesson for the audience in the effectiveness of different interpretations of the same passage, but it’s not good ‘preparation’ for the performer who has only a day or so to rethink all this.
Mainly, I kept thinking how it would stir anxiety in the performer.
Also, is it the time to give an 18 year old a Music 101 lecture on Mozart’s use of D minor? That had to be for the audience too (or mostly?); if not it seemed as if he was talking to a student just beginning to study a serious Mozart piece for the first time. Still, I understand he felt it was better for Zhang to play it in a way that would acknowledge all this. I did think the opening at first was too gauzy and romantic. But the I also prefer it to one of the very straight interpretations I’ve heard.
Re unusual and unpredictable rubato from the performer, that’s where the time with Bozhanov in orchestral rehearsal was key. They had to coordinate those sudden changes by Bozhanov.
In this case Conlon knew he had to pay attention to what it is Bozhanov wants and also make sure that Bozhanov was watching him as well, so that they had a chance of staying together.
All this was necessary to make sure both of them did not come off badly.
There’s also the business of the reality of whether or not an orchestra ( this one or a regional one the performer might encounter on a tour) can follow some sudden and large shift in speed.
At any rate, a performer with a secure sense of self may be deferring in the rehearsal and then in performance do what comes naturally. Conlon follows the soloist very well even in tough situations, I’ve noticed.
June 3rd, 2009 at 6:40 am
Hear hear, Anton!
June 3rd, 2009 at 6:46 am
@Andrys - Very well said, indeed!!
Now let’s see how the performances compare with the rehearsals - ought to be really interesting.
June 3rd, 2009 at 10:20 am
At the moment Conlon is speaking at the Cultural Diplomacy Symposia where he referenced two quotes which while factually inaccurate could be bandied about in the arts, especially by those who have any Italian heritage-
“The Italians invented everything”
“There are only two catagories of people: Those who are Italian and those who wish they were Italian”
Back to the rehearsals- When I consider all the past program videos/dvds of rehearsals Conlon has had with contestants and relate them to what I witnessed of his rehearsals with these 6 finalists, it does seem some of his overly pedantic manner is partly addressed to an audience OTHER than just the contestant he is working with. To the extent this is true, I personally do not believe this extra motive belongs in the 1 on 1 rehearsals with a finalist in a piano competition.
I do also worry that the unique interpretations of each pianist for these concertos is being pressed a bit much into Conlon’s mold despite him repeatedly saying it will go as the finalist wants as much as possible.
June 3rd, 2009 at 11:30 am
I believe that the jury was told by the president of the Van Cliburn foundation not to watch the internet feeds. They are extremely serious about the fairness of their competition.
June 3rd, 2009 at 11:44 am
With all due respect to Maestro Conlon and his musical wisdom, I feel he and the orchestra were hired to provide the orchestral accompaniment to these pianists. We want to hear WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY. We have many opportunities to hear Conlon’s ideas. At this time we need to know who is the best pianist by what they personally do, by their message, by their sound and their artistry. If Haocheng wants the orchestra softer, by golly DO IT, Conlon. We want to know the pianists’ ideas at this time. Their future and their lives depend on their freedom to perform
June 5th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
@ Anthony - where did you find the 1:1 concerto rehearsals with Conlon? They were under “Offstage” but were removed. I would very much like to see them.
June 5th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
@ Anthony - where did you find the Conlon 1:1 rehearsals? They were archived under “Offstage”, but were removed. I would very much like to see them.
June 5th, 2009 at 7:01 pm
Hello elmo,
They were archived several days ago when I was able to watch them. Yesterday I watched some of the final concerto performances, (archived) and did not check to see if the rehearsals were still there. If removed, perhaps the CyberCliburns will reload them.