Comments on: Moving – Unpacking – Playing Concerts in between….

By: Alban

Alban — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 17:30:15 +0000

Dear Guido,

no, don’t worry, I haven’t thrown anything away – I gave many of the cd’s to charity, since I hate throwing away, at least somebody else can enjoy it one day…
Best wishes,
Alban

By: Guido

Guido — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 17:19:40 +0000

Dear Alban,

Please don’t throw CDs away! At least give them to charity shops so that us poor students can buy them cheaply!

It’s good to read this blog entry,

Cheers!
Guido

By: Katharina Schaake

Katharina Schaake — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 11:13:54 +0000

Dear Alban,
This article isn’t REALLY short…..
At the moment I’m for 6 months in France and I’m trying to play the second part of the Saint-Saens,but it doesen’t really work……
I’m always happy to visit this page an read some expressions of your concerts….I hope you will come at Siegen again…..
Best wishes from France
Katharina

By: Alban

Alban — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 09:01:30 +0000

Dear Stephanie,
yes, I would love to return and perform with John De Main – quite amazing, a chief conductor who is still being respected and even loved by his orchestra after 15 years of being the chief conductor. Thanks for the nice words, and congratulations for your son’s acceptance into the prestigious Cleveland Institute!
Best wishes from Berlin,
Alban

By: Stephanie Jutt

Stephanie Jutt — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 04:04:43 +0000

Dear Alban,
Another note from a flute player in Madison who loved your playing – even from the back, it was one of the most beautiful and personal sounds I have ever heard on the cello – bravo to you and thank you for coming. We were all really touched when you sat in with our orchestra – and now I’m even more amazed, since you heard it six times last year! I must have played it six times in high school myself and I hope this was the last time, as effective as it is! Please come back to Madison Symphony soon and perhaps you’ll get to work with a truly superb accompanist, our conductor, John De Main. Now my son Trace is your fan as well – he’s a first year cello student at Cleveland Institute of Music – hooray!
All the best and travel safely, Stephanie

By: carol

carol — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 21:09:42 +0000

Dear Alban,
Please forgive my ignorance! I will pay attention for future concerts! And if you come in the winter again I would enjoy showing you around the ski area more. I work on ski patrol, one of my several jobs. Thank you for your kind reply to my previous email.
Best regards to you and your family.
Humbly,
carol

By: Alban

Alban — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 09:05:17 +0000

Dear Carol,
Thank you for your very kind words, but I can’t take credit for this; the piece I was playing was the Cello Concerto by Robert Schumann, which is one of the deepest and most passionate pieces written – I was just trying to make it work as well as I could, but at the end what you felt was really the suffering of Mr.Schumann, one of a few musical geniuses. Listen to his various songs, you will feel the same!
I have been at Grand Teton Music Festival twice actually, once in winter, once in the summer, and I LOVED it! The first time I skied all day before my recital at night (and the days before during rehearsals), and the second time I enjoyed my long hike before playing with the orchestra.
I wish to come back soon, we’ll see…
Best wishes, keep on listening to NPR, what a great radio station!
Alban

By: Carol

Carol — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 03:14:20 +0000

Hello Mr. Gerhardt,
I am emailing you from a small mountain town in Wyoming, USA. I know absolutely nothing about classical music, but just heard your piece from Seoul on NPR (national public radio) and was absolutely stunned. It was so beautiful, I wished to touch it,
see it, breathe it in…I had no idea a cello could sound so….necessary. By that I mean to say it should be necessary for the entire world to hear it. It evokes compassion, love, struggle of mankind. How could their ever be wars if everyone was listening to your music? I have never emailed someone I haven’t met, but believe you must be very kind with an open heart to allow a stranger like me to write to you.
We have a music festival of visiting artists that rotate through during two summer months, (www.gtmf.org) and I have been only twice, as I can’t afford the tickets. But I promise you now that if you ever came to play here, I would definitely buy a ticket and come to see you. And I keep my promises.
From where the buffalo roam, and the cowboys still exist, you should bring your family with you to visit.
From Wyoming,
carol

By: Alban

Alban — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 11:40:40 +0000

Maybe I should explain Geri’s “P.S.”: I had asked her after somebody said “You bet” in reply to my “Thank you” what that expression means. Thanks for explaining it, Geri, but I still don’t find it very fittingly. “Thank you” – – “You bet” or “That’s for sure that you had to thank me for holding the door for you?” – mh…
I enjoyed my hour at Stoughton High School tremendously, the students were absolutely adorable and I would appreciate very much if you could send them my very best regards. They listened extremely well to my few little pieces I played, and even their questions were very interested and sometimes brave (I know for teenagers it’s not soooo easy to ask just anything…).
Best wishes from Berlin,
Alban

By: uri vardi

uri vardi — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 22:55:55 +0000

Alban,
Thank you again for the inspiring concert, for your generosity in working with my students and for your openness in sharing your experiences and thoughts.
Hope to see you soon again.
Uri