Comments on: Breaking Bows and Strings in London

By: Rainer Knippschild

Rainer Knippschild — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:42:41 +0000

We will try to see you next year June (5th?) in Cleveland, if that is still on. Severance Hall is in my humble opinion one of the most georgeous concert halls in existance. My (Rainer’s) love affair with the Cleveland Orchestra goes back to 1977 in New York, when they played alle Beethoven sinfonien und Emil Gilels die 5 Klavierkonzerte. Der damalige Konzertmeister Daniel Majeske (leider+) spielte eine golden period-Stradivari und Franklin Cohen die Klarinette von einem anderen Stern. Der ist Ã¼brigens immer noch dabei.
Also : Saiten und Bogenbruch aber nicht Hals- und Beinbruch!
Herzliche GrÃ¼sse, Rainer Knippschild

By: Alban

Alban — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:04:36 +0000

Hi ABC, no, I am not really a Formula I fan, but since I am in general interested in sports, I hear even the news from motorsports once in a while… 🙂 No date for the Philippines yet, but as soon as they ask me, I’ll consider it, because the food was just too good to be true!

Hi Jacob, thanks for sharing your hilarious broken-string story – quite something, having to drive back to the hotel in the middle of a concert! Lucky you about the capable pianist… Another good point why one should play with pianists and not accompanists 🙂

Hi Margot, yes, I will try to record the Chin Concerto, promise, maybe rather sooner than later! Thanks for the post, and best wishes to all,
Alban

By: margot christel

margot christel — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:54:48 +0000

Dear Alban,
I first heard you play the highly acclaimed world premiere at the BBC Proms of the Cello Concerto by Unsuk Chin. Unfortunately, I was not in the Royal Albert Hall but listened later on BBC Radio Listen Again. As soon as the concert finished, I scribbled down your name wrongly as Alban Gernhart to check out your work. I like two instruments in particular: percussion and cello. Finally, here was a cellist whom i could admire… (excuse my late discovery!) I cried when Christopher van Kampen died suddenly as i heard him play so many times at the Barbican and the Wigmore Halls. I could not believe my luck when i noticed that you were performing at the latter a few weeks later. Needless to say that i was there and enjoyed every second of the passionate performance. Yes, that is what i call a passionate performance – from cellist and pianist – absolutely delightful! Yes, the snapped string was somewhat unlucky but the way you handled it with such great humour was a revelation. The disappearing through the two doors was so comical, it could not have been bettered by comedians! But, hey, we got to hear the intro twice and, as you said, it helped you meet the allocated live broadcasting time slot to perfection. The concert is still available on BBC 3 Listen Again – of course i have listened to it again many times already. Unfortunately your BBC Proms Cello Concerto by Unsuk Chin is no longer available to listen to but i live in hope that you will record this as it was simply sublime. Best wishes and good luck with all instrument parts.

By: ABC

ABC — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:12:49 +0000

I know it isn’t funny — it sucks when everything that could go wrong is seemingly going wrong — but I couldn’t resist laughing at the way you described yourself dashing across the stage like a roadrunner. I think that’s one of the many things that set you apart, your sense of humor and how you take things in stride. Your blog has been an insightful and at the same time entertaining read. Hopefully I get another chance to watch (and listen to) you perform live. Put Philippines in your agenda again? 😉 I thought I’d ask as well, are you also a Formula 1 fan? =)

By: Jacob Shaw

Jacob Shaw — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:22:42 +0000

Hi Alban, I know it isn’t nice to say – but I’m glad these things happen to someone else too! I saw this, because this summer I was playing in the festival of St.Lizier on the spanish border and I had the same kind of experience as your string breaking …..
Flying from Vienna to Toulouse, I had packed my spare strings in my suitcase so not to have any problems at the airport scanner (it happened to me in NY), and arriving the morning of the concert. I left my suitcase in the hotel and went quickly to the hall to rehearse, not thinking about taking the spare strings.
So, a quick return to the hotel to change and I came back to play the concert, a little stressed and feeling under pressure for the hellish acoustic of the hall along with the heat of the summer, forgetting completely to take out the spare strings and along to the concert with me.
Opening the 9pm start with Dutilleux 3 strophes, I managed to snap my A string on the pizzicato chord of the last line… So, no problem I thought, as I finished up the D string and walked calmly backstage to put on my spare string. And reaching into the pocket of my case my heart skipped a beat as I discovered my strings weren’t there.
And therefore I got into a car and was driven at high speed back to the hotel, whilst my pianist entertained the waiting public with parts of his solo programme for the next night in Paris (what joy it is to have such a wonderful chamber partners), whilst I was changing the string in the car on the way back, and walking straight out of the car onto the stage to launch into Brahms F to finish off the first half of the concert.

and the 2nd half was without problems, oh, apart from the pedal breaking on the piano halfway through Piazzola Tango!! The concert finished finally after the applause and encores (how can they want even more music after that marathon??) just before midnight, and then off to the restaurant before discovering that the car that was meant to take us back to the hotel had it’s lights left on so it wouldn’t start……

But at least my bow didn’t snap 🙂