JAVS Fall 2007

technically, were featured soloists in the evening pro gram, as was VIOLA VNA, a viola ensemble from New Zealand. Lander is by no means intimidated by the unconventional-she reamed with percussionist composer Daryl Pratt (USNAustralia) ro present his Shadow Play for viola and vibraphone, serting the proverbial stage for two additional recitals combining viola with percussion. Fresh from hosting Congress XXXIV lasr summer in Montreal, Jurta Puchhammer (in my opinion, one of the besr-kepr secrets among truly outstanding violists) began her first of three Adelaide congress appearances with Alan Belkin's Sonata for viola. New Zealand's VIOLA VNA-nine players from the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and augmented by Anna Dawson, Donald Maurice, and Craig Urting-porrrayed once again the warmth and beauty of violas in ensemble with Mr. Urting's Collages, York Bowen's Fantasit QuartttforJour violas and Brett Dean's ustammt. The campus of the University ofAdelaide reflects the architectural metamorphoses it has undergone, typical of many university sires of venerability thar don't choose ro consciously adhere ro a particular style. Two mid-morning events were held simultane ously, one in the neo-Tudor Elder Hall; the other in another venue, housed in a modern utilitarian build ing. Elder Hall has a lovely ambiance as well as acoustics, bur unless one was seared close to the stage, some of Roger Benedicc's valuable instruction in his master class was lost. (The hall was finely suit ed to the evening concerts that sometimes featured larger ensembles.) After raking much of his training in the UK, Benedict has served since 2002 as princi pal violist of the Sydney Symphony. About a five minute brisk walk away, )una Puchammer-Sedillot, the Montreal Congress's hostess, offered a workshop on "Mental Visualization of movement in playing," an intriguing subject. Reports were enthusiastic, and my regret was that I only saw the last quarter of her presentation, wanting ro become better acquainted with Benedict's approach, while at the same time wishing I were ar )urea's workshop. Hence, the dilemma imposed on congress participants when double-scheduling is imposed. Day Two: Saturday, 30 June 2007 - David Dalton (USA)

Larer in a morning recital , the fine violist, Sheila Browne, one of several American participants, played a single work with piano, the concerto Approaching Northern Darkness by Kenneth Jacobs. This is a work of Brucknerian length that presumed much from this listener's attention span. The afternoon concert intro duced ro me-and I suspect others in the audience-the artistry of violists Peter Barber (New Zealand), Timothy Deighton (USA), and Mark Neumann (Canada). The program consisted of four modern works, two premieres. Following, we were fascinated by a program of the notable violist, Hartrnut Lindemann, who in recent years has divided time between Australia and his native Germany-and he didn't play a note. Instead, he held our attention with his commentary and recorded musical examples exemplifying "Expressive devices of the great string players of the Shellac era." Mechanical means, i.e. , porramenri and vibrato, and well as more subtle means, such as fantasy and charm, were contrasted in the playing of such musical indi vidualists as Joachim, Sarasate, Elman, Kreisler, and Thibaud. Lindemann gave his views as to why such players were distinctive as contrasted with the more "homogenized" character of roday's string artists. Attendees were presented the rarely heard quintet for strings by Anton Bruckner. The Australian violist and composer, Brett Dean, formerly of the Berlin Philharmonic, served as the other violist to the Australian String Quartet. It was a personal pleasure ro hear the solemn and noble slow movement played so expressively. A late afternoon seminar given by Heng Ching Fang (UK) on Terris's interpretive aesthetics demonstrated in the Arnold Bax sonata written for the grear violist, was most informative. (For any who have had difficulty recently in purchasing the Bax, ir is available in a new "Centenary Edition," Chappell Music, Lrd., Sole Selling Agent: Srudio Music Co.) I should mention that two other programs rook place during the second day: A lecture recital by Dr. Diane Phoenix-Neal (USA) on music by Georges Migor, and a seminar by Robyn Brookfield (Australia) about the 2007 Viola Syllabus of the Australian Music Examinations. I chose other events competing in the same time slor.

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