Time to do lots of things! :) And have a little break.. In the mean time, this is what I have been up to..

This week we had our first concert with Legal Harmony, Stewarts Law's choir, that I have been working with for 6 six weeks now. I'm to this day astonished to the level of commitment, good singing and charisma displayed by my choir! They completely went for it, and I can't tell you enough how much fun it was! Looking forward to seeing them after the Easter break and prepare all the events we have lined up in June!

Also this week, Alba Acevedo and myself played at the Foundling Museum, as part of the Young Spanish Performers Concert series, supported by NLO, Instituto Cervantes and the Spanish Embassy. The atmosphere of that room is very special and unique, surrounded by original furniture and magnificent pictures. The piano is a jewel in its own right. I was going to take a picture of it to post it here, but forgot with the heat of the moment. I'm coming back next month with Carla Sabater (trombone) so, I'll shall not forget again. 

Alba and I had a great time at the Foundling Museum, and we believe that the programe was very well received, which being 100% Spanish is very nice to feel. We played Granados, Falla, Casals and Cassadó together, whilts Alba played to Suite for cello of Cassadó on her own, and I performed some pieces of Aita Donostia and El Puerto from Albéniz written for piano. We are very much looking forward to play the programme again soon!

And I think I'm going to leave it here for today! I'll be back shortly to give all the info about the Anglo Spanish Society concert this coming Thursday, 12th April at St Peter's Church in Eaton Sq. I was just reminded that I haven't been clear with the date and venue, since we had to make some adjusments.. My apologies. This is now the correct info, and I'm very much hoping to see you all there!

Happy Easter, 

Maite

Little programe notes.. 

Tomorrow flutist Kia Bennett and I are playing at St John's Fulham, at 6pm. The programe begins with Händel's beautiful and lyric Sonata in F Major, and finishes with the famous and buoyant Flute Sonata by Poulenc. Before that, the recital contains two other sonatas based in greek mythology and a legend respectively. La Flute the Pan by Jules Mouquet and Undine by Carl Reinecke. In La Flute the Pan, Mouquet portraits the Greek god of shepherds Pan. The first movement, Pan et le Bergers [Pan and the shepherds], shows the playful and joyful spirit of Pan and the lusty shpeherds upon he watched. The second movement, Pan et les Oiseaux [Pan and the birds], is a a dialog between Pan and the birds or the flute and the piano. It has a melancholic dream-like colour throughout. Finally during the third movement, Pan et les Nymphes [Pan and the Nymphes] we can can hear Pan being joyful again, chasing the nymphs through the woods. The next piece, as mentioned above, is Undine. The legend in which is based was written by de la Motte Fouqué. Undine is a nymph that is brought to the world by his father, in order to became an inmortal spirit. To acheive that a knight must show her true love. Years go by, and Huldebrad is in love with Undine. Unfortunately not all goes as planned for the water nymph. Huldebrad meets another girl, Berthalda and falls in love with her, rejecting Undine, who must return to her aquatic world. The day of their wedding, Undine leaves the water and gives Huldebrad a fatal embrace that finishes with his life. After his funeral, some flowers grew around his grave. These flowers never withered... They are Undines arms looking after her beloved.

Tomorrow at St John's Fulham!

M

As you can see the website different since I last posted here. Hope you all find it usefull and easy to navigate, as well as eye-pleasing!

So yes, "new section". What is that about? 

I'm constantly asked by my students and coachees to recommend them books on specific areas of interest. (Goes without saying that my expertise and advice is sought after mainly only in the music arena..) That is the reason why I intend to create this new blog section where I will periodically recommend readings. I hope that you find it interesting and helpful. 

The first recommendation is How Music Works by John Powell. (Amazon link here. No, I don't have any shares with amazon, and I actually purchased the kindle edition!) The book is very informative and can be read by musicians and non musicians alike. It is written in a witty informal style, that is never boring but is not annoying either. Powell is a natural communicator and achieves his purpose very well. If you are looking for an introduction into the principles of sound and mechanisms of sound production, this is defenitely a must read. For the trained musician, I'm sure there is some stuff here you didn't know, and a lot of it that you might have forgotten. I enjoyed it and I recommend it to anyone curious about music. 


M. 

Happy New Year!

... O month and a day late.. No excuse. Won't even try. 

2012 has stared absolutely full of energy and music. Lots of work and fabulous projects! 

We had the first run of our Seduction Recital with Sky Ingram at St Olave's Church a week ago. We had a lot of fun together, and have now even more ideas on how we could tailor the programe further in the future. From here, a big thanks to Tom Butler at St Olave's who invited us and whom is always a delight to work for. 

