for tomorrow’s 7:30 PM Donor Appreciation concert on stage at Symphony Center. Nikolaj Znaider is in town to lead the sextets (Schoenberg’s Verklarte Night and Brahms’ B-flat) and we have our first meeting this afternoon. Should be a great time, as sextets usually are!
Akiko reminds me that another time Znaider was in town, also playing Schoenberg (the concerto) the second half of the concert was Mahler 5. Maestro Barenboim allowed the soloist to sit in the back of the firsts and play the Mahler, after little or no rehearsal. Akiko, doing duty in the back of the firsts that week, was his stand partner! She reports that he acquitted himself quite well, although his height made him stand out among our section.
Today’s other activity is listening to violin juries at Roosevelt, that semi-annual tradition that I’m not sure anyone looks forward to… but that’s nonetheless an important tool in the learning process. If a 10-minute snapshot of your playing in front of the full faculty doesn’t make you nervous, you’re well on your way to achieving veins of icewater. Luckily I never had to go through this in school! Good luck to all jury-players today.