<ICS Exclusive Interview>**CONVERSATION
WITH ANNER BYLSMA**
<ICS Forum/ Cello Chat Board>
<Membership Spotlight> **
YOSHIDA HIROMICHI**
<Feature Article> **
SO YOU WANT TO BE A STAR? **
<News Clipping> **ISSERLIS
HONORED, SCHNITTKE DIES**
< Review>
** ANNER BYLSMA PLAYS BACH **
<ICS Award Website> ** BACH,
THE FENCING MASTER **
______________________________________________________________
<Music Festival Watch>
<ICS Library>
<Announcements> Detroit Symphony Audition
<Other Internet Music Resources>
<WHAT'S NEW at ICS!>
http://www.cello.org/new.htm
ICS has almost 3,200 members. There are two new countries represented by our membership: Georgia and Malta. Here is the total list of 70 countries:
Argentina, Australia, Austria, Barbados, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Columbia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Ecuador, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Latvia, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, Virgin Islands, Zimbabwe.
Several biographies have been added or updated. Frank Miller, late cellist of the Chicago Symphony, has been added to our list of biographies of "Great Cellists of the Past." Pierre Fournier's page has been updated with a photo. Leonard Rose's daughter has written additional information about her father on his page.
#Cellotalk, our live cello chat board, has been field tested by the webmaster and some of our faithful members, and it seems to work great! webmaster plans to be in the #Cellotalk chat room every Saturday from 9 to 10 PM, Eastern Time. Everyone is invited to join the discussion.
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As you will see, there's a lot of Anner
Bylsma in this issue. If you are a fan of his, you
will love this newsletter. If you are not, compare
your reading experience to ripping off a band-aide;
you're getting it over with all at once. Regardless
of your cellistic allegiances, Mr. Bylsma has many
thought- provoking ideas for us all to ponder.
Of the many interviews that I have done,
there are two that have really shaken me up, making
me re-examine how I play -- the interviews of Victor
Sazer and Anner Bylsma. The interview with Victor
Sazer made me take a fresh look at my technique. The
interview with Anner Bylsma has caused me to re-think
how I play Bach and other composers. I do not mean
to say that I have decided to become Sazer or Bylsma
clones, I just mean that I am looking at what I do
with fresh eyes.
We also have an eye-opening interview done
by 'T.O.C.' about the Tchaikovsky Competition. 'T.O.C.'
stands for "The Omnipotent Critic," who, we hope, will
become a regular contributor to our site. For further
information about him, go to his website, http://www.affordablearts.com/html/eclectra_records.html
and click on the "T.O.C." button.
Tim Finholt
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>>I read your "Interpretational Angst"
article. What a mess is the cello world.
Anner Bylsma
>>Hi. The Internet Cello Society is very,
very good. I like it very much. We don't have information
available like this in China. What you do is very
important. Thank you very much for the ICS.
George Xie
Cello Department
>>I just discovered the Internet Cello
Society today and am impressed. I started playing
the cello when I was 9 (in 1974) and played in some
competitions and at church, as well as in orchestras.
I tried my go on the keyboard but never practiced
enough to become real proficient. The cello came natural
for me, but I have never put my all into developing
my talent to its fullest. I have since sold my Yamaha
SY99 keyboard and have decided to start practicing
my cello again. I don't know exactly what I will use
it for, but I wouldn't mind playing in an orchestra
again (on a very part time basis).
Scott N.
**If you would like to respond to something
you have read in 'Tutti Celli', write to editor@cello.org
and type "Membership Letter" in subject field. (Letters
may be edited.)**
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Dutch cellist Anner Bylsma received his
first lessons from his father and concluded his instruction
with Carel van Leeuwen Boonkamp at The Hague Conservatory,
when he was awarded the Prix dexcellence. In 1959
he won a prestigious first prize from the Pablo Casals
Concours in Mexico. He was solo cellist with the Concertgebouw
Orchestra in Amsterdam from 1962 to 1968. He performs
regularly around the world as a soloist and recitalist,
and has recorded for Das Alte Werk, Telefunken, Decca,
Harmonia Mundi, Seon, RCA, Phillips, and EMI. Anner
Bylsma is perhaps most famous for his interpretations
of the music of Baroque and Early Classical periods.
He recently published a book on the Bach Solo Cello
Suites, entitled Bach, The Fencing Master - Reading
aloud from the first three cello suites, where he
discusses his analysis of the Anna Magdalena manuscript
and issues related to performing Bach (www.ponticello.com/bylsma)
TF: I have read several times that you
dont like the word authenticity. Whats wrong with
it?
