experiences Archives

The Bach Suites, A Deep Mirror

I am posting today some thoughts regarding my upcoming performance of all the cello suites of Bach, in Barcelona, next October 6th. A "3 hour conversation with Bach," by which I mean playing all the 6 Suites in one evening, is a rare privilege, and at the same time, an opportunity to devote months of work gazing, probing, until their is transparency in this greatest of all music given to us by the Kantor of Leipzig. In this period of reflection, the performer's goal and intention should be to imbue his own spirit into the depths of the pieces, and become inspired and elevated by this music of such extraordinary dimensions. After a concert a few years ago, somebody who had never heard my playing said, "I can feel the [...]

By Lluis Claret|2024-07-28T19:00:30-04:00March 30th, 2019|Categories: Repertoire|Tags: Bach Suites, performance, experiences, perfection, opportunity, Bach, reflection, Interpretation, Claret, cello, Lluis, cellobello, Suites, music|

What You Did This Summer — by Brant Taylor

We are now in mid-summer, and countless musicians of all types are at various summer music festivals and camps engaging in musical activities that likely differ in some way from the artistic lives they lead during the rest of the year. Whether a student or a professional, a change of scenery and the opportunity to meet and collaborate with new colleagues has many benefits. Certainly, for those of us who spend the academic year engaged primarily in one musical activity, summer is a valuable opportunity to do something different. For professional musicians, the tendency to be defined by their "main" musical job or pursuit is strong. A quick look down the faculty roster of the Mimir Chamber Music Festival, from which I just returned to my full-time position with the [...]

By Brant Taylor|2018-03-14T04:25:41-04:00August 2nd, 2012|Categories: Self Discovery|Tags: music, orchestras, Brant, festivals, Taylor, music festivals, Travel, opportunities, rehearsing, practicing, experiences, collaboration, musicianship, chamber music, Summer|

I Found my “Dream Quartet” in an Unexpected Industry — by Margo Drakos

My love for string quartets drew me to the cello, or rather, it motivated me to practice. It isn’t just the repertoire—I was hooked by the music the first time I ever heard the early Guarneri recording of the Cavatina and Grosse Fuge. I love the idealist concept of a quartet, and the feeling of playing an individual voice that joins together with three other voices to form a single interdependent expression. I also love the cellist’s role in a quartet, as it requires a multitude of skills. At once the quartet cellist is the anchor, sometimes quietly without notice, sometimes with declarative strength, sometimes a supportive counterpart, yet at other times is the prominent, docile melody. I have taken great pride in seeking the seemingly unattainable perfection of [...]

By Margo Drakos|2017-10-16T03:44:15-04:00April 29th, 2011|Categories: Beyond the Traditional, Chamber Music, Interpersonal Relationships|Tags: environment, career, string quartet, influences, cello, David, melody, cellobello, communication, organization, music, experiences, skills, opportunity, Soyer, Quartet, colleagues, strength, goals, support, motivation, respect, sustain, practicing, concepts, David Soyer, repertoire, dreams, inspiration|

Tour Musings — by Alisa Weilerstein

I'm now a few days removed from one of the most exhilarating—and definitely the longest—tours of my life. I've grown accustomed to playing a different concerto every week, sometimes with a recital thrown in here and there. But I can't remember the last time I actually played only one piece for three weeks straight. However, that's exactly what I did in the last week of March and first two weeks of April; I played Shostakovich 1st Concerto fifteen times across the US with the St Petersburg Philharmonic and Yuri Temirkanov. I've had so many thoughts about this tour and am struggling to consolidate them into a coherent blog entry. I have to start by saying what an incredible musical and educational experience it was for me. There are players in [...]

By Alisa Weilerstein|2018-03-15T04:14:38-04:00April 22nd, 2011|Categories: Artistic Vision, Cello Travel, Performance, Self Discovery|Tags: performance, musicianship, Concerto, challenges, Cello Travel, inspiration, rehearsals, exhilarating, cello, Airplanes, recital, cellobello, Alisa, Rostropovich, orchestra, tour, Weilerstein, Travel, concert halls, experiences, Sound, Shostakovich, emotion, unique|

Cycles, Shostakovich, and the Final Four — Brandon Vamos

I often get asked about performing cycles. I am a member of a Quartet that is passionate about performing cycles of music, including the complete string quartets of Beethoven, Carter, Mendelssohn, and Shostakovich (among others). But why bother with cycles? What do they have to offer us a musicians or audience members? I like to think of it like I think of my Vikings (in case you didn’t know, I’m a huge fan). Why bother following a team game to game or season to season? Well for one, you start to learn the language of the game. Not just the game of football itself, but how that TEAM plays the game. The aggressive way they run plays or their team personality, what feeling they leave with you at the end [...]

By Brandon Vamos|2020-12-14T04:46:52-05:00March 28th, 2011|Categories: Artistic Vision, Chamber Music, Performance, Repertoire|Tags: Brandon, concert halls, context, experiences, musicians, melodies, performances, perspective, string quartet, Beethoven, audiences, Shostakovich, cello, themes, cellobello, cellist, Touring, humor, challenge, understanding, composers, unique, Quartet, composition|