Category Archives: Artikelen

De altviool is meer dan alleen muziek, lees hier verhalen, recensies, interviews en adviezen. Geschreven door het bestuur van de DVS zelf!

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Verslag Britten Altvioolconcours 2023

Posted on 19/03/2023 by DVS

door Kristofer G. Skaug, DVS redactie

Redactionele opmerking: Uitspraken van subjectieve aard worden op persoonlijke titel gepubliceerd, en vertegenwoordigen derhalve geen officiëel standpunt van de DVS.

Het Britten Altvioolconcours viert dit jaar zijn tienjarig bestaan, met alweer de zesde editie. Het is weer zo’n mooie vroege en zachte lentezondag in Zwolle, waar we na een tussenjaar (2019, door Coronamaatregelen) terug zijn op de vertrouwde locatie in het ArtEZ Conservatorium.

In totaal 13 deelnemers hebben zich dit jaar aangemeld. Met aanhang komen ze één voor één binnen, vaak begeleid door zenuwachtige ouders. Sommigen hebben al vaker meegedaan, anderen komen voor het eerst. De organisatie van het Brittenconcours is er zoals gewoonlijk met een vriendelijk onthaal, een ontspannend praatje, koffie, thee en snoepjes. En uiteraard heeft de DVS daar ook een stand met flyers en verkoop van altviool-merchandise en CD’s.

We zullen dit keer niet in detail ingaan op alles wat er gespeeld werd, maar enkele indrukken moeten toch vermeld worden.

De 1e Prijswinnaressen

In de (zoals helaas gebruikelijk) spaarzaam bezette Categorie I (10-14 jaar) – dit jaar slechts 3 kandidaten – werd uiteindelijk geen 1e prijs uitgereikt. Floortje Zandvliet (leerling van Julia Dinerstein) kreeg de 2e prijs. Bij het (verplichte) langzame deel van het altvioolconcert van Casadesus kwam er een mooie cadenza uit, en haar vertolking van de sonatine van Bertold Hummel was ook keurig. De aanmoedigingsprijs in de jongste categorie ging naar Sibylla Harbach, die als keuzestuk ook het pittige 3e deel uit het Casadesus-concert speelde, het geheel uit het hoofd en met groot doorzettingsvermogen.

Verder was er een primeur in het geval van Hannah Krekel, die mocht voorspelen door een live Zoom-verbinding vanuit Wales. De matige geluidskwaliteit van dit medium was echter vermoedelijk geen aanwinst voor haar uitvoering van het langzame deel uit Brahms’ sonate in f kl.t. (op. 120 no.1).

Het verplichte stuk in Categorie II (15-18 jaar) was dit keer het 2e deel uit het altvioolconcert van Leo Smit. Het stuk heeft met zijn dikke harmonieën ondertonen van free jazz, en biedt grote mogelijkheden om zich te onderscheiden. Je kon soms al binnen enkele maten van dit stuk horen of de kandidaat iets extra’s te bieden had. Het stuk is zowel technisch (met name lastige intervallen) en muzikaal een hartige uitdaging, je moet flink aan de slag met je fantasie om streken, timing, toonkleuren, en dynamiek in te zetten om de interessante muziek eruit te lokken.

Jutta Demuynck

De uiteindelijk terechte winnares in deze categorie was Jutta Demuynck (studente van Julia Dinerstein). Haar Leo Smit vertolking was innig, met souplesse gespeeld, en het durf om haar muzikaliteit in te zetten om de jazzy timing zowel ultra soepel en laid-back te laten zweven, en dan weer heftig aandringend. Daarnaast speelde ze de “Scène de Ballet” van Charles de Bériot, eigenlijk zo’n irritant vioolstuk dat nogal lang duurt teneinde zoveel mogelijk technische hoogstandjes te laten horen. Jutta slaagde er desondanks in om ons hiermee te boeien, en dat vond ik razend knap!

De jury van het Britten Altvioolconcours 2023

De jury (vlnr boven: Guus Jeukendrup, Julia Dinerstein, Lilli Maijala, Sylvia van der Grinten en voorzitter Francien Schatborn) had echter geen gemakkelijke klus in deze categorie, en zag zich uiteindelijk genoodzaakt om zes (van de 10) kandidaten te belonen. Naast de 1e prijs (hierboven genoemd) werden er twee 2e prijzen uitgereikt aan Marinha Campos Machado en Jolie Bisoendial, nogmaals twee 3e prijzen waren voor Ariadna Terol Donat en Jytta Balm, en de Aanmoedigingsprijs ging dik verdiend naar Julie Gielen.

