36th INTERNATIONAL MASTERCLASS
IN ORCHESTRAL CONDUCTING
with Maestro JONATHAN BRETT (United Kingdom)
(Yuri Simonov/Rabinovich technique)
and State Symphony Orchestra of St. Petersburg
April 1-7, 2011
Repertoire to be studied:
At least 1 work from each list (alternatives possible subject to agreement)
A Chamber orchestra I
- Mozart Symphony No 36 / 38 / 39 / 41
- Haydn Symphony No 93, 101
- Schubert Symphony No 5
B Chamber Orchestra II
- Beethoven Sym 1, 2, 4, Coriolan Ov, Prometheus Ov
C Symphony Orchestra
- Berlioz – Symphonie Fantastique, Le carnival romain
- Brahms Symphony No 1,2,3,4, Tragic Overture
- Dvorak Symphony No 7,8,9, Cello Concerto (if soloist available)
- Elgar – Enigma Variations, Cello Concerto (if soloist available)
- Mussorgsky - Pictures from an Exhibition (Ravel), Night on the bare mountain
- Rimsky-Korsakov – Sheherezade, Sadko, Russian Easter Overture
- Tchaikovsky – Symphony No 4,5,6, Romeo & Juliet
- Wagner preludes – Die Meistersinger / Lohengrin / Flying Dutchman / Tannhauser
Other choice of repertoire is possible (subject to the confirmation by the Maestro and the orchestra)
Preliminary Workshop Schedule:
DAY 1 & 2 - Piano Sessions
DAY 3 & 4 - Chamber Orchestra
DAY 5 & 6 - Symphony Orchestra
DAY 7 - Dress Rehearsal and Final Public Concert
All active participants will conduct at the Final Public Concert.
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
1) This workshop is open to conductors at all levels of proficiency, from beginners to professionals. There is no age limit. The official language is ENGLISH.
2) Participants will work with the orchestra for four days. Each participant will conduct the orchestra every day for at least 30 minutes (total 2 hrs on the podium, plus the dress rehearsal and the concert).
3) Accommodation at a hotel or a private apartment at a reasonable price (usually around €40 per day) can be arranged on your behalf.
4) Assistance with Visa issuance (i.e. Invitation Letter) for Russia is available at no additional cost (required for most nationals). You can download the Visa Assistance Form from this website.
5) All sessions can be videotaped (please bring your own cameras and DV tapes).
6) Final concert will be videotaped - the performance DVD will be sent to each participant free of charge (i.e. included in the price of the masterclass)
7) Please note that, if you are to bring a musical instrument and/or bow into Russia, you may need to declare it with the customs, as well as give a photo of your instrument.
Active Participant Fee - €1,800 (approx. US$2,400)
Auditors (Passive Participants) - €650 (approx. US$875)
Deadline for Applications: March 1, 2012
All active participants will conduct at the Final (public) Concert. EACH PARTICIPANT IS GUARANTEED AT LEAST 120 MINUTES AT THE FRONT OF THE ORCHESTRA (30 MINUTES EACH DAY), PLUS DRESS REHEARSAL AND THE CONCERT - THAT IS 150 MINUTES OR MORE! Additional time is possible - 25 minutes 500 EURO, 50 minutes 1000 EURO, etc.
The Workshop Fee covers all masterclass sessions.
A Certificate of Completion will be issued to each participant after the final concert.
Places are limited - please inquire today.
About the Faculty:
Maestro JONATHAN BRETT (United Kingdom) received his early musical training on the trombone, viola and piano as a student at the Junior Department of the Royal College of Music in London.
Later he attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and read music at the University of Surrey, where started to pursue his interest in conducting. After graduating with First Class Honours he was awarded scholarships to study conducting with Diego Masson and theory and analysis of music at London University. Subsequent studies included choral conducting with John Poole and a Fellowship at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. As well as working with all the college orchestras and ensembles he was awarded a number of prizes and bursaries and given opportunities to participate in masterclasses with two great Russian teachers, Ilya Musin and Yuri Simonov, with whom he subsequently embarked on his most important and intensive period of conducting study.
Having gained his early professional experience with the Surrey Chamber Orchestra, since 1990 he has been the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the English Classical Players. Originally formed as a chamber orchestra, over the last ten years the group has extended the scale of its operation and repertoire so that it now works in various combinations from ensemble to full symphony orchestra in repertoire from baroque to contemporary. The orchestra's reputation has developed steadily; it is now regarded as one of the country's finest, noted for its opulently beautiful tone, brilliant virtuosity and the tremendous exuberance of its performances, both in the concert hall and on disc. Through its recordings and performances at leading venues all over the UK the orchestra has developed a strong public following as well as being invited for tours in many countries.
In addition to his work with the English Classical Players Jonathan Brett has appeared with many leading orchestras and choruses in the UK, including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Northern Sinfonia of England, the Royal Choral Society and the BBC Singers. His international career has taken him to many countries, with recent seasons including work in Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Russia and Spain.
The first British conductor ever to be invited to work with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, in December 2002 he made a successful début with them at Tchaikovsky Hall, Moscow with a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. He has subsequently become a regular guest conductor of the orchestra, appearing with them in Moscow at Tchaikovsky Hall and the Great Hall of the Conservatoire as well as touring internationally.
For more information, visit jonathanbrett.com.
About the Orchestra:
ST. PETERSBURG STATE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The Saint Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1967 under the directorship of Nikolai Rabinovich and has had many outstanding conductors from the St Petersburg school involved from its foundation such as Karl Eliasberg and Edward Grikurov. They set a very high musical standard which was then strengthened by their conducting students of the next generation - Yuri Temirkanov, Mariss Jansons, Y. Simonov, E. Serov, E Kolobov, R Martynov and others. The orchestra has undergone much change since its inception including a change of name and leadership but through all this time it has been developing its repertoire strengths and building a devoted audience. In 1996, the orchestra was given the honorary title of an Academic Orchestra.
The orchestra’s repertoire is extremely diverse ranging from the Baroque music of Handel and Vivaldi right through to music of the 20 th century. Since 1991, the orchestra holds their subscription series in the Mirror Hall of the Beloselsky-Belozersky Palace. In addition, the orchestra often performs in the Philharmonic Hall. Apart from standard concerts, the orchestra offers many educational programmes aimed at children and young people with repertoire including the classical masterpieces, Russian repertoire and music from foreign composers.
The regular commissioning and performance of new compositions is testament to the high standard of the orchestra with many new works written especially for the orchestra. There is strong support for local composers but also collaborations with many foreign composers who have also dedicated their works to this orchestra.
The Saint Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra tours regularly all over the world and has had successful concerts in Spain, Japan, Mexico, Germany, China and Finland. In the autumn of 1998, the orchestra toured to the USA and over 2 months held close to 50 concerts in different cities from the far east to the west coasts.
Many distinguished soloists and conductors have worked with the orchestra over the years such as Sviatoslav Richter, Elena Obrastsova, Yevgeni Nesterenko, Natalia Gutman, Eliso Virsaladze, Mikhail Vaiman, Yevgeniy Mogilevsky, O. Nikole, Montserrat Kabale, Pavel Egorov and Viktor Tretyakov.
From 2004 to 2007, the orchestra appointed the young, dynamic Vasily Petrenko as the new Chief Conductor following on from Ravil Martynov. From 2007 the principal conductor of the orchestrais Maestro Alexander Titov, Honorary Artist of Russia.
For more info about the orchestra, visit www.spb-orchestra.ru.
