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We captured some of the LSO working and playing hard at the Daytona Beach International Festival in this video. Enjoy! And do let us know what you think.
I think that Daytona Beach fell in love with Kristian Jarvi last night. Anyone who was at the concert we did with him in the Barbican a while ago will know what I’m talking about. The audience wasn’t quite as full as other shows here-it was a conductor they weren’t familiar with and even less well known repertoire-however people who came will go away telling there friends that they should have been there.
In the pre concert talk, Jarvi spoke passionately about music and why we should be more adventurous in our choices of repertoire. He was also very keen to discuss music education, however, when he swooped onto the stage in black with his long hair and huge smile, most of the ladies fell in love with him before he did anything! As he whipped the orchestra into a bacchanalian frenzy with more percussion latin rhythms than Lalo Schifrin, the audience went crazy. At a party afterwards, he was surrounded by people wanting to talk to him, even the men by now. I think everyone in the hall had fun last night. I think he’ll be back!
But that was last night and today we had our last concert in Daytona Beach. a little light firebird followed by Carmina Burana. It feels like every night, we have pushed the audience to its limits with the music-tonight was to be no exception.
Daniel Harding was at his expressive best in the Firebird and gave a sensational reading. The audience gave us a standing ovation-and it was only the first half! So when we came back on for Carmina, the stage was groaning with the weight of the orchestra, soloists and surely one of the best choirs I have heard, the Bach Festival Choir from Orlando. In fact the stage was so full, the children’s choir had to sit in the auditorium to sing their parts.
The house was full and on tenter hooks as Daniel raised his hands and those famous crashing chords came in. The choir sang as if their lives depended on it, they really were quite outstanding, I’m not sure what was on the pizzas they were all demolishing before the concert, but I’d like the recipe.
Carmina can go on a bit to be honest, and after the first famous chorus, you have to wait about an our until it comes back at the end. On this occasion, Dan kept the tension going all the way through, hardly pausing for breath. The soprano Malin Christensson floated effortlessly above the swaying ostinato figures and Markus Werba the baritone declaimed his parts brilliantly. However, the real stars of this show were the chorus.
As we reached the end, they seemed to lose no energy, it really did feel like a rollercoaster ride. as the trumpets blasted out the final notes and before the audience erupted, one solitary audience member summed up this performance and to be honest, the whole trip.
“Whoooooooo!” he cried, before the rest of the audience roared their approval.
What a concert and what a trip. Daytona Beach is always special and what makes it special is the welcome we receive from everybody here. The staff, the volunteers and everyone else involved make us feel so welcome and we have a great time, so it makes it easy to do great concerts. Thank you all, and we look forward to seeing all of our friends again in 2011.
Despite the joy of the concert this evening, it was with great sadness that we learned of the death of our great friend and supporter Eddie Waters.
Eddie told me once that he was a self confessed groupie of the LSO and followed us as far afield as Japan and the 2007 trip here to Daytona Beach. He was a lovely man who was also very generous, he commissioned Querk by Karl Jenkins for myself, Neil Percy and John Alley to play as part of the 2004 centenary celebrations. Wherever we were playing around the world, he would always sit, as I look out to the audience, about 3 or 4 rows back, just to the right of the conductor, usually in one of his bright red or green jackets! I shall miss the wave we gave each other as I walked on stage every night. We all will.
Rest in peace Eddie.
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- The lovely June and her teapot. My favourite person in Daytona Beach
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- Tom and Malcolm during Mozart rehearsal
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- Mozart’s Letters in Deland
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- Daytona Speedway Rehearsal!!
After a very welcome day off where I personally did very little except move from pool to beach, the second free day saw a lot of us whizzing around at high speed. The organisers of the festival had very kindly organised for us to visit the Daytona NASCAR racing track. Being used to the kind of motorsport we see in Britain, with its turns and tight tracks, I was intrigued to see what makes a sport where the cars go around a huge banked oval track, so popular. Like everything in America, the track was huge. It is 2.5 miles long with a couple of grandstands which hold a couple of hundred thousand people. Two of the three banked corners are at an angle of 31 degrees which means you have to go fast otherwise the car slips off the track.
The best thing about our visit was that we all got to go round the track in a pace car at about 140 mph. Four lucky members climbed in the window of a real racing car and deafened us all with an even faster lap. I’m not sure which was louder though, the exhaust of Sylvain’s screaming! What a fantastic experience-I can only imagine the thrill as fifty of these cars race at 200mph, three abreast. Now I see what all the fuss is about!