De speciale DVS Bladmuziekprijzen gingen dit jaar naar Floortje Zandvliet en Julie Gielen.

De volledige uitslag (met alle toegekende speciale prijzen) wordt tzt. op de website van het concours gepubliceerd. Hieronder is een groepsfoto van alle deelnemers, met hun certificaten van deelname met daarop het nieuwe “B”-logo van het concours. En nee, er zijn hiermee absoluut géén politieke bijbedoelingen! 🙂

Verder is het natuurlijk zeer aan te bevelen om de 1e prijswinnaars (Floortje en Jutta) straks te horen en zien soleren met het Britten Jeugd Strijkorkest bij het galaconcert op 16 april in Theater de Spiegel (Zwolle). Daar zullen bovendien Maria Milstein en Dana Zemtsov de Sinfonia Concertante van Mozart spelen.

Hartelijk dank aan de Concoursorganisatie van Het Britten Jeugd Strijkorkest, en op naar de volgende editie van het Britten Altvioolconcours in 2025!

De live stream van het hele altvioolconcours kunt u hier terugkijken en luisteren:

Interview Nobuko Imai

Posted on 17/03/2023 by DVS

The world famous violist (and DVS Honorary Member) Nobuko Imai turns 80 tomorrow. In this interview, she tells us about her teaching career and her long-standing special relationship with The Netherlands, having lived and taught here – albeit on a part time basis – for more than 40 years.

by Kristofer G. Skaug, DVS

On a brisk late-January day, we meet in her daughter’s house in Amsterdam, only a few minutes’ walk away from the Concertgebouw. We are seated in the living room with a cup of tea.

DVS: More than 5 decades of teaching Viola at the highest level. Tell us how it started, and what has kept you going.

It started in America, where I became a member of the Vermeer Quartet, named after the Dutch painter, of course. The quartet was founded by Shmuel Ashkenazy (violinist) at the Northern Illinois University near Chicago, so I started teaching there, I was about 30 years old. I stayed there for 5 years. I didn’t know much about teaching, it was “learning by doing” for me, and I liked it very much.

Later I started teaching also at the Royal (Northern) College of Music in Manchester, as well as in Utrecht and The Hague (at the Royal Conservatoire). And then I taught in Detmold, and in Amsterdam, and at the Kronberg Academy (near Frankfurt), in Madrid, and in Geneva… that’s a very short summary of my teaching career.
Unfortunately I never had a teaching position in Japan, although of course I was there frequently, performing and giving masterclasses.

DVS: Do you hear yourself quoting your own teachers when you teach?

The thing is, I always want to create something. I don’t want to repeat, there has to be something new. Even practicing scales can be done creatively. If you have a weakness, you need to work on it – but you should use your imagination to improve, to create your own scales. That’s the way, I think, avoiding routine. I always find something new, and then I get very excited. I never grew bored of teaching.

DVS: So you regard teaching as a kind of collaborative exploration?

Yes, that’s how you survive 50 years of teaching. As a violist you have to have your own sound. And the viola comes in so many different shapes and sizes, you need to find out how to best “manipulate” your own instrument. You have to investigate.

DVS: What circumstance first brought you to come and teach in The Netherlands?

Well, initially it was because I met a Dutch music lover, after the Geneva competition. He told me he had a big house in Heemstede and I would be welcome to stay there whenever I was in Amsterdam for work or leisure. So I did come, on and off, but never really lived there a long time, a few months maybe. Then eventually I got married to a Dutch man, so that was significant (laughing). But I was still commuting a lot between my different schools.

DVS: Do you see any characteristics of Dutch viola culture or music life?

In my experience, the Dutch are very international in their orientation. They are receptive to new information, and adapt well. In Japan, for example, or Germany, things are quite different in this respect.

The teaching culture at the Conservatory of Amsterdam is strong, I very much appreciate Francien (Schatborn) and Marjolein (Dispa), we’ve been cooperating and creating together. We work together without interfering, creating something bigger. It would never happen quite like this in other countries.

DVS: Are you retiring now from the Conservatory?

I will stop regular teaching in Amsterdam now because of my age, but I hope to continue doing seasonal masterclasses.

DVS: For 15 years now you have been hosting the bi-annual Amsterdam Viola Festival. Looking back, how do you feel about it and what would you hope for the future?