AB: This term is used as a weapon by some
to exclude fellow musicians, and as a marketing tool
by record companies to help sell records, even when
the performance is not "authentic" at all. This word
actually means whatever one wants it to mean, and is
mostly a great way of posturing: My compromise is
the best compromise, and all others are wrong! Let
us not forget that people come to concerts for musical
enjoyment, not because they espouse certain musical/political
views.
To play as Bach did is impossible, as it
is with any other good composer. It helps to study
the instruments as they were at the time and how they
were played, but it will never sound as it did then.
And if it accidentally did, we would not recognize
it as being such. This study, however, will deliver
unexpected moments of an authentic feeling, which
can be quite an inspiration. You must admit that the
current fashion of authenticity has brought us many
beauties, and has made well-known pieces sound new.
There is a much better word than authentic.
It is the word true. Somebody plays something and
it rings true. It is meant honestly, comes from the
heart, and gives pleasure. It's more of a feeling
that you must be playing the way the piece was meant
to be played. But this feeling never stays with you,
since it is very ephemeral.
** The remainder of the interview has been
archived at http://cello.org/Artists/Artist.htm
A photo is included.**
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<MEMBERSHIP SPOTLIGHT>
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YOSHIDA HIROMICHI
I started playing cello when I was 36 years
old. Many of my friends
asked me, "Why the cello? What happened
to you?" I did not have any experience in playing
musical instruments before starting cello, so this
was totally new for me.
In 1986, for my new job, my family and
I moved to the city of Handa, in Aichi Prefecture,
Japan, where a new community orchestra was being formed.
In order to publicize the orchestra, the organizing
committee invited a famous conductor to make a speech
about symphony orchestras and classical music. Since
I liked listening to classical music I decided to attend.
After his speech, I noticed a poster at the exit that
said, "Let's have our own orchestra. We are looking
for orchestral players." I thought it might be good
to play in the orchestra, but I suspected that only
experienced players would be welcomed, though the poster
said nothing about this. I expected that the orchestra
would have some sort of training program for beginners.
Only later did I find out that I was wrong!
I went to the registration desk and asked
for an application. I filled in the name and address.
Then the next blank asked which instrument I would
play. At the time I had no idea which instrument I
would like. A stringed instrument seemed good, but
I thought the violin was too small, and the contrabass
too large. I finally chose cello and wrote it in the
instrument column.
A few weeks later, a letter came from the
organizing committee inviting me to an inaugural meeting.
The Mayor of Handa made a congratulatory address about
the new community orchestra, and, after a few more
rather boring speeches, we enjoyed some refreshments.
At the end of the meeting, a member of the organizing
committee distributed papers and said, "We will start
orchestra practice on the 4th movement next week, so
please start practicing at home." He came over and
gave me a cello part to the New World Symphony! It
was the first time I had ever seen a cello score.
I said, "I can't play the cello."
He thought I was being modest and said,
"You can start with what you can do."
I timidly said, "I can't play at all.
Actually, I have never touched a cello before."
His eyes seemed to pop out of his head.
I suspected he wanted to say, "Then why are you here?"
but he was smart enough not to. He said, "You need
to buy a cello first. Let me introduce you to a friend
who owns a musical instrument shop."
The following week, I went to his friend's
shop. Of course, I knew nothing about instruments,
including their prices. I said, "I am just a beginner.
I do not need a brand new instrument, since they must
be expensive. A secondhand one would be fine with
me."
The lady at the shop said with a smile,
"Well, generally speaking, a secondhand instrument
is more expensive than a brand new one. For instance,
the old Italian cellos over there are priced at one
million yen."
(A complete transcript is linked here.)
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<FEATURE ARTICLE>
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SO YOU WANT TO BE A STAR?
Reflections on the 1998 Tchaikovsky Cello
Competition
T.O.C. (The Omnipotent Critic) interviews Tchaikovsky Competition
Cello Judge, Andor Toth
(http://www.affordablearts.com/html/eclectra_records.html)
T.O.C.: Almost every instrumentalist
who is any good, and many that arent, have at least
dreamed of becoming a star. The person who is called
upon to replace Yo-Yo Ma at the last minute makes a
sensation and is a super star forever more. Most of
these people also fantasize about entering and winning
competitions and getting fame and stardom this way.