I had to make a swift exit, as I had another chamber concert, Mozart’s Letters, over in Deland. Tom, Malcolm, Rebecca, Mathew and I played a concert where some of the letters Mozart wrote to his friends and family were woven in between some of his chamber music. We had the pleasure of playing in the refurbished Athens Theatre, an old vaudeville hall which had a great acoustic and a great audience. To be honest, as soon as Matt opened his mouth and his boomy English accent came out, we couldn’t really lose! After the show, we had a reception out on the street and met some lovely people who all commented that it was so nice to see us obviously enjoying ourselves. Well, whats the point in looking miserable just because you play classical music? Great theatre, great music, great audience,what’s not to smile about? We also were happy as we stayed in Deland after the show and went to a new Indian restaurant called Cress and had a fantastic curry! What a great day.
The following day, we had rehearsals for the last couple of concerts and a free evening. This was just as well as the next day went on forever.
After several of June’s cups of tea, we began with a rehearsal for the family and community concert where we were joined by a group of very enthusiastic young Floridian musicians. They were members of the AT&T youth ensemble and had been working with LSO players all week-finally they played on stage with us. Paul Rismann led the concert, which was conducted by Mike Francis, through a fast paced tour of the Enigma variations and various other pieces. By the volume of the response of the audience, I could tell they liked it!
We had a short break to get some lunch before we began the rehearsal with Lalo Schifrin for the evening show. Its always great for the LSO to let its hair down, but the skill of Lalo’s orchestration and composition means that we aren’t simply a backing band. The orchestral writing in soundtracks like Bullit, Mission Impossible and Dirty Harry are full of power and instantly take you back to the films. He once wrote a score for the Exorcist which wasn’t used in the end – the rumour is that is was too scary – seriously!! I had the chance to put a few questions to him and his wonderful band in a pre concert talk. His CV is so varied and astonishing, just reading it makes me feel like an incompetent musician. He studied classical composition in Paris with none other than Messiaen (who didn’t like him doing Jazz), and whilst playing in a bar was approached by Dizzy Gillespie to join his band. Even Alex Acuna, the drummer in Lalo’s band has god like status – he was the drummer in Weather Report and even played with Elvis Presley! However, the star of the night for many was the multi instrumentalist James Morrison. He played trombone, trumpet and flugal horn brilliantly. I can’t possibly describe what he does, you simply have to hear it, but at several points in the evening he had the LSO laughing at his sheer virtuosity and skill-this man can get higher up than I can!
On the trombone!
At one point he was doing a call and response solo by holding his trombone in his left hand and trumpet in his right and swapping between the two-unbelievable. Please do search him out, you won’t be disappointed.
In the pre concert talk, someone asked how much they practice. There were various answers as you would expect. James however said that he never practiced-he played so many instruments, how would he know which one to practice. He wasn’t joking.
A fantastic night with some truly remarkable musicians. In fact a rather humbling night to be in the company of such versatile and talented men.
I am off to practice.
I woke up yesterday with that familiar nauseous feeling in the pit of my stomach. It’s always the same, but before my brain becomes fully conscious I try and remember why it is that I feel off colour. After a few seconds, I remember and crawl out of bed, open the curtains and let the low blazing sun light up my room. The music for the concerto sits staring at me on the table and the cadenzas, which suddenly seem to have more notes than before, spill out of the score. My flute sits expectantly, waiting to be polished and cleaned, and a clean white shirt hangs crumpled on a hanger. As I stand in a hot room, ironing, I get ready as fast as I can , I want to eat some breakfast before nerves prevent me from eating lunch. I don’t have time to sit by the pool today, we have a rehearsal this morning and then I will be playing the Mozart flute and harp concerto with Bryn Lewis. However right now I feel like walking out into the waves and letting nature take its course…
So after managing to eat something I walk over to the Peabody early to warm up. Its a funny thing, but the thought of things like this are often worse than the event themselves. As soon as I put my instrument together and start playing, I instantly feel calmer. Maybe it’s a sense of relief that I can actually play, or maybe it’s just doing something, anything, to take my mind off being nervous. In the heat of the dressing room, a small lizard darts across the chair-does this mean good luck? I don’t know, but I’ve never seen one in the Barbican that’s for sure.
As the stage fills, normality makes me feel calmer and soon enough we are rehearsing Mahler for the second half of the afternoon concert, it gives me something else to focus on. As ever, we have to sort out the offstage trumpets. The first time through they are too loud, so Daniel asks them to move further away. This time it sounds better and Dan asks them to come onto the stage. They actually have a tv monitor so that they can see the conductor, so they see him waving and appear at one of the side doors.
“That sounds great, how far away are you?”
Rod Franks replies,” We moved back to the corridor. We tried to play it from Froggy’s bar across the road, but the cables wouldn’t stretch!”
Daniel laughs and calls for the break in rehearsal.
