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« Tilbage til festivaloversigt
Esbjerg International Chamber Music Festival
23. - 30. august
Vestjysk Musikkonservatorium, Esbjerg og Nordby Kirke, Fanø
De har ikke valgt det mest mundrette navn, Esbjerg International Chamber Music Festival, men turister er sikkert glade for at kunne udtale det. Arrangøren plejer ikke at være ræd for at bringe ukendt musik på programmet, men i år er der fokus på Mendelssohn, dvs. på kredsen omkring ham, hvilket forklarer, hvorfor der blot er musik af Mendelssohn (tegning) på tre af de otte koncerters programmer, som fortrinsvis består af romantiske værker. Esbjerg Ensemble og gæstemusikere fra udlandet sørger for, at publikum får en kvalitetsoplevelse med hjem.
Læs mere om festivalen på www.eicmf.dk
Et par ord fra festivalen
Michel Camille, EICMF
”Dear Michel, it is a pity and I am really very unhappy and sad about it:
But I cannot take part next year! I tried to move everything but it is just
impossible, all dates are focusing on this period and I cannot escape!!
What a shame!!
Anyway: good planning and very kind regards to your family!!
But I hope to be invited again for a later year! As you know I like your
festival very much!!
Best wishes Ernst”
It is always a great pleasure to collaborate closely with Ernst, one of the
most creative and enticing violinists in the world. Whilst we feel enormous
gratitude to be able to perform chamber music with Ernst, he has proclaimed
how the programmimg, scheduling and the excellent standard of performers in
this Festival challenges him, and that while the work load is really tough
it is optimal, neither being too much or too little. The rehearsals are
scheduled strictly to the minute, soon after arriving at Billund airport and
in many cases occupying the participants from 9am 9 pm. I have scheduled
some players like the Finnish cellist Marko Ylonen who plays with strength,
style and remarkable beauty, the Canadian violist Steven Dann, who together
with his beautiful tone has a very distinguished approach to playing, the
Finnish pianist, Juhani Lagerspetz, one of the most versatile and creative
pianists in the world, from 9 to 9 on rehearsal days. However long the day,
they all are able to contribute to the rehearsals with endless insight.
Whilst Ernst Kovacic wasn’t able to participate in 2008, we nevertheless had
an enviable roster of renowned soloists to reside in Esbjerg from seven to
fourteen days at this Festival, or ”survival course” as one participant
remarked, the kind of which apparently is unique in Denmark. 2008 saw also
the participation of the French violinist, David Grimal, the Austrian
violinist Christian Altenburger, the cellists Richard Lester and Marko
Ylonen, the mezzo- sopranos Tuva Semmingsen and Trine Bastrup Möller, the
harpist Tine Rehling, the conductor Chris Austin, the Finnish pianist,
Juhani Lagerspetz and the Canadian violist Steven Dann, all of whom
collaborated very successfully with the members of Esbjerg Ensemble as well
as its Artistic Manager who is fortunately also a world-class accordionist.
There was the quite recent infamous story where Christian Altenburger’s
Stradivari of 4 million euros was stolen from his safe in his apartment in
Vienna, the part of the story of which he recounted to us with glee, that is
the Austrian police speeding him across Vienna with blue lights, just to be
”reconnected” with the violin that had been recovered from the thieves. But
as there was no violin case for the Strad, the police drove him back and
forth again at great speed across Vienna with blue lights flashing in order
to collect a violin case, living every boy’s dream, but also demonstrating
the Viennese police respect for violins and their cases.
In ten years running this Festival, there has been ”touch wood” very little
mishap or illness. The Festival is very challenging for each participant,
who often perform up to seven pieces in one week and in as many instrumental
configurations. If a mishap occurs it could be like a house of cards. This
year I was called away due to an emergency, as my five-year-old son Vincent
had broken his arm whilst at kindergarten. It was a great relief that he was
not too traumatized and the fracture mended well.
One Thursday morning at 9 o’clock, David Grimal turned up in a panic and
almost paralyzed with fear ”Where is my violin!? ” After calming him down, we
retraced his steps from the previous evening, made a dozen phone calls after
which I went to wake up the very friendly chef of Maremma, an excellent
Tuscan restaurant, and who laughed that he could have made a chain of
Maremmas if he had been quick enough. Simultaneously, I was receiving phone
calls that Tuva Semmingsen’s voice was also lost. So to kill two birds with
one stone I bargained with David to play an extra piece, the Debussy Sonate
that same evening, to which the pianist, Juhani jumped at the opportunity,
if or when I recover David Grimal’s, also priceless, Stradivari.
That same evening my D string broke in a fast movement of the Saint-Säens
Piano Quartet. I went to my viola case to find that I had just a week
earlier replaced my last D string. So Steve Dann rushed up to his hotel to
collect a D string from his room. Not only were the audience perplexed but
also David Grimal, Marko Ylonen and Juhani Lagerspetz who for twenty
minutes, were sure ”he will be back any minute?! ”. The theme of the Festival
was ”Sounds of Silence”. It wasn’t my intention that the Silence would be
taken to this limit!
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Foto: PR
