the Phantom library 26Aug09 | 0

What would you feel if you go into the library to pick up those books you need for your paper in methodology, and discover that they are moving away? Emptiness? It would match literally with the situation of the building…, but I couldn’t do anything else than go back to the locker to catch the camera and make some pictures: who knows when will be the next time I see a dessert library again…

I guess that my “never-mind” answer was compensated by karma when I went to pick up the “artist” badge of Accademia dell’Arcadia to attend the concerts of the Oude Muziek Festival, and found the rehearsal of Al Ayre Español, jejeje…

Take a look in the Oude Muziek programme…

… and also the Fringe concerts! [pdf]

Europa Cantat XVII starts 18Jul09 | 0

Europa Cantat XVII Utrecht 2009 has started today, and will run during 10 days with its choir workshops for singers, a seminar for choir conductors, lots of concerts, and all imaginable parallel activities. It is the first time this festival takes place in The Netherlands and the reception couldn’t be better, as I saw yesterday evening, because the Oudegracht filled up with people everywhere, to attend the opening Sail and Sing that took place from 19.00.

The first boat surprised me with Purcell (If Love’s a sweet passion), followed by Charpentier (ouverture from the Te Deum), Cole Porter (Night and Day), sailor’s songs, Mexican rancheras or Spanish villancicos…, and so on and on for around 3 hours!

Spontaneous people sung from their little boats, and we also had a lot of fun with the presence of this guy, who played accompanied by his own little street organ or just improvised with the singers:

The only pity: I would have worked correpetiting in the workshop of Adrian van del Spoel, which will focuss on late 16th and early 17th centuries Italian music. But the dates…, again the dates.

who said...

"[Beethoven] went in his usual (I might say, ill-bred) manner to the instrument as if half-pushed, picket up the violoncello part of Steibelt's quintet in passing, placed it (intentionally?) upon the stand upside down and with one finger drummed out a theme of the first few measures. Insulted and angered, he improvised in such a manner that Steibelt left the room before he finished, would never again meet him and, indeed, made it a condition that Beethoven should not be invited before accepting an offer."

F.W. Wegeler & F. Ries, Biographische Notizen über Ludwig van Beethoven (Koblenz, 1838)

"[...] the king [Charles II of Spain] eagerly asked me if I had heard Matheuchi sing, when he would come, and if he was impertinent or not, and as if there were no army in the world, nor Milanese state, completely forgot such matters, but this is not surprising given that all his ministers, or most of them, have had the same experience [...]"

Letter of Carlos Felipe Spinola y Colonna to the duke of Medinaceli (1698)

"I was in St Alban's Abbey and I was intrigued: they were building a new organ and I went up to - I suppose it must have been - the verger and I said, 'Is the organ baroque?' And he said, 'No, it's in perfectly good order.'"

John Tavener, The Music of Silence, A Composer's Testament (Faber ISBN 0571200885)

"The Second Harpsichordist will go only to the last rehearsal, sending the Third One to the previous, who won't read more high Clef than Soprano, trying to play without using the Thumbs, don't follow the Numbers, play always the Sixth, don't meet up with the Master, and close all the second Parts of Arias with major thirds, etc. etc. etc."

Benedetto Marcello, Il teatro alla moda (1720)