Last time (November 2021), the Amsterdam festival was dedicated to Hindemith, and we had a special recital consisting entirely of Hindemith and Bartók duos. It was very enjoyable getting to know the younger students at the CvA this way, we were giggling a lot (laughs). I hope there could be more programs like that in the future, involving everybody.

DVS: These Bartók duos, by the way, were also special to you.

Yes, I went to Hungary to learn about Hungarian folk music and to play with folk musicians. We ended up travelling to Japan together to play some of this music. Their rhythm and intonation takes a real effort to learn. I spent quite a lot of time with those people. Later, I thought of playing the Bartók duos on the viola. They are not hard, almost beginner level. But I didn’t transcribe them, so we play them in the original (violin) key, which makes it a bit more difficult, but keeps more of the original sound.

DVS: On Sunday (March 19th), you will celebrate your 80th birthday with a special concert in Het Concertgebouw. Tell us about this concert.

I thought it would be nice for my students to meet again, so that’s the idea behind the celebration here in Amsterdam. We will play various pieces for viola ensemble. For example we’ll play the 1st movement of Bach’s 3rd Brandenburg concerto, transcribed for a maximum number of violas. And we’ll play a viola orchestra version of Händel’s “Arrival of the Queen of Sheba“. We may have to remove the 1st row of chairs to fit everyone on stage!

Many of my students are now renowned violists in their own right. For example Timothy Ridout, whom I taught at the Kronberg Academy. He is such an open personality, he’s curious about new repertoire and always finding music in it, an inspiring role model for young people. And Diyang Mei, he’s currently the principal violist of the Berlin Philharmonic, he will fly in from Berlin on Sunday just to play the Paganini “Gran Sonata“, and then fly back the same evening. Just to name a few … it will be a great reunion! I’m looking forward to see them all, and I’m grateful that they make time to come here, even from Japan or Taiwan.

DVS: Final topic: Viola Societies! We were elated that you promptly accepted an Honorary membership of the DVS back in 2013, when we were freshly founded. How do you view the role of Viola Societies?

I first encountered a Viola Society when I was in the U.S., in a festival where female composers were highlighted. I have contributed to several International Viola Congresses since, most recently at the Rotterdam congress in 2018.

Viola Societies are meaningful to a lot of people, but it takes a lot of dedication to run them. I think the Dutch Viola Society has a particularly fruitful climate (mentioned above) to prosper.

DVS: Thank you for your time, and thank you on behalf of the Dutch viola community for all you have done! We have been so lucky to have you here all this time, and we look forward to celebrate with you in Concertgebouw on March 19th!

(P.S. Sunday’s concert (link) is completely sold out – but the DVS will be there, and we will post a report by early next week!)

Report from Vinciane Béranger Masterclass

Posted on 07/03/2023 by DVS

by Sofie Booy, DVS

On Monday the 13th of February, the French violist Vinciane Béranger came to give a Masterclass at Codarts in Rotterdam. This was organised as an Erasmus exchange between her and our teacher Karin Dolman. Vinciane gave a masterclasses in Rotterdam and Tilburg (the next day). Next month, Karin is will in return teach masterclasses in Paris and Lausanne, the conservatories where Vinciane teaches.

Vinciane also gave a concert Sunday the 12^th of February together with Roderigo Robles de Medina in the Trinitatiskapel in Dordrecht. They played, among other pieces, a new composed piece by the American composer Sacco, who also gave a masterclass in Rotterdam that week.

The masterclass took place during the whole afternoon. There were 7 students who each got 45 minutes to play. We started with Anabel and Wilker, who both played the Schwanendreher by Hindemith. This was a combined lesson. She worked together with them by letting them play after each other when there was a question answer phrase in the music. This was really interesting to see and listen to. She said that she has never done a duo masterclass lesson so this was her first time but it went really well.

Vinciane also gave a little lecture about Rebecca Clarke. She talked about the manuscript and the different versions and editions that exist. There are multiple versions each with little differences, like an added accelerando or a missing note, which is very interesting to dive into.

Vinciane kept the masterclass very interesting for the listening students by asking questions if we could hear differences, or to give feedback or ideas on how to play something, or different character ideas. Because of this, it did not feel like having to listen a long time to see people play, but to really be interactive during the whole masterclass.

In the end, there was time to ask questions. Someone had a question about continuous vibrato from note to note. So she invited all of us on the stage with our violas. She gave everyone a mini lesson and individual tips. We first all looked if the student used arm or wrist vibrato, and from there on she gave some tips.

It was a very interesting masterclass where everybody learned a lot. It was very inspiring for us all, and every student left the masterclass with a lot of good energy to practice! Thank you Vinciane Béranger!

