Two eminent violinists have been in touch concerning my recent assertion that the Mieczyslaw Karlowicz concerto has 'not been played outside Poland in living memory'. Tasmin Little, who made a lovely recording for Hyperion with the BBC Scottish four years ago, tells me she did her best to secure a public performance in several countries and actually got it into a BBC concert, only for some chicken-heart to change the programme for reasons that were never satisfactorily explained. Tasmin's … [Read more...]
orchestra of the 21st century?
November 15, 2007 By
Running my eye down the list of players, as I do when I haven't heard a band in a year or so, I noticed that the principal horn in the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra is a woman (Elspeth Dutch) and the principal harp a man (Robert Johnson). Not much to raise an eyebrow over these days but as little as a decade ago either placement would have been almost inconceivable. In the 20th century, blowing was for guys, plucking for gals. Today, gender equality rules and long may it do so. There are … [Read more...]
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