The title seems intimidating, but what does a music director really do? Is it true that he whips (metaphorically, of course) the musicians during rehearsals, that he throws constant tantrums and has an inflated ego? Of course not, but… Tony Cirone explains:

“With this control over the musical score, it’s easy to see how such power can be abused.  It’s one thing to address sections or the entire orchestra regarding changes in the score, however, when individuals are approached regarding rhythm, intonation, or sound issues, the tone of the conversation is telling.  It doesn’t take much for a musician to feel the conductor is not pleased with his or her contributions. And when this leads to being called into the office for a meeting or making an official request to re-seat a musician, it affects the entire orchestra because one never knows who may be next.”

You can read the rest of this revealing blog post here…

The accordion is much more than an instrument to hold a tune in a bar or play folk songs. In fact, a history of the accordion would not be complete if it didn’t include a substantial chapter dedicated to Russia, which, when it comes to crafting as well as perfecting technique, the creation of specific compositions and the key role played by performers on the international scene, has greatly contributed to the development of the instrument.

The accordion bowled over the Russian public at the Nijni-Novgorod Fair in 1830, and soon, its production began in the city of Toula and the instrument was included among those associated with folk music repertoire. In 1870, Beloborodov perfected a chromatic instrument with two rows of buttons. The instrument attracted composers, who began to dedicate their works to it. Piotr Ilych Tchaikovsky, for example, used four accordions in his Second Suite for Symphonic Orchestra in 1883.

In 1907, Khegstrem founded the First Russian Society for Harmonica Lovers (harmonica and accordion are interchangeable in Russian). The instrument, which from then on bore the name bayan, after the bard and magician Boyan, who sang historical and fanciful tales, allowed performers to exploit the most difficult works in the Classical repertoire.

As of 1926, conservatories and universities began to welcome the accordion in St. Petersburg (and the following year in Moscow and Kiev) and soon after that, specific competitions, publications and an extensive literature made their appearance.

A vital bridge between traditional folk and Classical repertoire, the bayan long remained synonymous with national pride. Indeed, the Soviet government did not hesitate to include the Jupiter factory in the Ex perimental Department of the Red Army. In 1966 the Soviets started to participate in international competitions, notably in Klingenthal (in the (former) German Democratic Republic), for decades winning all the first prizes. They continue to push back the technical boundaries of the instrument, while magnifying its expressive possibilities.

To find out how versatile the instrument can be, you will want to listen to Alexander Sevastian…

Installed in the right-hand gallery near the choir, the case of the Robert Richard organ of the Quebec City cathedral is tall with a significant base, though accented with a simple and elegant moulding. Above this rises the main part of the case, with a façade made up of two flat faces framed by three turrets. The manual and stop knobs are located behind the instrument. Great attention was paid to the stop list and voicing. This is a typical French organ: elegant, lively, at times rich and powerful. The ten stops and manual division provide a wide range of options.

Organ factor Denis Juget talks about the instrument.

Tomorrow and Wednesday, the OSM will perform, under Kent Nagano’s direction, Olivier Messiaen’s Turangalîla-Symphonie, a colossal work featuring two soloists: a pianist (in this case Angela Hewitt) and an Ondes Martenot player (“ondiste” in French, here Jean Laurendeau).

The Ondes Martenot is a rather intriguing instrument, which can be considered as one of the most ancient electronic musical instruments, since it was introduced to the public for the first time at the Opéra de Paris by Maurice Martenot in1928. Arthur Honegger, Darius Milhaud, André Jolivet and Olivier Messiaen all rapidly wrote for the instrumenet (more tahn 1500 classical works include the instrument and numerous pop artists have integrated the instrument to their songs). The instrument would continue to be perfected by its inventor until 1975.

Here is a demonstration from Jean Laurendeau, so that you can better understand the distinct personality of this instrument.