Andor, this past summer you were on the cello jury
of what many would consider to be the most important
music competition in the world, the XI International
Tchaikovsky Competition. What does it take to win
this thing?
AT: You like to ask the easy questions,
dont you? Ok, the answer probably is talent, friends
in high places, and luck.
T.O.C.: When you say, friends in high
places, do you mean the competition is fixed?
AT: Thats a hard question to answer
honestly. I think there is a great deal of predestination
in something like this. Of the twelve judges, four
were current Russian cellists; one was the great Russian
cellist, Michael Khomitser who now lives in Israel;
then you had judges from Latvia, Finland, and Poland
who have long standing ties to Russia. Those judges
that had no ties to Russia were from Germany, France,
Japan, and myself.
There were 53 contestants that finally
took part in the competition. Of those, 14 were from
todays Russia, and six were from the former Soviet
Union, and, in addition to this, six I believe work
in Germany with the wonderful Russian cellist and teacher,
David Geringas. So 26 out of 53 contestants had direct
ties to Russia and were well known to the Russian judges.
What many outsiders dont realize is that
the Russians have an elimination competition in February
to determine which Russian students will be allowed
to compete. For the most part, the same Russian judges
who were in Moscow for the Tchaikovsky heard this competition
and decided which cellists should go. For me, in Moscow,
it was the first time I heard these cellists. I had
no preconceptions. The Russians, on the other hand,
knew very well who was having a bad day, who was playing
over their heads, and who was getting by. I think
it is a very hard thing to put aside such preconceptions.
Also, I am sure they had a very strong idea of who
among the Russian cellists was the best, and perhaps
should win.
It seemed to me that their views of the
foreign competitors were more or less evenhanded.
Most of these students were new to them, as they were
to me. This does mean, however, that a foreign competitor
is at somewhat of a disadvantage, since their mistakes
are not as readily forgiven.
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<NEWS CLIPPING>
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British cellist Steven Isserlis is to become
Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
in recognition of his services to music. The order,
which can be awarded to any British citizen, ranks
below that of a knighthood and above an OBE (Officer
of the Order of the British Empire).
Alfred Schnittke, whose compositions include
two cello concertos, two cello sonatas, a triple concerto
for violin, viola, and cello, a cello piece arranged
from the ballet Peer Gynt, a short piece called "Sounding
Letters," and "Improvisation" for Solo Cello died on
August 3, 1998, of a stroke in Hamburg, Germany.
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< REVIEW>
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ANNER BYLSMA PERFORMS BACH: A REVIEW
by Tim Finholt
On October 3, 1998, Anner Bylsma performed
the first three Bach Suites for Solo Cello at St. Andrews
Presbyterian Church in Victoria, BC. The concert was
sponsored by Early Music Society of the Islands, which
is "committed to the idea that artistically successful
performances of early music are historically informed.
All concerts presented by the Society feature original
instruments, historical performance practices and accurate
scores; or in this case, potentially accurate second
hand copies of scores.
After interviewing Anner Bylsma (see interview
this month), this was one concert I couldn't miss.
I had to see if what we discussed was true. Will
I yearn for flowing lines? Does varying the bowings
in sequences and other similar passages add discernible
variety and interest to the performance? Will I miss
vibrato? Will I prefer the timbre of a baroque cello
and gut strings to that of a modern cello with steel
strings? These were the questions that preoccupied
me as I took my seat.
My contemplative state was quickly jarred
by an announcement that Mr. Bylsmas originally scheduled
flight was canceled and that he had to take a later
one that day. To brighten his jetlagged day further,
his luggage had been temporarily lost, and would be
delivered to the church very soon, perhaps before the
intermission. As a result, he would be performing
the first half of the concert in the clothes he wore
on the plane. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately,
he wasnt wearing a Hawaiian shirt and shorts.
After joking about tying a special knot
in his tie in lieu of wearing his tux, he sat down
to play -- beautifully -- and all my questions were
answered. In a sense, the questions became irrelevant,
because the performance felt so right, or so "true"
as he calls it. He has definitely transcended the
"Head vs. Heart" dichotomy.
I never once felt as if he were dispassionately
playing the manuscript, playing Bach's notes and nothing
more. His phrasing was very clear and wonderfully
human, so no sense of line was missed. His (Bach's?)
varying of bowings in sequences gave the music a syncopated
feel, which definitely added interest and a sense of
playfulness to the music. He used vibrato only sparingly,
but, because of his profound expressive ability with
the bow, vibrato became more of a tool for adding variety
and interest, not merely an expectation. And what
a gorgeous velvety resonance his instrument had, which
you don't hear on modern instruments. I found myself
content to just sit back and enjoy his performance.
