"And what takes you to Las Vegas?" my garrulous seatmate on the plane inquired. "A musicians' convention..." I could see an incredulous look... "Yes, really, a meeting of oboe and bassoon players..." He went back to his reading pretty quickly, and I found myself again almost doubting my own story. Las Vegas seemed about as far as one could go, both climate-wise and culturally, after eight weeks in the tranquility of the Michigan woods at Interlochen. Stepping off the plane into the hard -to -describe glitter of the newly refurbished McCarran International Airport strengthened that feeling of having departed reality. Jetlag and fatigue contributed to my feeling of disorientation as I walked into the lobby of the Dunes Hotel and Casino, still going strong at 1 a.m., and as I was soon to learn, ALWAYS going strong. Longtime friend and former I.D.R.S. President Sol Schoenbach described it quite well for me, when, a few evenings later, we again surveyed the other-worldly character of the casino: "There you have it, Dan, Sodom and Gomorrah! " Sol said, and I tend to believe him.
Saturday morning brought me back to reality a bit when I.D.R.S. President Bill Winstead and I drove out to the UNLV campus to meet the conference host, Yoshiyuki Ishikawa, hard at work directing piano tuners, movers delivering exhibits, and his staff of well-trained student assistants. We got our first look at the Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall and the Judy Bayley Theatre, the primary venues for the many performances that would fill the days ahead. Striking architecturally, with the spectacular "Flashlight" sculpture between them, and acoustically bright and satisfying, they proved to be comfortable surroundings for performers and audiences.
Back at the Dunes we learned that Las Vegas musicians perform in unconventional surroundings. A harpist entertained diners in the "Dome of the Sea," sitting on a giant lilypad in the middle of a pool; and in the "Sultan's Table" twelve straight-faced violinists strolled around the room in a carefully choreographed routine. At the University meanwhile, conventioneers were arriving by the hundreds, and I believe an attendance record for I.D.R.S. conferences was set at this one. A brief general meeting of the membership took place on Sunday afternoon... then, the music began! The California Double Reed Quartet (Stuart Horn, oboe; Marsha Taylor, oboe d'amore; Electra Reed, English horn; and Ron Grun, bassoon) have worked industriously to produce a repertoire of great variety for this ensemble. I particularly enjoyed the wit and charm of the Mozart opera transcriptions; Ron Grim's arrangements made me think of the "harmonie" versions of Wenth and Triebensee, done in Mozart's own time, of some of this same music. Wenth's own Quartetto Concertante was especially successful. The very nature of this repertoire puts a heavy burden on Mr. Horn's capable shoulders. Something like the first violinist in a string quartet, his role is a demanding one. Despite some flaws in intonation and some ensemble lapses, the CDRQ:s performance started the conference on a positive note.
Allan Vogel's Sunday evening recital kept the spotlight on California-based artists. This distinguished performer, first oboist of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, is well known to many through his extensive list of recordings. In this compelling program, Mr. Vogel presented five standards of the oboe literature in a thoroughly satisfying manner. The Poulenc and Hindemith sonatas were given electrifying performances, the scherzo of the Poulenc, the finale of the Hindemith in particular, thanks to the brilliant collaboration of pianist David Oei. The "Little g-minor" Sonata of J.S. Bach made an attractive opener, and Janice Tipton, flutist, made a fine partner for her husband in Ginastera's exciting and difficult Duo; Britten's Six Metamorphoses rounded out this beautifully played program.
Nora Post organized, and then most capably chaired a panel discussion entitled "Ideas and Trends in Recent Oboe Manufacture". It was certainly a feat of planning to have virtually all the leaders of the oboe-building world gathered in one room, and I for one was impressed again with the easy comradeship and regard these "competitors" have with and for each other. Experiments in bore design, exotic woods and synthetic materials, improvements in mechanism, all these and more were discussed quite freely. The panelists reiterated their eagerness to serve the oboe-playing community, and to work to satisfy specialized requirements of any client. It was no surprise to hear most of these makers comment that Japan was quickly becoming a leading market for professional quality instruments, and that American players were showing a refreshing open-mindedness about trying instruments of any and all makers.
We were soon transported back five centuries into the unique world of sound created by "The King's Trumpetts and Shalmes." This San Francisco-based ensemble, five young men who have become expert performers on the often obstreperous shawms, crumhorns, and sackbuts, presented an attractive program of fifteenth and sixteenth century works for the shawm band, which was a highly regarded instrumental ensemble of this period. These performers showed an admirable concern for intonation and even produced a certain suavity.
Marc Fink, assisted by his University of Wisconsin -Madison colleagues Todd Welbourne, pianist, and Mimmi Fulmer, soprano, gave splendid performances of Joel Naumann's Joyce Songs, composed for these artists in 1986. The songs create a spell of beautiful serenity, and Dutilleux' wonderful oboe sonata was performed with impressive control and virtuosic dash. Alexandra Pohran presented a varied and skillfully performed program: a beautiful sonata of Sammartini, tinged with striking chromaticisms, was followed by Colin's 6th Solo de Concours, played with a good feeling for style. Berio's Sequenza VII closed the program, and here I would have hoped for more effortless virtuosity and better pacing. One member of the audience commented to me later: "That piece may be a classic, but it does cause the average listener some suffering! "
Tuesday's program "New Music for Double Reeds" showcased five works for oboe and English horn. While I wasn't sure that I'd heard a single masterpiece among the five, it might have been my frame of mind; one does reach a "saturation point" at these events... an embarrassment of riches, one might say. Surely the performances were all expert and hearing the oboe in various settings including that of the electronic sounds of the synthesizer, can be a worthwhile experience. I found Refractions by Jeffrey Hass perhaps the most satisfying for two reasons; I had heard it before, and it came closest to a traditional oboe and piano piece. Michigan-based Nancy Argersinger and pianist Rob Conway gave this 1986 work a virtuosic reading. James Prodan of the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, with Barbara Ferrell Hill at the synthesizer, made a convincing case for Windsongs (after Kenneth Grahame),- they showed the piece's varying moods and made the most of its witty moments. Richard Rath was not quite so convincing in Ponchielli's Capriccio, not really so new as it is little-known. Here is the piece for the virtuoso who wants to relax after a session with Pasculli. Holly Gornik of the Utah Symphony was one of two fine English horn players on the program. She was assisted by flutist Jane Morrison and Ann Hankinson at the synthesizer. The three performed Ms. Hankinson's five/three (a trio for five instruments). This work was a good choice to open this "new music" program; it immediately prepared the audience for novelty, although conservative enough in this case. The other English horn player, Thomas Stacy, assisted by a UNLV theater faculty member, performed a work composed for him by Christopher Berg of the New York Philharmonic's administrative staff. Theater pieces seem to have a special appeal for Mr. Stacy and he rose to the occasion with this one. Of course, this artist could make fifteen minutes of the C Major scale a valuable listening experience.
