Luiz Garcia - Featured Artist
I was born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil, although I've spent a good portion of my life abroad. At the age of 18 I was granted a scholarship to study in the USA under the guidance of my great mentor, Charles Kavalovski! Right after graduating from the New England Conservatory, I joined the Empire Brass where I spent two seasons recording and touring a great deal. I also had a great time during my years in Boston as substitute in the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops. After 8 years living in the USA, I returned to Brazil to join the São Paulo symphony as principal horn. However, the urge to discover new horizons took me four years later to Berlin, where under the guidance of Stefan Dohr I began to substitute as guest principal horn with Berlin Philharmonic, Cologne Radio, Staatskapelle Berlin, Frankfurt Radio, Tonhalle Zurich among others, with the most distinguished conductors. I also played as guest artist with German Brass for 4 seasons.
I feel extremely privileged to have had the opportunity to experience in such depth two of the most prominent and influential horn schools in the world. This amazing mix gave me the tools to perform, teach and think of music from an enriched and diverse perspective.
I rejoined the São Paulo Symphony as principal horn at the end of 2014, in my home country, where I also teach, play chamber music and make solo appearances.
It will definitely be a thrill to perform at IHS 49 in a program made of works from a CD of original Brazilian compositions for horn and piano, among other standards.
I'll see you in Natal!
Adalto Soares - Featured Artist
Professor de trompa, integrante do Quinteto de Metais UNIRIO, maestro Banda Sinfônica da Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro-UNIIRIO. Doutorando em Educação Musical pela Universidade Federal da Bahia – UFBA, destaca-se por sua carreira como instrumentista com CDs lançado pela Orquestra de Sopro Brasileira em Tatuí - SP e Orquestra Jovem de Sopro de Karlsruhe-Alemanha na qual realizou turnê pelo Brasil e Alemanha. com grupo de música brasileira "Horn Brasil" – Tatuí SP .
Solista com grandes orquestras do Brasil e do exterior, Professor do Encontro Internacional de Metais da Universidade de La Serena - Chile, Festival Internacional de Inverno de Campos do Jordão (SP), Festival Eleazar de Carvalho (Fortaleza), Brasília (DF), Londrina (Pr) Tatuí (SP), Goiás (Go), Diretor Artístico do Coreto Paulista em Serra Negra (SP) – Festival de Bandas e Encontro de Maestros e Lideranças de Bandas do Estado de São Paulo – Tatuí (SP). Lecionou trompa no Conservatório Dramático Musical Dr. Carlos de Campos de Tatuí, onde formou vários profissionais que atuam nas mais importantes orquestras do Brasil. É Construtor e restaurador de Instrumentos de Metal com especialização em trompa natural. Horn Building e Brass Technology com o professor Lowell Greer pela William Cummings House, Toledo – Ohio (EUA).
Pedagogy - Szabolcs Zempléni
Balance all'Ungarese (Hungarian-Style)
by Szabolcs Zempléni
At the friendly request of Ab Koster, I'm happy to gather together a few of my thoughts about my pedagogical work.
For me, nothing is more crucial than finding BALANCE - in life as well as in horn playing. Whether in teaching or performing, it's important to find a good blend of all the different aspects we need for these activities.
As my students call it, "Szabolcs' magic triangle":
It's interesting to look at the fundamental elements taught in various countries: in Italy, home of the opera, you can almost always find a singing horn sound and strong musicality. However, rhythm and intonation are not always cultivated to the same degree. (This should not be taken the wrong way as any kind of accusation!) ⯑ In Germany, articulation is very important, just as it is in the German language. In South America, where people are always dancing, rhythm is #1. And in Hungary? Music is king ⯑
If we wish to be successful in our career, we must be on top of all these elements or at least be working on them. A beautiful sound and good rhythmic feel are useless without good intonation, just as good intonation and sound are useless without rhythm. Furthermore, there are other very important things, such as articulation and, finally, the deciding element: MUSIC.
However, we cannot work on one element to the negligence of the others, since we then quickly lose the BALANCE. If we know our own tendencies, then we also know where we need to work. As Arnold Jacobs said, brass players must think like singers. If we are successful in this, then we can simultaneously improve our intonation and develop a good sound.