So the ultimate question then becomes,
"Do we want to play in this manner?" Yes, we'd all
like to be able to play like him, but do we agree with
the Early Music Society's belief that "artistically
successful performances of early music are historically
informed?" If we answer "yes," then we each have a
lot of work ahead of us, and a lot of unlearning to
do. If we answer "no," are we just being lazy? Or
can one genuinely "disagree" with the Baroque aesthetic,
if such a question even makes sense?
I'll leave these questions to you.
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<ICS AWARD WEBSITE>
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November/December Award Website:
*** BACH, THE FENCING MASTER ***
http:// www.ponticello.com/bylsma
This is the home page for Anner Bylsma's
new book. It contains quotes from his book, as well
as audio clips.
**Please notify Tim Finholt of interesting
websites that you would like to nominate for this recognition
in the future. Websites will be selected based on their
content, cello relevance, creativity and presentation
style!
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<ICS FORUM/CELLO CHAT>
**If you would like to ask a question,
discuss an issue or get some expert advice, post a
message at CELLOTALK, which is located at our website.
ICS Forum Hosts have been asked to check
your posts regularly. In this way not only the forum
hosts, but the entire membership and Internet community
see your message! You are still welcome to contact
the forum hosts directly. For a complete list of ICS
Forum Hosts please see http://www.cello.org/The_Society/Staff.html
>> Last night I heard Sarah Chang perform
Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D with the London
Philharmonic. Several months ago, Vengerov played
the same with Rostropovich and the London Symphony.
Next week Heinrich Schiff plays Dvorak's you-know-what.
This, following Ma's performance of the Dvorak at
the Albert Hall just a month ago. Upcoming are Lynn
Harrell (Don Quixote), Isserlis (Dvorak again), and
one other I'm forgetting. Why don't we throw in Rostropovich
and the Elgar and be done with it?
So what's my point? In a way if feel "sorry"
for these immensely talented musicians who I think
are being "forced" to play the same pieces over and
over again. Why? Well I suppose the Albert Hall and
the Barbican would look cavernously empty if the program
included, say, Ma playing Lalo instead of Elgar or
Dvorak.
There are a lot of points I want to bring
out, but to shorten this message, I'll just post them
as questions.
1. How do these musicians feel about being
"exhibited" along with the crowd-pleasing warhorses?
2. Is there anything more that can be
said musically or emotionally about these pieces that
hasn't been expressed?
3. Is this all imaginary? Should I just
shut up and be thankful that cello soloists are at
least in demand, notwithstanding that their performances
leave a lot to be desired (to the "knowing" cellists)?
4. Ma playing Dvorak/Elgar/Strauss begets
more interest in Ma playing more Dvorak/Elgar/Strauss,
and so on and on, like rotating windmills. I don't
think this pattern necessarily advances more general
appreciation for cello music (how many classical music
fans know about Boccherini's B-Flat Cello Concerto?)
Gracias for your indulgence.
"Sancho Panza"
>>A few thoughts about vibrato:
1.Try playing without your thumb touching
the neck of cello. Allow your released thumb to go
wherever it wants to. If your thumb is beside you fingers,
you may find greater freedom than if it opposite your
second finger.
2. Place each finger with your entire arm,
allowing your forearm to rotate slightly as you go
from one finger to the next.
3. Release your fingers, allowing them
to be close to each other rather than spread apart.
Your hand, arm, etc. are freer with your fingers this
way. Open the distance between fingers to reach for
the next note but keep it closed as much as possible
while vibrating on each note.
4. Pull your vibrato toward the flat side
of the note. Firstly, because human ear accepts the
top of the vibratos oscillation as the pitch. Secondly,
when you pull to the flat side of a note, your bodys
natural elasticity automatically takes it back to the
note. Fore every pulled stroke you get an extra reactive
motion with no additional effort. Two for the price
of one!
So, the vibrato only goes from the pitch
to the flat side and back, etc. It is the upper edge
of your finger that establishes the length of string
that vibrates and this is what determines pitch. This
knowledge can help you establish a beautiful, tension-free
vibrato.
A vibrato that is pushed upward doesnt
return by itself, it must be actively returned. It
requires more work,it feels tighter and tends to make
you play sharp.