Later on Tuesday, Jan Wiese of Norway presented a unique program that depended on the merging of the sounds of synthesizers with those of oboe and English horn. The synthesizers are controlled by a system of foot pedals which make it possible for Mr. Wiese to in effect accompany himself. The "choreography" involved in this almost hour-long program, together with the remarkable oboe-playing stamina and virtuosity, was really aweinspiring and often hypnotic. Still later that day, Harry Sargous performed a recital that was one of the highlights of the conference. Where Allan Vogel's program featured "standards" of the literature, this recital showcased four substantial works which should become standards! Three of the four were composed in the '80's, but not a multiphonic or fluttertongue was anywhere to be heard. Gunther Schuller's determined 12-tone sonata of the late 40's will probably never sound effortless, but Mr. Sargous, with the virtuoso partnership of Rob Conway, came awfully close. Antal Dorati's Cinq Pieces belong right next to Britten's masterpiece for oboe alone, and even the relentlessly difficult "fugue a trois voix" sounded well under control. William Bolcom's Aubade, For The Continuation of Life (written for Heinz Holliger, as was the Dorati work) belongs on many more recital programs, and Oskar Morawetz's Sobata is a striking and original work. Bravo to Mr. Sargous, Bravo to Mr. Conway for a well chosen, expertly played program.
Ray Still, the legendary first oboist of the Chicago Symphony, arranged a program which he shared with four of his former pupils. Mr. Still himself performed in the two Beethoven trios, which acted as "bookends" for the program, and it was good to hear them in live performanccs, not the most common event, even in these days of proliferating oboe recitals! Marc Gordon of the St. Louis Symphony played Elliott Carter's effective and almost Copland-like Pastoral for English horn and piano; for the opposite side of Mr. Carter's compositional coin, one can only await his work-in-progress, a concerto for Holliger. Rudy Vrbsky of the National Symphony continued the program with a gesture to the avantgarde as he performed Toru Takemitsu's mystical work Distance; multiphonics and flutter-tonguing present no problems to this young virtuoso! Eric Olson brought us back to the language of Beethoven with a dashing performance of Hummel's Introduction, Theme and Variations. Coltish tempos and interesting ornaments were plusses; the inept work of pianist Gigi Boratgis an unexpected minus in this almost unbroken string of expert work by fine accompanists. Phillip Koch should be congratulated for his setting of Alban Berg's Four Songs from Op. 2 for the English horn. They are immensely effective pieces and they were played beautifully. A different group of players 'did each Beethoven, Mr. Still being the only participant in both trios. For the variations on Mozart's theme, Mr. Olson and Mr. Koch tossed off their virtuoso moments with elan; in the op. 87 trio, Mr. Vrbsky and Mr. Gordon partnered their famous mentor with impressive style and stamina. This symphonicallyproportioned work presents great challenges, all of which were admirably met.
Schedule conflicts, and then other professional obligations made it necessary for me to miss some other oboe-related events. Ray Still taught a master class on Wednesday morning, and later that day Tom L. Ricca of Ohio State University gave a lecture demonstration on a new key system for the oboe which provides a single fingering for F in all situations. Alvin L. Swiney, the Memphis-based repairer, had earlier given a lecture demonstration on oboe voicing and tuning entitled "The Magic of W. Hans Moennig". David Weiss, first oboist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, presented the last oboe recital of the conference, which included two works of C.F. Hockett and concluded with the Poulenc Trio; he presented encores on the musical saw, a versatile talent much cultivated by this unique artist (featured in an earlier issue of this journal). I would hope that an oboist who attended the events mentioned in this paragraph might want to write a short account of them to "complete" this article.
The plane trip back to Michigan was smooth and long enough to allow for plenty of reflection on the events of the days just passed. I was impressed yet again with Yoshi Ishikawa's organizational skills, grateful for the chance to visit with so many old friends, colleagues, and former pupils, and wistful that most of these visits had to be so short. It was especially pleasant to visit with the French contingent of oboe makers - one sees them all too rarely. Anne de Gourdon of the Loree establishment; Philip Rigoutat; Yves Rilba, director of StrasserMarigaux; these must be some of the most charming people in our profession - and then there was the delightful Mlle. Glotin, daughter of the cane magnate, whom I had not seen in some twenty years. John Pullen and Nigel Clark of Howarth in London, and Paul Covey, Alan Hollander (of Gordet oboe fame), and Alan Fox were all persuasive advocates for their products.
Walking back to my car in the 40-degree rainy night at Traverse City airport, Las Vegas seemed a world away. I found myself echoing - in advance - Richard Meek's thought - everyone who participated in this conference left Las Vegas a winner.