In mid-1979, Jiri Tancibudek, a long-time friend, and the leading teacher of the oboe in Australia, suggested in a letter that we explore the possibility of a visit to his country during my upcoming leave from MSU in the opening of 1980. Jiri was also planning a leave from his duties at the Elder Conservatorium in Adelaide for a similar period and proposed the possibility of my teaching there. He also put me in touch with Pauline Strait of the New South Wales Conservatorium in Sydney and a leading figure in the Australian Double Reed Society, as well as with officials of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (A.B.C.). Within a few weeks time -- a few weeks of almost constant telephoning and letter-writing--a month's long tour of the whole continent was arranged.
I left Lansing airport on March 15 in the midst of one of our all-too-frequent snowstorms, checking one last time for reed boxes, all the music I needed, not to mention all the various concert attire I would need. First stop was Des Moines, where with pianist Marian Yeager Luke, I gave the first of many recitals. In the beautiful Des Moines Arts Center we performed the Telemann E Minor Sonata, Sinigaglia's Schubert Variations, the Rubbra Sonata, and Verne Reynold's Echo Variations, composed for me in 1978. Two days later I performed the same program in San Francisco with pianist James Gardner.
That same evening I boarded the Qantas 747 for the long trans-Pacific flight to Sydney where Pauline Strait was awaiting my arrival. Her smile was as bright as the sunny day -- 75 degrees F -- a pleasant contrast to Michigan weather! We had time for a few coffees and the much-needed opportunity to settle details for our Sydney and Canberra dates. The Ansett flight for Melbourne left within the hour, and during the drive into the city I was struck by the beauty of the architecture of many large public buildings and imposing residences. The palm trees erased any doubts that I was surely in the southern hemisphere. John Hopkins of the Victorian School of Music is a conductor and educator and a leading figure in Australian music. He looked after many details of my stay in Melbourne, including classes with the oboe pupils and an informal recital which included smaller scaled works of Howard Hanson, Alan Richardson, and Paladilhe.
I had several opportunities to hear Jeff Crellin, the brilliant first oboist of the Melbourne SO, both in the orchestra and in a performance of the J.S. Bach Concerto in F, a work of unrelenting demands. Jeff is a pupil of Tancibudek and Holliger (and judging by a recent tape of his performances of Lutoslawski's "Double Concerto,") I feel he rivals Holliger's virtuosity. He has recorded the Strauss concerto with the Melbourne SO (the disc is unfortunately unavailable in the U.S.) David Nuttall, then co-principal in Melbourne and now living in Canberra, was also most hospitable; we had a good afternoon swimming and relaxing in the sun. Gerrit Bon, of the faculty of the University of Natal in Durban (South Africa) was also visiting Australia, and was deputizing as English horn (cor anglais there) in the MSO. Through him, I was able to play an Incagnoli oboe for the first time. From both Jeff and David I learned that I could expect to see rather few Lorée's across the country, partly because of their expense, and more importantly because of Holliger's strong preference for Rigoutats.
Another first for me was the chance to work with the machines of Kunibert Michel, the Hanover craftsman. His "reed-copying" machine struck me -- an ingenious device which works on the principle of a key-reproducing machine, not a profiler. It seems less well suited to American style scrapes, although I understand Ray Still in Chicago has had some success with this machine. It could be a wonderful time-saver. I was concerned that the plaque pulls the blades of the blank so far apart at the tip that they rarely really seal completely again; not so great a concern to my friends in Melbourne, whose embouchures were characterized by a bit more "bite" than most U.S. players employ. Even so, I hope to experience more of the work of Herr Michel, who in much of the world is considered the artist-maker of gouging machines.
On to another Ansett flight, this one to Perth, a journey of over 2,000 miles. I began to realize that Australia is not that much smaller than the United States. I was to spend a week in residence at the University of Western Australia, a lovely complex of buildings designed to fit into an almost tropical atmosphere. The red tile roofed buildings remind one of Californian missions-style architecture, accented by palm trees and reflecting pools. Here Professor Frank Calloway (recently knighted by the Queen for his pioneering work in Australian music education) had arranged a very busy week of master classes and performances, slanted toward baroque repertoire since Ivor Keys, the harpsichordist, and the sopranos Jane Manning and Heather Harper were also visiting. We did a great many of Bach arias, including the entire "Wedding Cantata" with dancers to perform the concluding gavotte. This program also included Telemann's G minor trio sonata (for oboe and violin) and the Vivaldi C minor oboe sonata. I also played a solo recital with John Hind of the university faculty in the beautiful Octagon Theatre. In the midst of all this activity, one of the students joined me in a daily jog; we also did some weight work in a well equipped gym, no doubt surprising some of the less athletically inclined among the music faculty!