I fortify myself with one of June’s cups of tea – and then another one – I don’t know what we’d do without her over here- and then return to the stage. Bryn is already centre stage with his harp and I take my place next to him. It’s very strange to stand up the front. I don’t get to do it very often and I know that there are no critics in any newspaper who can compete with my colleagues! The rehearsal goes very smoothly and we actually finish early, I am feeling strangely calm by now and manage to eat a sandwich.
Before we can play the concert, I have to do the pre concert talk with Bryn. Now I’ve done quite a few of these over the years, but I think Bryn is more nervous about it than the concerto! However, once we take the stage, he is a natural. The audience here in Daytona beach always have lots of questions and today is no exception. We find out that he didn’t start playing until he was 18 and has at least 7 harps-or maybe more! By the time the talk is over we both feel quite relaxed and the countdown begins.
I don’t have a ritual before I play, except another cup of tea, but today there is only time to change and warm up again. The orchestra takes the stage, the hall is full and Bryn and I stand in the wings in the darkness with Daniel and Carmine. The door opens and light bursts out towards us, Carmine walks into it to applause and the door is closed. It is dark again. Alan our stage manager asks if we are ready, but it’s a rhetorical question, the door is opened once again and Bryn and I walk onto the stage. I imagine it’s how rugby players feel when they walk out of the tunnel in Cardiff, except quieter. I can see the front few rows of audience, but the rest are cloaked in darkness, silent, waiting for us to begin. It is strange as 3 minutes earlier I was a bundle of nerves and if someone had told me the concert was cancelled, I wouldn’t have minded, yet now, with my flute up and ready, I feel relaxed and excited all at the same time. I guess I must be a natural show off.
It’s not really for me to say how it went, but I was quite happy. Bryn was as ever, marvellous and having the LSO as a backing band is always going to be a treat. Daniel was of course…a super conductor.
If you want to read a review and see a picture (I did iron my shirt), follow this link.
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/Entertainment/Headlines/entMUS01042709.htm
Tomorrow, a group of us travel round the Daytona speedway at 140mph. That’s even faster than Carmine playing Moto Perpetuo.
I think.
Simon Trpceski was a delight to interview, and I pronounced his name correctly you’ll be pleased to know. It turns out that in his spare time he writes pop music, he tells me that at home in Macedonia, he is almost better known as a pop star! He sadly didn’t sing anything for us, but I am going to pay close attention to the Macedonian entry in next years Eurovision song contest.
Simon played the Grieg piano concerto in the opening concert of the festival for the LSO. He was fantastic. He talked earlier about the simplicity of the folk music he played on accordion as a child and how the Grieg was very similar. Of course, it’s the hardest thing in the world to play a simple melody and make it sing, but he did it beautifully. I look forward to seeing him play in London next year.
The second half of the show was devoted to Brahms 1st symphony. Its one of my favourite pieces and a joy to play. Daniel Harding is the conductor in residence this year and he seems to be enjoying himself. In fact, in the programme for the festival he is described as the “European Super conductor”. I always thought that was something to do with quantum mechanics, but Dan doesn’t seem to mind, he’s so relaxed he’s probably following the path of least resistance anyway. Still whatever you call him, he does make the symphony very exciting indeed. The audience gave us a standing ovation which was our queue to move next door for a party where we all danced to a fabulous big band.
This morning, I managed to sit by the pool for a while before the rehearsal. I haven’t mentioned the weather, it would seem like I’m bragging, and if you are reading this in Britain then lets just say its a bit nicer here. However it was soon time to go to the huge arena opposite the hotel for the LSO Pops concert. Tonight is was all themed around speed. I was nervous as it would mean playing fast-a lot. I was right, flight of the bumble bee was the second piece followed by a bit from Harry Potter where the woodwind players zoomed around like broomsticks. But the prize for the night has to go to Carmine Lauri our leader. He stood up in front of a sea of people and played Moto Perpetuo unbelievably fast. I don’t quite know how he does it-his fingers were moving so fast they were a blur. I saw him afterwards by the pool drinking a beer-well deserved, but I’m sure he was probably dipping his fingers in the water to cool them down when nobody was looking. Tommy Pearson was compere for the evening and did a great job keeping the evening flowing along nicely.
I am writing this bed, despite some of my friends going out, I have turned in for the night for tomorrow its my turn up the front. Bryn and I are the soloists in the first half, playing Mozart’s Flute and Harp concerto or as its known here, the Flat and Sharp. I don’t get to stand up at the front very often so I am a bit nervous. No, terrified actually, and to make matters worse we have Mahler 1 in the second half. before that however I have a pre concert interview to do with the soloist. As even I can’t talk to myself for 45 minutes, I’ll be having a chat about harps and strings and things with Bryn before the show.
I’ll let you know how we get on…
“You haven’t filled in the green form sir”, said the man at immigration.
