Story time....and the conductor was.....

That sweat-drenched face was bearing down upon us like the archangel of vengeance himself as we almost disemboweled ourselves with feverish effort. Then suddenly, a spine-chilling wail:
"Pi-a-a-a-n-o-o! Bassi! Contrabassi! You grunt away like pigs! You sound as if you were scratching your bellies--szshrump! szshrump!" he would bellow, while, tearing at his clothes, he viciously pantomimed the scratching. "Corpo del vostro Dio! PI-A-A-NO!"

"But Maestro," a player would sometimes protest in a small, hesitant, and resentful voice. "My part is printed 'forte.' "

"What you say?" the Old Man would growl menacingly, unbelievingly, distracted for the moment from his tirade.

"It says 'forte,' " the player would reply, this time in an even smaller, more apologetic voice.

"What? Forte? FORTE?" with an air of incredulity. "What means 'forte'? Ignorante! Is a stupid word--as stupid as you! Is a thousand fortes--all kinds of fortes. Sometimes forte is pia-a-a-no, piano is forte! Accidenti! [Damn it!] You call yourself a musician? O, per Dio santissimo! You play here in THIS orchestra? In a village cafe house you belong! You don't listen to what others play. Your nose in the music--szshrump! szshrump! You hear nothing! You cover up the oboe solo! One poor oboe--one!--and you szshrump! szshrump! Where are your ears? Look at me! Contra-ba-a-ss-i!" in a long,
drawn-out wail. "Tutti! Tutti! Vergogna! [Shame!]"

Samuel Antek, _This Was Toscanini_, 1963

On the road to Mordor....with MSO

After a month of very enjoyable ballet with The Australian Ballet and Orchestra Victoria, am off to work with Melbourne Symphony for over a month of action packed music.

The orchestra has one day to recover from the Two Towers, the score of the second Lord of the Rings film which we performed on 12-14 July. Wow, its an epic, on the big screen and in the band. Great music, Wagner-esque, with all the characters having leitmotivs. Its a fab bass part, lots to play, in the zone, much of it on the C string. But what a workout - no need for the gym last week! No less that six players were injured doing this show - piccolo, bass clarinet, a viola, two celli and one bass player. Seriously hard yakka.

I finally have my contract for the Opera Australia Ring Cycle later this year. At this stage I dont know which of the operas I will be performing, but it will be 3 out of the 4, and I will do the rehearsals for the 4th, as I will be covering it. We will have 7 bass players performing each one, with 3 covering.

Photo - The MSO performing Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers

Vanguard with the Australian Ballet

Life back in Melbourne is settling down nicely. We are about to move into a new rented house, and the cats are out of quarantine after their move from the UK.

I am back working with Orchestra Victoria, with whom I will spend most of the remainder of 2013. There are two ballet programs in June, later in the month we perform the evergreen Swan Lake, but right now we are in the middle of a run of a triple bill called Vanguards. Its a fantastic show - all those people who bought tickets to Swan Lake and didnt go to Vanguards are missing out on an amazing show. What those dancers do with their bodies is quite amazing....and humbling.

Its a triple bill:-
Hindemith - Four Temperaments
Bella Figura - a medley of slow Baroque pieces, with quirky arrangements
Dyad - Steve Reich

Am am associate principal, so when I am sat no 2 I am only in the first pieces, so my gig is 34 mins long. The second piece has only one bass, which is fun to play when I am principal (due to rostering). And the last piece has not basses, so we get off early! Am really enjoying the season, its left field, short and just great fun.

And before Vanguard I nipped back to Tazzie as principal with TSO in two interesting programs in late May:-
Schumann 4 plus Mozart choral music, incl Coronation Mass
A French program of Poulenc, Canteloube and Bizet

 

Photo - slightly arty shot of me playing the Tarr in a Parkville Ensemble concert

Back in Melbourne

Its good being back in Melbourne and catching up with some friends. My first gig back featured Also Sprach Zarathustra with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and the amazing Andrew Davis. One for the memoirs. Its a real workout, but I had a lot of fun sitting on the back row with "the three musketeers"- thanks Benny, Damo and Stevie.

After that I did a Brahms Requiem gig in the Town Hall with the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic. Wow, Brahms could write for the bass.

Next was a recording session for a new IMAX film, The Railway Man.

And after the great news that the Seekers had reformed for a big tour, we had the shocking news that Judith Durham had a stroke after the first concert. Wishing all the very best Judith, heres to a quick and full recovery.


Photo - I did a studio session with Judith Durham in 2008. It was wonderful spending quality time with Judith, a true legend.

Goodbye TSO...for now

I am back in Melbourne after 3 fantastic months with TSO. It was great fun, and I will be back for two more programs late in May.

Before that is Also Sprach with the MSO and Andrew Davis and other goodies including Brahms Requiem.

I am knackered. Am getting to the age where this much playing is really taking it out of me. The last two weeks with TSO had 19 calls in 11 days, plus travel on top. Am feeling my age!! Good job I have a week off to rest and practice before tackling Also Sprach in Melbourne. I had better get used to it as my diary is so full I have only 3 free weeks between now and 16th Dec. No rest for the wicked!!

Photo - the "bass section" in Lilydale. While up doing the Rolla Concertante with the Elanee Ensemble we noticed the wonderful lamp post murals, one with a fellow bassist!

TSO and chamber music concerts

The regional tour was a lot of fun. It was my first crack at principal bass with the TSO - a real blast. It was a one bass gig, a great program of baroque and early classical pieces, including Biber Battalia (and all the fun of Bartok pizzes, and paper under the strings to make the bass sound like a snare drum), JC Bach Symphony no 6 (real sturm and drang happening) and Haydn 43.

After a week in Melbourne came my first gig with Elanee Ensemble, who are Jo St Leon and Stuart Thomson (pictured). They are a Viola and Bass duo, establishing a fabulous repertoire for this quirky but very effective pairing. I was in the Rolla Concertino a Tre, originally written for viola, cello and bassoon, but performed on this occasion by viola and two basses. Great fun, and lots of floor rumbling sonorities.

My next chamber gig is on Sunday 24/3, when I retackle Failing and play the Dittersdorf Duetto with Will Newbery.


Photo - you put your bass down for 5 mins and some bloke picks it up! Stuart Thomson trying out the Lott in the new studio, that is almost finished and ready for me to move in!

Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra

We are now about half way thro my 12 week contract with the TSO. Am still having a ball. I nipped back to Melbourne last week after recordings for The Australian Ballet, just before the 2nd Symphony Under the Stars gig in Launceston. We call outdoor gigs "muddy field" dates in the UK, for obvious reason - no mud here, just thoasands of people having a great time.

I am currently up to eyeballs practcing for three programs:-

this weeks regional tour - its my first gig as principal bass with the TSO

on 16/3 I do a chamber concert with the Elanee Ensemble, and Stuart Thomson's arrangement of the Rolla Concertino is tricky for all of us

and the next chamber gig is on 24/3, with Will Newbery, doing the Dittersdorf Duetto for Viola and Bass, plus I have agreed to do Failing!

The Tassie summer is still glorious, hi 20s or even clipping the 30s. Long may it continue.

Photo - Michael Fortescue, moi and Hugh Kluger, doing the Hobart SUTS gig. I think its my best side!