The Well-Tempered Ear
Classical music: Vicki Powell talks about why she took
to the viola rather than the violin. She returns to
Madison to solo next Wednesday night with the
Middleton Community Orchestra. Plus, cellist Yo-Yo
Ma’s SOLD-OUT recital Saturday night at the
Wisconsin Union Theater will be WEBCAST LIVE and
FOR FREE. | October 17, 2014
REMINDER: This Saturday night, superstar cellist Yo-Yo Ma (below right) will make his seventh
appearance at the Wisconsin Union Theater at 8 p.m. in Shannon Hall. His recital features works by
Igor Stravinsky, Johannes Brahms, Olivier Messiaen, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Astor Piazzolla and others
with piano accompanist Kathryn Stott (below left). The event is SOLD OUT to the general public,
although some student tickets may remain. For more information, here is a link:
http://www.uniontheater.wisc.edu/season14-15/yoyoma-kathynstott.html
BUT: If you didn’t get a ticket to the sold-out Yo-Yo Ma and Kathryn Stott concert Saturday night,
October 18, in Shannon Hall in the Wisconsin Union Theater, don’t fret. The concert will be webcast if
you go to the page above at 8 p.m.
By Jacob Stockinger
The Ear loves the sound of the viola, with its mellow mediating between the higher violin and the lower
cello.
And he will have the chance to hear it in some unusual repertoire this coming Wednesday night, Oct. 22,
when the Madison-born violist Vicki Powell (below top) returns to solo with the Middleton Community
Orchestra (below bottom, in a photo by William Ballhorn) under conductor Steve Kurr.
The MCO opens its fifth season at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday in the Middleton Performing Arts Center, 2100
Bristol Street, that is attached to Middleton High School. Tickets are $10 general admission; students get
in for FREE. Advance tickets can be bought at the Willy Street Coop West.
The program includes the Overture to “William Tell” (which contains the brass fanfare theme to TV show
“The Lone Ranger”) by Gioachino Rossini; the Fantasy for Viola and Orchestra by Johann Nepomuk
Hummel; the Romance for Viola and Orchestra by Max Bruch; and the Symphony No. 8 by Antonin
Dvorak.
For more information about the amateur but very accomplished ensemble, including how to join it and
support it and find out what the coming season will bring, call (608) 212-8690 or
visit: http://middletoncommunityorchestra.org
Violist Vicki Powell (below) recently gave an email interview to The Ear:
Could you briefly introduce yourself to readers and tell us a bit about yourself, including when you
started music lessons, your early preparation and your life in Madison as well as your personal
interests (hobbies, etc.) and professional career plans?
Greetings from New York City, the city that never sleeps and that is certainly never lacking in cultural
events. I am a native Wisconsinite, raised in Madison, but for the past eight years I have been living on the
East Coast.
After earning my Bachelor’s of Music at the Curtis Institute, where I studied with Roberto Diaz and Misha
Amory, I moved to New York City to pursue my Master’s at the Juilliard School, and have lived in the city
ever since.
My life consists of a potpourri of musical activities, from performing with the Jupiter Chamber Players, to
playing with the New York Philharmonic, to collaborating with ballet companies alongside my new music
group Ensemble39. I’ve traveled across the globe and collaborated with many incredible musicians, but my
most fond memories are from my time back home, the formative years of my musical being.
I began taking violin lessons with Maria Rosa Germain at the age of four after hearing my brother, Derek,
play the violin. I have such a vivid memory of the moment when I decided that I wanted to play the violin:
It was dusk, and I was curled up on the green shag carpet of our basement floor, the last bits of daylight
leaking in through the windows above. Derek was practicing the Waltz by Johannes Brahms from Suzuki,
Book Two a few feet away.
I was exhausted after an afternoon of monkeying around on the jungle gym, and the waltz was the most
soothing lullaby to my ears, transporting me to that surreal state of half sleep where time seems to stand
still. I felt so peaceful, so warm, so content, the effects combining to make the moment so magical that the
only logical thing to me upon waking was that I would some day be able to recapture that sensation and
make music as beautiful.
My main violin studies were with Eugene Purdue (below, in a photo by Thomas C. Stringfellow), of the
famed “Buddy” Conservatory of Music, with whom I studied for nine years. Mr. Purdue also introduced me
to the wonderful world of chamber music, taking on the role of devoted coach to my string quartet, the
Élève Arte (wannabes of the Pro Arte String Quartet).
The challenge to my string quartet was that there were three of us violinists, and no violist to speak of, so
we took it upon ourselves to switch around our roles in order for us each to have a turn at playing the viola.
As the years rolled on, it became clear to us that in order to compete at competitions, it was not practical for
us to be lugging so many instruments onstage (there exists some comical video footage of this
phenomenon).
At this point, I decided that my role in life was not that of diva (ahem, First Violin). Although I find the
role of Second Violin extremely vital to the ensemble, challenging, thrilling and full of guts, I was drawn to
the uniquely dark tone of the Viola.
To me the viola (below) represented the real meat and soul of the string quartet, and the tone of the viola
was the perfect vehicle for expressing all of the rage, pain and suffering that I felt (Bela Bartok’s works
were the perfect outlet for those emotions).
Most violists also play the violin. What attracted you to the viola? What would you like the public to
know about the viola, which seems less well-known and more mysterious than, say, the violin or the
cello?
Having now overcome my teenage angst, I still adore the viola and its role in music -– to be entrusted with
the core of harmony, the real color within every texture, gives me such a sense of quiet power with which I
can subtly control the direction of a phrase and the shape of an entire work.