5. You might also experiment placing your
fingers on the wood of the fingerboard between the
strings and on the low side of the string and play
by touching the low side of the string rather than
the top of the string and pressing it down against
the fingerboard.
This approach can provide the ultimate
in freedom of movement. It is not necessary for the
string to touch the fingerboard to produce good pitch
and a beautiful vibrato. The only time the string must
touch the wood, is when you play pizzicato.
Victor Sazer
>> I just wanna tell you all that I love
my teacher!!! Mr. X [name deleted] is wonderful!!
He is mean but he does fix my problems!!!!!! He would
be the teacher that I would recommend to study with!
"Baby"
>>Tim Finholt replies: This message has
been included because it brings up an interesting question.
If a teacher is "mean" or perhaps verbally abusive
(derisive name calling etc.), and yet the teacher has
a talent for solving technical problems, can the teacher
truly be called "wonderful"? Could he actually be
labeled as a "bad teacher"?
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<MUSIC FESTIVAL WATCH>
**If you have announcements, comments or
reviews of music festivals, please
write Roberta Rominger at roberta@rominger.surfaid.org
**
This is the quiet season for cello festivals.
Plenty of time to plan ahead,
however! Here are a few things coming
up in the distant future.
International Witold Lutoslawski Cello
Competition
February 14-21, 1999, Warsaw, Poland
The Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival,
Lubeck, Germany, Summer 1999.
Third Australasian International Cello
Festival and Competition
CELLIBASH '99, St. Augustine, Florida USA,
August 2-7, 1999
http://home.att.net/~pineda/cellibash.html
Manchester International Cello Festival,
Manchester U.K. May 3-7, 2000.
World Cello Congress III, Baltimore, Maryland,
Leonard Rose International Cello Competition
and Festival, College Park,
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<ICS LIBRARY>
**Sarah Dorsey, official ICS librarian
at sbdorsey@steffi.uncg.edu (Please do not abuse this
valuable service; check local libraries and resources
before contacting Sarah.) If you know of newsletters,
teaching materials, references, lists or articles that
should be added to ICS Library, please send data to
director@cello.org. (Library contents will be available
to all Internet users; please include author and written
statement of release for unlimited or limited reproduction.)**
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<ACTIVITIES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS>
**Members can submit announcements or news
to tjf@sparling.com **
The Detroit Symphony Orchestra will be
holding auditions for the position of Principal Cello.
Auditions in Detroit are scheduled for January 9-12,
1999. This opportunity is for immediate employment
or upon mutual agreement with the winning candidate's
earliest availability. Please send a detailed resume
via mail or FAX by December 4, 1998 to:
Stephen Molina, Orchestra Personnel Manager
Only the most highly qualified applicants
will be considered for this position. Repertoire will
not be given over the telephone. The
Audition Committee reserves the right to
immediately dismiss any candidates not meeting the
highest professional standards.
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<OTHER INTERNET MUSIC RESOURCES>
**ICS NET Resource Editor: Deborah Netanel
at netaned@email.uc.edu**
Israel Chamber/Liszt Society
New Music Education Project in Israel
InterActive Music Emporium
Chambermusic.com, an internet chamber music
directory
Australian Cello Teachers on the Internet
<MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR>
<MEMBERSHIP LETTERS>
Shanghai Conservatory of Music
<ICS EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW>
http://cello.org/Artists/Artist.htm
**************************************************************
CONVERSATION WITH ANNER BYLSMA
by TIM FINHOLT
e-mail: mszwajger@energopomiar.com.pl
http://www.shmf.de/mk-index-e.html
Christchurch, New Zealand
19 - 25 July 1999
E-mail: a.ivashkin@music.canterbury.ac.nz
USA May 28 - June 4, 2000.
http://www.towson.edu/~breazeal/cello.htm
Maryland USA July 19-28, 2001.
http://www.inform.umd.edu/rossboroughfestival/rose
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
3711 Woodward Ave
Detroit, MI 48201
FAX: 313-576-5182
http://members.xoom.com/israelbaron
http://www.angelfire.com/il/guitareduc/educ.html
http://tqd.advanced.org/3656
http://www.chambermusic.com
http://www.fast.net.au/sydmusic/cello.htm
Direct correspondence to the appropriate ICS
Staff
Webmaster: "webmaster"
Director: John Michel
Copyright © 1995-98
Internet Cello Society