{"id":13914,"date":"2015-10-05T13:20:22","date_gmt":"2015-10-05T20:20:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/?p=13914"},"modified":"2015-10-05T18:18:16","modified_gmt":"2015-10-06T01:18:16","slug":"thoughts-of-a-front-desk-violist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2015\/10\/05\/thoughts-of-a-front-desk-violist\/","title":{"rendered":"thoughts of a front desk violist"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’ve just read this wonderful article<\/a> on LSO principal violist Paul Silverthorne<\/a> on Ariane Todes’ blog<\/a>, and if you’re an orchestral player, conductor, or soloist, I’d encourage you to read it. It’s a goldmine of practical information from a top player in a top orchestra who has just about seen it all. Here are a couple of my favorite bits:<\/p>\n

\n

‘It\u2019s hard to analyse how great conductors make a difference. It\u2019s much easier to explain what the bad ones are doing that doesn\u2019t help. Bad conductors conduct everything they don\u2019t need to conduct but don\u2019t give the things they do need to. They have self-conscious gestures they use to look good, or they\u2019re not quite convinced of their own ideas.<\/p>\n

The problem for conductors is that until they\u2019re famous they don\u2019t get a good instrument to practise on. It takes a different technique to conduct a bad orchestra. You\u2019ll get a young conductor coming in and they\u2019ve probably worked with orchestras that aren\u2019t as good as the LSO and they don\u2019t know how much they can trust the orchestra just to do it.\u2019<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

and<\/p>\n

\n

\u2018In my position I can see everything, particularly bow arms, which are so individual and make such a difference to someone\u2019s voice. Rostropovich was amazing \u2013 he\u2019d always have yards left at the end of his bow to open out the sound. Even with a diminuendo there was no loss of power. It\u2019s a particularly Russian thing: Yuri Bashmet does it, too. You can learn from the bow arms of all the great players.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

and<\/p>\n

\n

\u2018Turning around and saying things as section leader has to be done with a light touch and as little as necessary. If you do say something, it has to be very simple and clear. I\u2019ve got really good players in the section so I\u2019m not going to be say anything patronising. You have to trust them. You have to give them clear leadership without going over the top, and a strong rhythmic leadership, otherwise they can\u2019t come in together. It doesn\u2019t have to be a big lead but it has to be very clear what you\u2019re going to do, with no hesitation. When you\u2019ve got a good section you can send back clues about what you\u2019re going to do with the phrasing, in how you\u2019re moving, with simple body language. It\u2019s the same as with conductors \u2013 if your movements are contrived or self-conscious it doesn\u2019t send the right message. It\u2019s got to come naturally from your playing and then it will work.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’ve just read this wonderful article on LSO principal violist Paul Silverthorne on Ariane Todes’ blog, and if you’re an orchestral player, conductor, or soloist, I’d encourage you to read it. It’s a goldmine of practical information from a top player in a top orchestra who has just about seen it all. Here are a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":303,"featured_media":13915,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[299,135,2],"tags":[342,3706,3704,3705],"class_list":["post-13914","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-conducting","category-soloists-recitals","category-the-orchestra-world","tag-interview","tag-london-symphony-orchestra","tag-paul-silverthorne","tag-principal-violist"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/home_photo03.jpg?fit=540%2C250&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa8kC-3Cq","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":643,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2008\/01\/05\/inside-scoop-on-de-waart-appointment\/","url_meta":{"origin":13914,"position":0},"title":"inside scoop on de waart appointment","author":"Charles Noble","date":"January 5, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"This blog entry, written by MSO principal violist Robert Levine, talks about the recent appointment of Edo deWaart as the next music director of the Milwaukee Symphony. Here's a taste: Most members of the orchestra regard this as very good news, I think. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s arguably the best-known conductor we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve ever\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "music"","block_context":{"text":"music","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":657,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2008\/01\/11\/carrie-dennis-plays-paganini-and-schumann\/","url_meta":{"origin":13914,"position":1},"title":"carrie dennis plays paganini and schumann","author":"Charles Noble","date":"January 11, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Carrie Dennis, the phenomenal violist who has (by the anything but grizzled age of 30!) already been Assistant principal violist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Principal violist of the Berlin Philharmonic, and was just named as Principal violist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic has a couple videos up on youtube. See\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "music"","block_context":{"text":"music","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/05iUOXkzvM8\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12662,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2013\/05\/22\/season-eighteen\/","url_meta":{"origin":13914,"position":2},"title":"season eighteen","author":"Charles Noble","date":"May 22, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Monday night marked the final concert of my eighteenth season with the Oregon Symphony. It's been a year of marked contrasts for both myself and the orchestra. The orchestra is sounding very, very good. Make no mistake about that. We made a strong debut at Seattle's Benaroya Hall. We are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "the orchestra world"","block_context":{"text":"the orchestra world","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/the-orchestra-world\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Me with retiring OSO violist Steve Price, with 41 seasons under his belt!","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/cs-sm.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6206,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2011\/04\/19\/wish-list-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":13914,"position":3},"title":"wish list","author":"Charles Noble","date":"April 19, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"This season has been a great one - lots of incredible guest conductors and soloists, and some wonderful repertoire, too. Next season promises to be equally fantastic. That still won't deter me from putting out my wish list for soloists, conductors, and repertoire for upcoming seasons. Some of these ideas\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "the orchestra world"","block_context":{"text":"the orchestra world","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/the-orchestra-world\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/james-ehnes-4507-5x7-200x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":539,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2007\/11\/19\/thoughts-on-two-concerts-down-two-to-go\/","url_meta":{"origin":13914,"position":4},"title":"thoughts on two concerts down, two to go","author":"Charles Noble","date":"November 19, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"UPDATE: Oregonian music critic David Stabler gives his expanded list of Poets\/Scientist conductors here. Last night we played our second of four iterations of the Classical 6 program (three in Portland and a run-out to Salem on Tuesday night) under the direction of Finnish guest conductor Hannu Lintu. I was\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "music"","block_context":{"text":"music","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":12604,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2013\/04\/19\/bso-marathoners-honor-marathon-victims\/","url_meta":{"origin":13914,"position":5},"title":"bso marathoners honor marathon victims","author":"Charles Noble","date":"April 19, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"This is just a cool story - and you'll note that three of the musicians are violists, naturally! \u00a0","rel":"","context":"In "the orchestra world"","block_context":{"text":"the orchestra world","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/the-orchestra-world\/"},"img":{"alt_text":" Photo: Stu Rosner\/Boston Symphony Orchestra","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/bso_musicians-500x282.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13914","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/303"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13914"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13914\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13915"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13914"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13914"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13914"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}