Here we go again, I thought.
“Oh I’m sorry, I see you have a work visa so you don’t have to fill in the green form (just the white and blue one actually)-its just most folks come here on holiday, I haven’t seen many work visas”
This is what happens when you get off the plane quickly, because very shortly he was about to see about one hundred work visas. So then the questions began. He was very friendly, it’s just that I was tired and being asked questions is not high on my to do list right now.
“So you’re here with the London symphony? Cool!”
I know whats coming next.
“And what instrument do you play then?”
If had a dollar for every time I had been asked that at an airport I would retire. It’s not that I mind being asked, it’s the response that I get when I say that I play the flute. Its normally along the lines of-that’s for girls or I used to play the recorder or even are you gay then? I sometimes make something up and say I play something manly like the trumpet, but the my bag gives me away.
“I play the flute” I say with a big cheesy grin, and await my fate.
“Awesome” he says.
“I’m sorry?”
“Awesome, its awesome that you play the flute man. Have a great trip”
I am stunned into silence, smile and walk off with testosterone in my step feeling…well…awesome I guess. Nobody has ever said that the flute is awesome before.
So after landing in Orlando with a dance troupe from Aberdeen and lots of families going to Disneyland we get on some buses and drive to Daytona Beach. I am one of the lucky ones on the first flight, as half the orchestra are delayed at Gatwick for 3 hours and don’t arrive at the hotel until nearly midnight. We are greeted at the hotel by the lovely staff and volunteers of the festival who always welcome us so generously and although we are feeling a little tired, it almost feels like coming home here. After a few drinks in the Ocean deck bar on the beach we all head off to bed, the main LSO concerts start after the day off, however I have a chamber music concert on the free day so I am anxious to get some sleep.
Of course jet lag as usual ruins my sleep and at 6.30 am I am running down the beach. Usually we come in July when it is unbearably hot, but as I step out in my running stuff, the sun is obscured by cloud and I feel a little chilly! Daytona Beach is famous and seems to go on for ever. A huge expanse of sand that you can drive on stretches into the distance and I enjoy blowing away a few cobwebs by running barefoot through the shallows. I feel like David Hasselhof-sort of. In the last 10 minutes of my run the sun breaks through and I realise that although this is April, it is still really hot here.
So later on in the day, a group of us go to the News Journal Center across the bridge to do a concert called Music of the British Isles. This is not Elgar and Ades, but a collection of folk music we arranged from the four home countries. We have some well known and lesser known tunes which are interspersed with readings from famous writers like Dylan Thomas and Shakespeare (who was 445 on the day!). We played the concert once before in Daytona and it went down so well we were asked to do it again. I was very lucky to have a fabulous group of players (Sarah Quinn, Malcolm Johnston, Rebecca Gilliver, Neil Percy and John Alley) who not only played beautifully but were game enough to stand up and read poetry as well. Sarah read in Irish, I read in Welsh (badly) and John would give Ken Brannagh a run for his money with his lovely readings of a some sonnets. It was a fun evening which included some partisan cheering from certain sections of the audience-I think Malcolm may have paid some ex pat Scots. After so many sad songs from Wales, we ended by playing some of the sea songs which you hear on the last night of the Proms. Of course we knew that everyone would want to join in and so I bought some party whistles-those ones that you blow and a long paper tongue unravels with the squeak. It wasn’t until I opened the packet that I realized I had bought giant ones which when extended were about 3 feet long (see the picture). I can’t tell you how funny it looked seeing a group of grown ups blowing raspberries at us whilst the paper bit tickled the person in front. And the person in front of them too. If you were at the concert, thank you for being such good sports, I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!
I have just returned from a rehearsal today (Friday) with Dan Harding for tonight’s concert. we are playing Brahms 1 and Simon Trpceski is playing the Grieg Piano Concerto. I have to go now as I am interviewing him before the show, all I need to do is figure out how to pronounce his name. I’ll tell you how it went very soon.
It seems like only 2 weeks ago since we last spoke and sure enough, once again we are off to the USA. This time rather than coast to coast across the country we arrive later this week in Daytona Beach and we shall not move until we come home again. We are resident at the Daytona Beach International Festival and will be performing 6 concerts with the orchestra, chamber music concerts, discovery work with young musicians, musicians on call, pre concert talks and interviews and I even get to polish my shoes, stand up the front with Bryn Lewis and play a concerto. In fact we are so busy, I’m not sure I will even manage to see the famous beach.
There will be some extra stuff for you to enjoy on this tour -but you’ll find out about that later. So keep logging on to get the latest information on whats going on and we will keep you entertained with words and pictures.
We just have two concerts left in London with Daniel Harding and then we leave the next morning so I had better start packing. Now where is that factor 50?
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