But... what is the definition of a beautiful sound?
In Germany, the current dominant concept is the Alexander sound, something I would describe as being rich in overtones. When I was a student, there existed in Germany many different ideas of sound. Hermann Baumann had a singing sound that amazed the entire world. Yet you also found a softer, smaller sound out of Dresden that was the trademark of Peter Damm. When I first came to Germany, my own sound was also much thinner and smaller. It was Johannes Ritzkowsky (former solo horn in the Bavarian Radio orchestra) Who first suggested I listen to more opera.
In my homeland, Hungary, top priority goes to having a beautiful tone. We had two professors at the Academy, Prof. Adam Friedrich and Prof. Ferenc Tarjani), Who each had very different but without a doubt equally wonderful horn sounds. For me personally, the sound of Dennis Brain was a perfect example. His tone was so endlessly flexible. Twenty years ago, I absolutely wanted to achieve this myself.
Finally, we cannot neglect the most essential element: music. A beautiful tone can also sound empty and dumb without music. Therefore, I'd like to quote my "mentor," Frøydis Ree Wekre: "Always remind yourself why you started to play the horn in the first place." And: "Have fun!"
With these quotes, I try to cook all'Ungarese, so that it tastes good to everyone. ⯑
Here is a little taste for you – I hope you like it
Fond greetings,
Szabolcs
Szabolcs Zempléni has won many competition prizes in his career, including prizes in the Concerto Praga, Markneukirchen, Brno, and the ARD Competition in Munich. Since then, he has appeared on the great stages around the world and has been a dedicated chamber musician. He is currently professor of horn at the Hochschule für Musik in Trossingen, Germany.
(translation: KMT)
Pedagogy - Szabolcs Zempléni
English versionBalance all’ Ungarese
Auf die freundliche Anfrage von Ab Koster, komme ich der Bitte, ein paar Gedanken über meine pädagogischen Arbeit zusammenzufassen, gerne nach. So versuche ich einige Gedanken über meine pädagogischen Aspekte zusammenzufassen:
Für mich gibt es nichts Wichtigeres als BALANCE zu finden - im Leben wie im Hornspiel. Es ist beim Spielen wie beim Unterrichten wichtig, eine gute Mischung von allen Bereichen, die wir dafür brauchen, zu finden.
Wie meine Studenten es nennen:
Szabolcs` magic triangel:
Interessant sind die Eigenschaften von den grundlegenden Elementen in Bezug auf verschiedene Nationen zu betrachten:
- In Italien, der Heimat der Oper, ist eine singende Hornstimme und Musik fast immer vorhanden. Jedoch ist Rhythmik oder Intonation nicht immer gleichzeitig stark ausgeprägt. (Bloß nicht dass ich jemand beleidigen möchte!)
- In Deutschland ist die Artikulation wie in der Sprache, sehr wichtig.
- In Süd-Amerika, wo immer getanzt wird: Rhythmik ist der Nr1.
- Ungarn? Musik at all...J
Interview - Radegundis Taveres, IHS 49 Host
Kristina Mascher-Turner: The horn seems to be a popular instrument in Brazil. Can you tell us about how the horn tradition in your country began? Were there well-known teachers or performers who came over and got things started, for instance?
Radegundis Feitosa: The French horn started to become a more popular instrument especially in the last decades. Although the first mentions of the French horn in Brazil date from the early 18th Century, the instrument was better known in the orchestral/chamber music world at this time and didn’t become so popular for the general population at first. During the late 19th Century and early 20th century, in comparison to the Trombone and the Trumpet, for example, the French horn was not regularly used in Brazilian popular music ensembles. Many wind ensembles/military bands used to have a Saxhorn in E flat instead of a French Horn. These facts probably made a huge difference especially in the first part of the 20th century, when Trombones and Trumpet became more popular instruments. It started to change especially in the 1980s along with the developing and creation of new orchestras and undergraduate degree courses in public universities. At the same time, classical music festivals were receiving more resources and becoming bigger, and new festivals all over the country were being created. It stimulated more people to choose the horn as their instrument and to explore its possibilities. Nowadays, the horn is more established in Brazil not only in the Orchestral and chamber music formations but also in wind ensembles and military bands. It’s possible to hear some individual initiatives to have the instrument in choro, frevo, samba and other Brazilian music formations, as much as in big bands.