Mr. Purdue once shared a piece of wisdom relating to his wife, Sally Chisholm (below), who teaches at the
UW-Madison School of Music and performs with the Pro Arte Quartet. She was my first formal viola
teacher and the person responsible for expanding my creative horizon beyond the physical realm of musicmaking.
Those words of wisdom were: “People feel at ease when playing with Sally, and they easily credit
themselves for sounding so magnificent. However, it is Sally who, through her playing, acts as such a
strong guiding force that the flow of musical intention is undeniable.” That is a powerful statement that has
stayed with me to this day, and which I strive to achieve every single day.
Was there an Aha! Moment – an individual piece or composer or performance or recording, when
you knew you wanted to pursue music as a career and be a violist?
I can’t imagine pursuing a life in anything unrelated to music and the arts, but it was not always that way.
As a teenager, I refused even to dream of becoming a musician –- I’m a very realistic person, and the idea
of fighting my way through a world that is so competitive and which is not quite so financially lucrative
was not one that appealed to my sensibilities. During my early high school years, I focused my attentions
on math and the sciences, preparing myself for a life as a dentist or pathologist.
Then my “Aha!” moment came with my 16th birthday when I gave my debut as a solo violist on the
nationally syndicated radio show From the Top on NPR (National Public Radio). It was the first time I had
ever played for an audience to which I had no connection — the show was taped in Dallas, Texas — and I
suppose the whirlwind story behind my debut as a violist sans string quartet helped to convince me that a
life in music would never be boring.
I had such a blast meeting new people, and the thrill that came with being onstage was unforgettable that
from that point forward I was hooked.
How do you think classical music can attract more young people?
We so often hear that classical music is dying, a sentiment with which I strongly disagree. Times have
changed, and the world has turned to an era of short attention spans and an addiction to social media. I
myself am victim to a few of these [shortcomings], but because of them, I am also aware of the enormous
amount of interest in the classical world.
I believe that in order to attract more young (and old) fans of classical music, we must be conscious of
providing inviting points of entry.
I am very fortunate to be privy to several hip events around New York City that target young people
looking to be cultured and have a great time doing so. A few examples are: Groupmuse, Wine by the Glass,
NYC House Concerts, the Le Poisson Rouge (below) nightclub. They all introduce music in a social setting
where it’s cool to explore, and where you don’t feel constrained by rules of concert-watching etiquette.
What can you tell us about Hummel’s Fantasy for Viola and Orchestra?
Hummel (below) was a contemporary of Mozart and Haydn, both of whom played the role of mentor for
their younger counterpart. Hummel is most well-known for his fantasies, which are said to be “the peak and
keystone of virtuosic performance.” The Fantasy for Viola and Orchestra takes on different operatic
themes, three of which appear in the version that I will be performing with the Middleton Community
Orchestra. (You can hear the Hummel Fantasy for Viola and Orchestra performed in a YouTube video at
the bottom.)
What can you tell us about the Bruch Romance for Viola and Orchestra
The Romance by Max Bruch (below top) holds a very special place in my heart. It was the very last work I
performed — with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra (below) — before departing Madison to begin my
studies at the Curtis Institute of Music eight years ago! The lush, tonal soundscape will draw in any sucker
for Romantic music.
Is there something else you would like to say or add?
I’m very much looking forward to performing at home again, with people that are like family to me. Mindy
Taranto, cofounder of the Middleton Community Orchestra, has been such a great friend and supporter to
me throughout the years, and I am thrilled to finally have the opportunity to collaborate with her and the
orchestra.
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Related
Classical music: The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra opens its new winter season Friday night with
masterpieces and rarities with guest violinist Rachel Barton Pine. Get there early, and check out the
photographs of Paul Vanderbilt.In "Classical music"
Classical music: Famed Japanese violist Nobuko Imai joins the UW-Madison’s Pro Arte String Quartet this
Wednesday night in a MUST-HEAR and FREE concert of Mozart, Brahms and Britten. Plus, the
Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra ends its winter "Masterworks" season Friday night with Haydn, Mozart,
Beethoven and Canteloube. And pianist Jeremy Denk gives a public master class on Wednesday night at 8
p.m. (NOT 7) in Morphy Hall.In "Classical music"
Classical music: This Wednesday night, warm up to Spring with the Middleton Community Orchestra,
which will perform music by Mozart, Brahms and Rimsky-Korsakov with guest violin and viola soloists
and a guest conductor, who are all distinguished graduates of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School
of Music.In "Classical music"
Posted in Classical music
Tags: Arts, Beethoven, Brahms, Carnegie Hall, Chamber music, Classical music, Curtis, Curtis Institute of
Music, Dallas, Dvorak, From The Top, Gioachino Rossini, Haydn, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Hummel, Jacob
Stockinger, Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Johannes Brahms, Juilliard School, Kathryn Stott, Ludwig van
Beethoven, Madison, Max Bruch, Messiaen, Metropolitan Opera, Middleton Community Orchestra,
Middleton High School, Mozart, Music, National Public Radio, New York City, New York Philharmonic,
NPR, Overture, Piazzolla, Pro Arte Quartet, Rossini, Saturday, Stravinsky, Suzuki Method, symphony,
Texas, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Viola,
Violin, Waltz, Wednesday, William Tell, William Tell Overture, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Wisconsin
Union Theater, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Yo-Yo Ma, YouTube
1 Comment »
1.
very glad to hear about the webcast. Tried unsuccessfully to get tickets. This is a classy move on
the part of the Union music people.
Comment by paul baker — October 17, 2014 @ 8:14 am
Reply
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