JAVS Fall 2003

THE KRONBERG KG NGRESS AND VIOLA FEST IN REVIEVV

British/American Rebecca Clarke's music and Donald Maurice played his fellow New Zealanders' music by Anthony Ritchie and Alfred Hill. Penny and Steve Kruse transported audiences to parts of North America by featuring rags and some Montana Music, by David Maslanka. Chris Rutledge shared some of her year's focus on Bach and featured the Chaconne. Two special violists transported us to other worlds by their abilities to cre ate wildly new colours on the instru ment. H enrik Frendin (Sweden) did a demonstration on his newly designed "electric viola grande." Garth Knox (Scotland) played a breathtaking recital of new works that shimmered, crackled and sparkled with his own unique style.

dios of their society as well as balancing the programs with guests from all over the world. Other coun tries represented included Canada, Scotland, New Zealand, Belgium, Sweden, and the U.S.A. Something that stood out was the quality of German viola teachers and their incredibly

The Altes Oper in Frankfurt provided the settingfor the opening ofthe 2003 Viola Fest.

Editor's Note: we wish to thank Dwight Pounds for his beautifulpho tos ofthe Kronberg Kongress and Viola Fest. The International Viola Congress Meets in Germany, June 2003 By Claudine Bigelow The 2003 International Viola Congress was held in charming Kronberg, now a suburb of Frankfurt, Germany. It is a beautiful and historic place complete with narrow cobbled stone streets and its own medieval castle where knights of old once roamed. Organized jointly by the German Viola Society and the International Viola Society, Ludwig Hampe, Ronald Schmidt and Frank Strauch did a fantastic job of showcasing violists and stu

strong studios. Master class appear ances featured the teaching of Matthias Bucholz, Johannes Luthy, Hartmut Rohde, and Tabea Zimmerman. Some of their studios were also showcased in recitals. The recitals generally featured music of the artists' home countries and provided a good opportunity to hear repertoire I would like to u y in the future . Jurta Puchammer-Sedillot and her duo partner Elise Desjardins performed an incredibly lush Sonata Rhapsody by the Canadian female, Jean Coulthard (1908-2000) among other pieces. Emile Cantor also brought his pianist Philippe Terseleer and they played Belgian music both old and new. The com posers ranged from familiar Vieuxtemps to those worth seeking out more often such as Legly and Jongen. Helen Callus played the

Henrik Frendin and his "electric viola grande"

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