Report from Timothy Ridout Masterclass

Posted on 22/02/2023 by DVS

by Sofie Booy
Wednesday 15th of February, 2023

Timothy Ridout gave a masterclass last week in the conservatory of Amsterdam. Four students were selected to play for him. The afternoon was filled with beautiful viola music. The hall was filled with people listening to the masterclass.

The afternoon started with the Hindemith op. 11 No. 4 played by Connie Pharoah accompanied by Daniël Kramer. They played very beautifully. Timothy started working with her on the phrasing in the music. He gave some tips on how to keep the tension in the music while not giving it away too much. He played how he wanted it to be played and the student could try it out after that.

After the Hindemith we had the next student, Fiachra de hOra, playing Schumann’s Märchenbilder with Daniël Kramer. Timothy gave him tips to play more freely, and took the time for the student to understand and to be able to play how he explained something. Sometimes the student needed to play a passage slowly a few times before continuing with the pianist.

After a short coffee break we continued with Anuschka Pedano, who played the César Franck sonata with Martijn Willers. Timothy worked with her on a difficult position shift in the climax of a build-up phrase. He had a lot of musical ideas for this piece, and he stayed very calm and nice.

The last masterclass student was Simon Rosier, who played Vieuxtemps with Martijn Willers. They started with the slow part of the sonata, focusing on making more sound. In the fast part they focused on intonation in combination with sound production.

Timothy was very excited to work with all the students. When each student’s time was up, he always wanted to finish the piece and give as much overall tips that he still had in his mind.

The afternoon ended with a Q&A. There was a question about what do you do to warm up? He said he started always with some exercises to get his shoulders and neck relaxed. Then he said it depends on how much time he has, differing from 5 minutes to warm up until an hour. He likes to play scales (also chromatic scales) and arpeggios. And he uses the Kreutzer etudes to get his hands and fingers working. He also plays slow scales with vibrato to make sure everything is fluent, and funny exercises like standing on one leg. He also mentioned the Dounis’ Daily Dozen, which is originally for violin. He mentioned that its good to do proper warmups when you have the time, but avoid the feeling that you have to do the same thing every day. He also talked about slow practicing and about how to maintain a piece.

He was very kind to everybody and very approachable. He gave a lot of good tips to the students that also any other musician in the public could use.

DVS & CvA Masterclass with Timothy Ridout

Posted on 06/01/2023 by Kristofer G. Skaug

Next month (February 2023), the acclaimed young British violist Timothy Ridout will be in Amsterdam to perform Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante with Gordan Nikolic and the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra (Nederlands Kamerorkest). You may recall that Ridout was one of our Featured Artists at the IVC2018 in Rotterdam, where both his playing and his inspiring masterclass session received high praise from a delighted audience.

This time, the DVS has joined forces with the Conservatory of Amsterdam to organize another high-octane Masterclass with Timothy Ridout on February 15th 2023 in the afternoon, from 15:00 – 18:00h in the Sweelinckzaal of the Conservatory of Amsterdam.

DEFINITELY NOT TO BE MISSED!

There are two ways to be a part of this event:

Participant: We have an open application process for one or two deserving students to receive a full-length masterclass (sponsored by DVS) with Timothy Ridout. You can read the official Terms and Conditions for applicants and fill in the application form here.

Audience: Attendance is free! Please register for attendance via the form below, so that we have an idea how many people will come, and can keep you up to date about the schedule and logistics of the event.

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DVS & RPhO Academy Masterclass with Lawrence Power

Posted on 27/10/2022 by Kristofer G. Skaug

As you may be aware (especially if you are a loyal reader of our Concert Calendar), the great violist Lawrence Power will be in Rotterdam to perform Schnittke’s Viola Concerto on Nov. 18th and 20th.

On this occasion, the DVS has joined forces with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra Academy to organize a unique Masterclass with Lawrence Power on November 17th 2022 in the afternoon, from 13:30 – 17:30h in the Eduard Flipse hall.

YOU CAN BE THERE, TOO!

There are two ways to be a part of this event:

Participant: We have an open application process for one deserving student to receive a full one-hour masterclass (sponsored by DVS) with Lawrence Power. You can read the official Terms and Conditions for applicants and fill in the application form here.

Audience: Attendance is free, but we will be very happy with a voluntary financial gift to cover the costs. Please register for attendance via the form below, so that we have an idea how many people will come, and can keep you up to date about the schedule of the event.

We're sorry, sign-up for this event is no longer possible.