Message text written by The Horn List > Any conductor, whether s/he is a student, amateur, or even a polished professional, has to begin, somewhere!<
Dear All This reminds me that the orchestra here is the resident orchestra for the Leeds Conductor's Competition. Winners for the ones in which I have been played are Sian Edwards, Grant Llwellyn, Martyn Brabbins, Philip Ellis, Brad Cohen, Garry Walker and Paul Watkins. One of these had the makings of a top international career for a few years but it crashed and burned big style. One was already a well known instrumentalist before the competition and, is so busy playing and conducting all over the place that he has never come back to do his winner's engagements with us! One has built up a reputation accompanying a very famous singer in TV and other media engagements. One has a permanent post with a very prominent British orchestra and guest conducts all over the place and one is Chief Conductor of an orchestra on continental Europe. And one, in my opinion, has the makings of a real superstar when he gains more experience (he also has a resident post with a famous British orchestra at the moment). But, it has been a great education playing for these competitions over the years. Some people who have disappeared in the knockout rounds have emerged later as well known professional conductors and, when we have seen them again, have been totally different (for the better) people - having gained experience. Once, the Chief Conductor and Assistant Conductor of a high flying university orchestra were both candidates; yes, you've guessed it! The MD was knocked out in the first round and the assistant made the finals. One candidate, in the first 20 minute knock out round, played through a 10 minute overture, tinkered with it for a few minutes and then said rather lamely - "er, I think that is all that I can say!" The Chair of the jury (the late lamented Sir Charles Groves) said - "hang on, that is a very expensive 90 player orchestra - if you stop 5 minutes early you are wasting a lot of money!" One candidate marched on and proceeded to chuck his weight around - he was rewarded by some outlandish behaviour from certain players which reduced the jury to tears of laughter (it reminded one of the famous Ealing Comedy film 'Raising the Wind' - which British listers will have seen over and over again on TV - where a toffee nosed student tried to play the maestro with a professional orchestra which rewarded him by playing the 'William Tell' overture faster and faster until he fell not off, but through, the rostrum). Sadly, a very attractive and obviously very talented young woman has been a candidate twice and been so nervous that, the second time, she was close to tears on the rostrum despite sympathetic co-operation from the players (over half our string players are women and we all desperately wanted her to do well because, as I said, she has genuine talent). One finalist, who has a reasonable career now without actually setting the world alight, started the last movement of Shostakovitch's 6th Symphony far too slowly on the finalist's concert. Whether by accident or design, it gradually got faster and faster until he was desperately trying to throttle it back (shades of Raising the Wind again!) His arms flailed wildly (that reminds me of the time that a player stood up and shouted "I cann't follow the bxxxx windmill" at a well known conductor who was having problems with a Puccini opera) until, with a look of sheer panic on his face we got to the end - I think that HE got to the end a bit later. Cheers Paul A. Kampen, 4th horn - Orchestra of Opera North (Leeds UK) _______________________________________________ post: [EMAIL PROTECTED] unsubscribe or set options at http://music.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
