...you wait three years for one and then two turn up at the same time. Well, not quite the same time but a mere fortnight apart. The RNCM have previously run Woodwind weekends which have been pretty good. The last one was in 2010. This is the first time they have done a Double Reed Event, as far as I know. Although it was a full weekend of events I could only go to the Sunday due to Orchestra commitments on Saturday.
The first concert was by Gareth Hulse (oboe) and Meyrick Alexander (bassoon). It was quite early in the morning so it seems a little unkind to be critical. Gareth Hulse did play beautifully but I felt a little underwhelmed by his performance, he had his head buried in his music and I didn't find the pieces particularly memorable. However, the bassoon pieces were a different story, it probably helped that MA gave a little introduction to each piece which put it into context and helped engage the audience but his playing was also breathtakingly good.
I went to the lunch time concert which was put on by first year students at the college. There were three wind ensemble pieces - two of which were incredibly modern and included lots of multiphonics which I still find quite weird to listen to, the third was a lovely Haydn wind serenade which I enjoyed immensely.
In the afternoon I watched two masterclasses, one lead by Jacques Tys (from the Paris Conservatoire) and the other by Gareth Hulse. All the players appeared to be students from the college, or maybe other colleges - we were given no information on their background, or their names or indeed the names of the pieces they were playing. However, Jacques Tys was really quite inspirational. He was very engaging and commented on a wide range of issues from posture to tone to intonation to interpretation. He talked a lot about using the resonance in your head to help intonation and how you should adjust your soft palate to place higher notes as you do when singing. He also talked about directing the air through the note and the phrase so that you always know whether you are moving towards or away from the peak of the phrase. Gareth Hulse focussed more on interpretation of the specific pieces, though, again, many comments on shaping phrases and notes.
There were a number of very good trade stands there, though having had a splurge earlier this month there wasn't much I needed to buy. I did spend a very enjoyable hour or so trying different Cor Anglais models. I managed to resist buying one (for now) but I have a much better idea of which makes I prefer. It turns out my dream Cor is a Howarth S5. It was worth going just for that I think. I was a disappointed that the bass oboe was packed away before I managed to get a go.
Overall it was a very different event to the Big Double Reed Day at Guildhall and, in fact, to the last Woodwind Weekend at RNCM. Both of these events invited everybody to participate, they gave opportunities to ask questions and to join in with ensembles and workshops. By contrast, this event invited all but the chosen few to observe only. As an attendee it seemed as if very little thought or imagination had gone into planning the event. They went down the easy (lazy?) route of concerts and masterclasses only. What about something on reed making - drop in clinics or Q&A? What about a few workshops on technique or repertoire or ensemble playing or extended techniques? Why not give the opportunity for people to play together? Rather than just 6 masterclasses -why not theme them on different techniques, periods of music, or group them by ability and invite more people to participate? Or at least tell people which pieces are going to be played at each one? While it was quite an enjoyable day, it really wouldn't have taken much effort to make it a really good one and I came away thinking they could, and should have done a whole lot better.
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