In the last few decades, we’ve had horn players coming from many parts of the world to teach and play the instrument in Brazil, such as Daniel Havens (USA) and Zdenek Svab (Czech Republic) that taught many of the principal horn players in Brazil now. Especially during the 1980s and the 1990s, many Brazilian horn players went to study abroad as well, particularly in the USA and Europe. This had a big influence on horn playing in Brazil.
Choosing a Recital Programme
By Frank Lloyd
Planning a recital?
Whether for your end of year exams, a concert in your local church, or as a professional looking for an all-in ‘tour de force’ programme, planning a recital can be for some a huge task, considering the many elements of a programme which need to be taken into account – not least building the stamina required to be able to get through it!
Recitals are hard, far harder in my view than playing ‘just’ a concerto, as you can be playing up to an hour or more of music in a full-length concert recital. Bearing this in mind, preparation on many levels is of utmost importance.
Like training running for a marathon, you need to start in plenty of time to build the necessary stamina and endurance. Unfortunately, there is no quick way to build playing endurance other than working on pieces and exercises that are taxing. Working the embouchure hard (but not beyond exhaustion) is the means in which demanding something from your body will result in it responding by building strength in the area you are working – in this case the embouchure. Demanding more = response & improvement.
As with any hard training regime, rest is an important part, as rest = recovery. We have to respect the muscles we are working and not demand/expect too much. Recognise the signals you are getting when you practice, and be aware that when you start feeling tired it’s time to take a break. Overdoing it will damage the muscle fibres, prolonging the recovery and lessening the training effect – and can even jeopardise the concert. In this respect, leaving anything to the last minute is a recipe for disaster, as too late is simply too late. Don’t put yourself under pressure by trying to do everything in a week. Plan your programme following the tips below, and start your preparation in plenty of time as this will lessen the stress when the concert approaches.
Philip Doyle - Featured Artist
Hello, dear colleagues of the Horn! I am a life member of the IHS and would like to congratulate all involved with our society for the fantastic work that has been done for almost a half century.
I was born in London, and after studying with Adrian Leaper, came to Brazil in 1977 and started playing in the Orchestra of the Municipal Theatre in Rio de Janeiro. It took me a while to get used to the heat, but I learned to love the rich culture and to appreciate the good-natured “carioca” people. I continued my studies in Rio with João Jeronimo Meneses and Zdenék Svab and became more involved with the music scene in Brazil, playing in other orchestras, namely the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra and The Petrobras Sinfônica, as well as solo, chamber work and commercial recording. In 1987 I joined the Villa-Lobos Wind Quintet, which this year celebrates 55 years of existence, and since then am proud to have been able to divulge Brazilian music with this group, recording many CDs, touring extensively, and playing over 1000 concerts in Brazil and overseas.
I have been teaching horn at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro since 2010 and have been lucky to have had some very talented students, some of which I hope will be able to attend IHS49-Natal. I was very fortunate to be able to find a gap in my busy schedule to participate in the IHS47-LA, and had a grand time with my Brazilian friends: Radegundis Tavares, Marcus Bonna, Adalto and Lucca Soares, whilst marveling at the amazing virtuosity of the international horn all-stars.
I have an obligation to play Brazilian music in the symposium, and one of my passions is the work of the wonderful Moacir Santos, an underated jazz composer from Pernambuco who immigrated to California in the 60´s. I thought it would be appropriate to play his “Melodia” for Horn and Orchestra. Moacir´s work has had somewhat of a revival, due to the research of Mario Adnet, Zé Nogueira and Andrea Ernest Dias, and I have been lucky to be able to have known Mr. Santos´s music as a member of the Ouro Negro band, a group created especially for playing this brilliant composer´s music.
Other works I will be playing are by Alexandre Schubert, a composer resident in Rio de Janeiro who is writing a piece especially for the symposium, and Orlando Alves, a professor of composition in the Federal University of Paraíba.
I hope that everyone will enjoy the hospitality of the “potiguar” people of Natal and would especially like to thank my friend Radegundis Tavares on organizing our IHS49-Natal!
