I arrive at the Rochester airport about 2:20 pm, dropping off the rental car just in time to miss the shuttle bus. Since they only arrive every 45 minutes, I have to hail a cab to get to the opening events on time (3:00 pm). While waiting on line to pick up my registration information I see a number of familiar names. I pick up my room key and badge and head up to the room - only to hear the voice and playing of my fellow Austin Symphonic Band member, Jo Oliver. She's just down the hall in the towers. On the way to the opening concert, I bump into IHS Advisory Council Member Marilyn Bone Kloss, the first of what will be many such meetings with e-mail acquantances during the trip. Marilyn is the one responsible for my upcoming presentation on the internet, on Tuesday. In fact, in perusing the program I notice that I am listed as a "Supporting Artist". This is the "least" of the artist categories, but I am honored to be included with so many fine musicians on the program. At least I don't have to play in front of anyone ..
The opening concert is offered by the Eastman Horn Choir under the direction of convention host, Peter Kurau. They open with an arrangement of John Williams' "Olympic Fanfare" by Charles McDonald. This is a very tough way to start a concert, with rapidly tongued passage and very high and low parts. There are a few bobbles but it all comes out OK. I later find out from one of musicians that they had to talk Peter into letting them play it at all!
After this, EHC plays a couple of selections from the standard horn ensemble repertoire .. "Canzona Per Sonare Septime Toni" (Gabrieli/ Reynolds) and "Nactesgang im Walde" (Scubert/Reynolds). The choir plays beautifully. As Verne Reynolds is Professor Emeritus at Eastman, we will hear a lot of his works during the week. The EHC closes the initial part of the concert with a work by Bernhard Krol, "Ballade, Opus 73." This is a beautiful work and the composer is on hand to take a bow.
It is at this point that Peter Kurau steps to the mike to welcome the over 500 of us who have shown for this 29th annual conference. Kilborn Hall (which seats 469) is nearly full, and the problem will become worse as the week progresses. Such a problem! ;-) He graciously thanks a number of people for their efforts before inviting IHS President Nancy Cochrane-Block to make a few brief remarks. Several Rochester U/Eastman School folks add a welcome, as do local officials. The Mayor of Rochester, the Honourable William Johnson, is on hand as well and proclaims this to be "International Horn Society Week" in the city. Pretty neat!
After the break, the RHC continues with the premiere of a new work, "Brahmsania", conducted by the composer, Samuel Adler. It is a pleasant and in places stirring work. The first half of the concert closed with the "Schneller Samba" by Arnold Fritscher and "Lied" by Hans Hassler. The last is conducted by the arranger, Verne Reynolds (there's that name again!)
After a brief intermission, the Eastman Brass takes the stage. This group is made up of Eastman faculty: Barbara Butler and Charles Geyer, trumpets; Peter Kurau, horn; John Marcellus, trombone. Quite naturally they have selected works by Verne Reynolds which feature the horn prominently. The initial work, selections from "Canzonets, Madrigals, Catches, and Glees," is a period piece which includes mostly French works from the 16th to the 18th century. Following this, a moving arrangement of Shostakovich's "Quartet No. 8, Op. 110," which was written in remembrance of the 20 million Soviet citizens who lost their lives in World War II. The final work is (apparently) a modern selection by Anthony Plog, "Sketches for Brass Quartets," which I find primarily annoying. The Eastman Brass plays well, with only a surprising number of cracked notes .. from one of the trumpets! .. marring the performance in the least. During "Sketches", Kurau places a H U G E mute on his horn. It is the first time I have ever seen a mute which covers the entire bell of the horn.
After the performance, the group is brought back for several bows and perform an encore .. another of the "Catches" entitled "Chloe" [I think], in which the members of the group leave one by one until only Kurau is left on stage. He looks around in mock terror and runs off the stage in feighned fright. The audience roars its approval.
After the performance, it's time to head down to the cafeteria to see what dorm food at a fancy school like Eastman is like. It is surprisingly good and validates my decision to pay room and board for the whole week. I run into Jonell Lindholm in the halls and encounter another Austin player, Mike Lacour. He's brought his daughter, also a horn player, along with him. A couple of other people also stop me in the hall after they recognize my name tag from the web. Hey, my fifteen minutes of fame .. ;-)
I head to the room, where I enter some of this on the rapidly fading (cordless) laptop. As I do it, the sounds of horn are wafting all around. I head out to the "new music" concert and hope this means recently published works, not "new" music.
There was a concert of new music, as mentioned earlier. Unfortunately for me, it was mostly "New" music .. e.g. no discernable tonal or rhythmic patterns, just a lot of notes splatted/sung/struck/whatever. A couple of selections did rise above the general muck, however. "Sonata for Horn and Piano" (1996) was written by Margaret Brouwer in two movements. The first is a lyrical, flowing effort with a very pleasant interplay between the horn and piano. The second is much more lively, slighly more modern, but still nice. The soloist is Kristen Thelander, an Associate Professor of Music at the University of Iowa. Her tone, especially in the first movement, is among the most wondrous I've ever heard, somehow managing to evoke the qualities of the sensous low flute sound, the warmth of the flugelhorn, and of course the characteristic horn sound. I try and tell her this after the concert, but the expression on her face makes it clear that she considers me some sort of wacko ;-) Of the other works, the most interesting was "Thirteen Vignettes for Horn and Piano [1994]" by John Gordon Armstrong. Janine Gaboury-Sly plays well in performing nine of the thirteen movements. I believe the Brouwer work has just been published by Carl Fisher for anyone interested.
That's it from the first day. More to follow, probably in less detail. It's been wonderful already; I can't wait to see what the upcoming days bring!
Ron Boerger
PS - this document also available on the web at
http://www.io.com/~rboerger/IHS/issue1.html
Most of my presentation is also in this directory but needs cleaning before it's usable.