What else? Oh yes! Tenorissimi concert at the Girdlers Hall for the Beadles' Guild! wow.. now THAT was an audience! I think that at Tenorissimi we are very privileged to encounter a very welcoming audience wherever we go (and touch wood it stays like that), but last Friday, that was something else. And I can't complement the Beadles and their guests enough for their amazing sing along! Bravi

Worth mentioning too is that the engine for the Anglo-Spanish Society Annual Concert is now on. We have a date 11th April, a venue St Peter's Church in Euston Square and amazing músicos who are already sending their concert proposals. This year's theme wants to celebrate Montsalvatge's, Escudero's 100th an Debussy's 150th year after their births. Works or these composers are dearly welcome. However, all other Spanish music will be well received, and we are hoping to have a fabulous event as in the previous years. (If you want to participate send me an email with your proposed programme, cv and contact details to [email protected]) 

Quick mention to, to the big big project that the ILAMS is organising for May. I will post soon about that again. Very very promising!! So many fabulous things to come..

I will leave it here for today. If you have any questions or commets I'll try to answer them as soon as I can!

M.

Ps. .. Yes, I'm trying to ignore what is going on with the Liceo Theatre in Barcelona. Hopefully it's not the beginning of the end. As I said in my twitter.. SPAIN WAKE UP!

Merry Christmas!!!!!

December is indeed an intense month in a musician's life! :) 

I have been fortunate enough to welcome the Christmas season 2011 from the very beginning of the month this year with our concert and carol service at St Olave's a week ago, 2nd December. As you already know it was held in support of Breakthrough Breast Cancer and I can't wait to organise our next event. :) The singer and pianist were fantastic and I felt so lucky and fortunate to be able to help them doing what we love most! M U S I C

Unfortunately, this moth is also a tough one for the young musicians that want to attend music school. I have been playing for vocal auditions at GSMD and met some truly wonderful young voices, but obviously not all of them have the same potential, or have developed their technique as far as they ought to (etc..), and I have found it heart breaking to see some of them read their "no" letters. On the other hand, this is part of "the job" and being perseverant as well as hard working is  probably about 90% of what it takes to be a professional musician. It is unfortunate that some of them have to learn that lesson rather soon. Supporting this, there is this little anecdote that I found out this week: one of my favourite voices at GSMD was actually rejected in all London Schools the year prior to being accepted.. and five years after that, he is singing exceptionally well, winning competitions and basically starting a successful career as a young very promising singer! So there we go, NEVER GIVE UP! That was Solti's "leitmotiv". And I will keep reminding myself the same for when is needed. 

But December is more than auditions! We had a wonderful time with Tenorissimi yesterday playing during a Christmas dinner and at the same time, celebrating another Christmas together as a group. We had fun and music, as always! And today I had the priviledge to observe the first stage rehearsal of Meistersinger at ROH, which I can't but say that I found outstanding. That music is just superb! So cleverly written but so empathetic with emotions. Again, a young man making his way in what it seems an impossible contest out of his league. But what is important is the believe in oneself and the honesty of true art. The more I get inside the opera, the more I like it. Sachs' wisdome is so comforting and inspiring... There is many "Beckmessers" in life, and it is hard to find Sachses around us, but they exist! People that are unafraid of what is young and new, people that enjoy helping to the younger generation  but are also open to learn from them. Guide and be guided, I believe that is the nature of the soul that is free.. 

Thanks to one of them, I have the priviledge to be attending and learning from these rehearsals. And I'm thankful and grateful, and hopefully I can return the favour in the future to the next generation...

Maite

I'm very happy to annouce that this year I will be the Anglo Spanish Society's Concert organiser. 

We have had three dashing events so far in the last years, and I hope to continue this very same path and have a wonderful concert probably in April. All the details will follow soon, I'm meeting with the committee in a couple of weeks!

And.. today we have a week to go for Voices Ensemble in St Olave!!!! In support of Breakthrough Breast Cancer. Can't wait, 

Good morning from London, 

Maite

YES!

So, finally Tenorissimi is recording! I'm very excited about it, at least I'm excited *now* and I'm looking forward to hearing the result, but I must confess that I was very nervous before the recording session. 

I still don't get over it, and I do feel far more nervous for a recording session than for a live performance. Silly isn't? We can do pretty much anything inside a good recording space, and when having the time and means, which we had, there should be no stress or pressure.. But I can't avoid the "ever lasting stress".  (Again very silly, because there is something called DELETE) but I supose that used to the ephemeral quality of music and the concert experience in general, the perpetuity of the recording seems such a monumental responsability. And I find it much harder to get into the music when away from the stage, there is no energy from the audience, all seems to be so aseptic...

On the other hand, I have to say that this time it actually was lots of fun, much easier as well than anticipated, and as I said, I'm really looking forward now to it and to sharing it here as well!

Oh.. you might think, what about the recordings on the website? :) Good question, they are all live performances ;) 

Maybe I'm over the trauma now and there is space for me in the studio scene, if not, I will continue with live recordings. More risk, more fun.. and is a captured moment, stolen from nature...

M