Abre Tu Mente en Canford
(Canford Opens Your Mind)
Wind Band Conductor Course, Canford Summer School of Music-UK, 3-10 August
2003
by Susan Campos (Costa Rica), WASBE Conductors Scholarship
Recipient
When I left Costa Rica for England I felt in my soul that I
was going to find many answers during that trip... and this I did. Arriving at
the Canford School of Music on August 1st, I felt like Harry Potter
in his first day in Hogwarts, and this is not a joke: I perceived the power of
that place and at the same time I felt at home. The experience was really
intense.
The next day I attended as a listener the course taught by
Venezuelan director Rodolfo Saglimbeni: Practical Conducting, which
was very interesting. Also I met the English director George Hurst, the Irish
director Robert Houlihan and the Scottish director Cristopher Adey.
On Sunday morning I met Maestro Tim Reynish and was so happy
because I had crossed the world to know and to learn from him! I brought for
him an excellent coffee from Costa Rica; I hope that it has enjoyed it. During
the afternoon, after the presentations, we had the first session of the course.
All the students had time on the podium, and a complete videotape was made
on each one. I believe that that day “the cards were put on the table” and
we all
knew we would have to work hard with everything that we were going to learn!
Tim Reynish, Baldur Bronnimann and Phillip Scott, the
directors of the course were brilliant conductors and professors, and opened
a new world of possibilities for us. During the course aspects of baton
technique, rehearsal technique, warm-up exercises for the ensemble,
interpretation and repertoire were discussed. We were provided very helpful
documents that summed up some of the ideas treated in the classes and received
an excellent bibliography. In addition, we had quite an unusual class: a
colleague of Singapore initiated us in the possibilities of Tai Chi applied
to conducting technique! With all this, the experience of podium time was
completely sui generis, and we had the opportunity to work with
the Wind Band, the Wind Orchestra and a Wind Ensemble especially for the Dvorak Serenade
Op. 44 and the Mozart Grand Partita.
The repertoire for the great works was fascinating and
included Towards Nirvana and Yiddish Dances of Adam Gorb, as
well as Secret Rites of Akira Miyoshi; three essential works of the
core repertoire for Wind Orchestra. In this regard, in one of the sessions
Baldur touched upon the topic of the development of the concept of the wind
ensemble and its repertoire. This was really very instructive to me. I believe
that I am going to investigate more on this matter in future. To see Tim,
Baldur and Phillip in action during the sessions with the Wind Orchestra was
the most helpful class on techniques of rehearsal and interpretation that I
have received until now. It is indispensable to see them present the theory in
action.
Another one of the magnificent opportunities that the course
provided to us was the possibility of conducting the final concert on Saturday
the 9th. To have the experience to share the podium with my
teachers, my colleagues, and the excellent musicians of the Wind Orchestra was
something unsurpassable. In my case, I had the honor to work in the rehearsal
with the tituion of Maestro Reynish and introduce a new work: A Veces Lo
Más Frágil Es Lo Más Fuerte (1989),
created by the Costa Rican composer, Carlos J. Castro, to celebrated the 100
years of democracy, and antimilitary costarican tradition. In Costa Rica the
armed forces were dissolved in 1948.
On Sunday the 10th all my companions were already
departing but I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to attend a class
with the Maestro George Hurst on musical interpretation. Being there I began to
recall everything I had learned, the wonderful opportunity that had had, and
the new friends and colleagues from all over the world with whom I have had the
opportunity to share. I thought that when I returned to Costa Rica it would be
a major task to put into practice all these new ideas and information. I thought
about my family, about the people of the WASBE, and especially about Tim
Reynish who awarded me the honor of a scholarship so that I could be there, and
finally, about the people of Bansbach Musical Instruments (Costa Rica) and
YAMAHA Latin America who sponsored part of my trip.
Leaving the Hurst class, I seated myself in the middle of
the gardens where there is a fountain that it has inscribed: "In
memory of those sons of Canford School who gave their lives for their country in
the cause of freedom (1939-45)." Then I knew that we give our lives for music because music is our
freedom, our water of life. For that reason I want to dedicate this article to
the people of Canford, and I am proud to know, now, I am one of them.
©2003 WASBE
|
Este artículo está disponible en español.
|