Ivor’s blog

Wednesday 5th August, 2009

Salzburg Festival Blog 14 (5 Aug)

10.30 am Dress Rehearsal. We do the job... and well. This General Rehearsal has , for me at least ,a special atmosphere. We make small corrections at the end, with the public still in place. Stefan Rosu (manager of the Mozarteum Orchestra) introduces me to an American conductor who will take part in a two-orchestra project our Mozarteum orchestra will take part in as part of our Autumn USA tour. I would love to have lunch but the previous days exertions lead me to decide to rest before the evening concert. For the same reason I do not attend...

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Ivor’s blog

Tuesday 4th August, 2009

Salzburg Festival Blog 13 (4 Aug)

Long day ahead. Three rehearsals planned on this piece. I arrive to hear a little of Alois Glassner's warm-up rehearsal with the Bach Choir. They are working very hard and also in the middle of preparations for two other projects as well as singing our Theodora performances. We cannot fit as many singers in St. Peter's as we can on the stage of the Festival house and the C minor mass divides into two choirs at various points. I rehearse choir and orchestra all afternoon putting most of my energy into the choir at this point. My orchestra is wonderfully...

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Ivor’s blog

Monday 3rd August, 2009

Salzburg Festival Blog 12 (3 Aug)

After last night's late finish I am relieved there is no morning rehearsal. I do however have a lunchtime meeting with Roland Geyer (the Intendant of Teater an der Wien) for which I am late, thanks to the torrential rain and the consequent impressive queue on Neutorstrasse leading to the Moenchsberg garage. His charm and erudition shine through in his conversation as does his balanced view of life. We discuss our future projects as well as our families and the difficulties of work/life balance. It turns out that we have both at some point taken on a 'rescue' dog and...

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Ivor’s blog

Sunday 2nd August, 2009

Salzburg Festival Blog 11 (2 Aug)

I wake up very early knowing it will be a long time before I see my bed again. Today we have the second Mozart Matinee Concert and in the evening a concertante performance of Theodora in Ingolstadt. This is a yearly event for the Salzburg Festival for the main sponsor AUDI and this year we are the final concert in their summer music Festival.I arrive at the Mozarteum at 9.30am and Rob Howarth, our fine harpsichordist is on tuning duty as Ken (Smith) has to tune for six different events this Sunday! Concert goes really well. Mozarteum Orchestra on great form...

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Ivor’s blog

Saturday 1st August, 2009

Salzburg Festival Blog 10 (1 Aug)

Early start do drive my family to the airport. Our two whippets (Minky and Thierry) will be missing Tess and Sam. After a brief stop at our Cambridge home they are heading to our house near Granada in Andalucia where many visitors are expected. I will join them after the festival. Then over to the Mozarteum to meet with Ruth (Ziesak). Our interval rehearsal the previous evening was of course not very long! We organise ourselves and meet the Mozarteum Orchestra at 10.00 am. Ruth is naturally musical and wins the orchestra's admiration quickly with her professionalism. Concert proceeds well. Our...

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Ivor’s blog

Friday 31st July, 2009

Salzburg Festival Blog 9 (31 July)

Many phone calls regarding our soloist situation and various plans are made for possible scenarios including putting the Mozarteum Orchestra on standby for extra rehearsal with any new soloist. We expect news from Genia by midday. I spend the morning marking orchestral parts for future projects. 12.00- Bad news. Genia cannot sing. She must be careful with the incipient one. We understand but must now move fast. A few hours later Matthias has secured the services of the formidable Ruth Ziesak who has agreed to sing both concerts despite having a Lieder Abend planned for the Attersee Festival on Sunday night....

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Ivor’s blog

Thursday 30th July, 2009

Salzburg Festival Blog 8 (30 July)

I go down to the Orchesterhaus early to meet Genia Kuhmaier our soloist for the forthcoming Mozart Matinee. We rehearse and she is singing beautifully despite having sung Beethoven's 9th Symphony the night before and feeling very tired. (She is also pregnant). After the Arias we play the rest of the programme in anticipation of the public Dress Rehearsal after lunch. I go over to the Festspiel Haus to meet my family for a quick lunch at Triangel. Then comes bad news my telephone from Matthias Schulz ( the Festival Concerts Organiser and No.2 to Markus Hinterhauser). Genia has gone...

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Ivor’s blog

Wednesday 29th July, 2009

Salzburg Festival Blog 7 (29 July)

A full day of rehearsals for our Matinee. Rob Howarth - superb harpsichordist - arrives having braved Ryanair (the only flight that would bring him in time to our rehearsals). The day is hard-working but purposeful. In between the rehearsals I meet with our designated new Orchestra Manager, Vera van Hazebrouck. In September she will leave Barenboim's Staatskapelle Berlin to join us. She is coming over the several periods during this Festival to prepare for our various upcoming tours etc. I feel tired after a hard-working but musically satisfying day, but is wonderful to dive to Krispl with Britta Burgschwaendtner...

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Ivor’s blog

Tuesday 28th July, 2009

Salzburg Festival Blog 6 (28 July)

A morning spent studying new scores is followed by our first rehearsal with the Mozarteum Orchestra for our opening Mozart Matinee. It's an interesting programme with the quirky and virtuosic Divertmento K131 and the great E flat major Symphony K543 framing two concert arias. The Horns are busy in the Divertimento - there are four of them and they have self-contained music in both of the Menuets. The flute solos in this Opus are scarily fast but delivered with panache by our principal (Ingrid Hasse). A brief swim is followed by a quiet evening in...

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Ivor’s blog

Monday 27th July, 2009

Salzburg Festival Blog 5 (27 July)

An amazing day sailing with friends on the Mondsee. Weather is great although there is not much wind. It is enough however for Sam to have great fun swimming along behind the boat. We drive back to Salzburg stopping briefly at our beloved St. Gilgen where we have spent many happy weeks in previous summers. It's spectacularly beautiful natural setting continues to amaze. In the evening Sam,Tess and I are treated of a gastronomic meal at the home of concert-master Markus Tomasi. He is a remarkable cook (and spontaneous, charming host) who somehow manages to prepare an amazing meal after three...

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