For one of the more remotely located major cities, Perth has an active musical life with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra at its center. This orchestra like so many others in Australia has many foreign players, including some Americans. I was amazed when a harpist with whom I had worked in a U.S. orchestra came to see me backstage after one of my Perth performances. A small world indeed! The city itself--its location on the sea--and its rather relaxed atmosphere, reminds one of San Diego perhaps twenty years ago.
Another long flight to Adelaide, this time on Trans-Australian Airlines (the two internal airlines, Ansett and TAA, virtually duplicate routes and schedules, but compete to outdo each other in graciousness of service--I was amazed when flight attendants actually remembered my name from one trip to the next--as well as my choice of cocktail!) was met by Jiri Tancibudek who took me to his home where I met his wife, Vera, an accomplished pianist with whom he has recorded. Jiri was obliged to return to the airport within the hour for his flight to the States, where among many destinations, he was kind enough to visit East Lansing to spend some time with my pupils and to play a very well received recital. Jiri is one of the true gentlemen of the oboe world in every sense. It is easy to see why his teaching has been so successful. Aside from his great knowledge of oboe technique and repertoire is his commitment to and concern for his pupils. His recent disc of the Martinu concerto (which work of course was dedicated to him) includes all of the Martinu's manuscript, some of which, including a cadenza, does not appear in the published version. In a later visit, he also played a tape of a recent sonata written for him by Jindrich Feld.
Patrick Brislan, horn player and assistant director of the Elder Conservatorium, looked after the details of my stay in Adelaide. David Shepard, the clarinetist of the faculty, showed great hospitality and concern for my comfort. Peter Veale, Jiri's leading student at the time, was busy playing second oboe in the Adelaide Symphony. They were recording Britten's music from Prince of the Pagodas, but Peter still found time to arrange my lessons at the conservatorium, and also my master class there. The students did repertoire ranging from concertos of Albinoni and Vivaldi to the one of Richard Rodney Bennett.
It was in Adelaide that I met Noreen Stokes, a brilliant pianist and most sympathetic accompanist. A performer of great skill and poise, she was a dream come true to the traveling recital player who must find a new accompanist in each city, with the time consuming rehearsals necessary to acquaint the pianist with the repertoire. In Noreen's case, we were able to learn Rubbra, Damase, Sinigaglia, and even the difficult Verne Reynolds score in short order. We also taped a recital for A.B.C. involving this repertoire, plus the fatiguing Telemann E minor sonata. Recording can be less demanding than an actual performance, since one can work in segments, and we spent some hours with this work! These pieces were also performed to a most appreciative audience in the recital hall of the Elder Conservatorium.
In return for some "extra" coaching on the Mozart concerto, Peter Veale arranged a most pleasant excursion on Good Friday, my only "day off" in my whole Australian stay. We visited a fauna park where I was photographed holding a koala bear--mandatory for a tourist! --and looking at kangaroos and other native animals and birds. He'd also planned a picnic lunch at the beach, which we enjoyed so much that I almost missed my flight to Sydney that evening! (Perhaps it was the delicious Australian wine!) Peter is now with Holliger in Germany.
Sydney--the center of the country's musical life--is a city that would captivate the most jaded world traveler with its beautiful beaches near the city center, eucalyptus groves with their intoxicating scent, as well as world class hotels and restaurants. And in the midst of it all, the controversial and stunning Sydney Opera House. David Miller was to be my accompanist both here and in Canberra, so we set to work immediately on the Widerkehr duo sonata, the Dutilleux sonata, Alan Richardson's Aria e Allegretto, Howard Hanson's Pastorale, Verne Reynold's 1968 Three Elegies (also composed for me), and other works. Our taped recital for the A.B.C. in Sydney was drawn from this repertoire and our recitals at the N.S.W. Conservatorium and the Canberra School of Music also included these works. Sharman Pretty was teaching at Canberra then, since replaced by David Nuttall. Canberra's layout is unique among world capitals, with its concentric circular design.
John Cran, principal bassoonist of the Sydney SO and his family played host during my stay there. While giving receptions involving virtually all the double reed artists in Sydney-- students and professionals alike--with wonderful food and drink, he was careful to provide time and space for my practice and reed work. His wife is a violinist, and his daughter Lucinda, is a professional bassoonist, while his son Simeon was studying the oboe and voice at the time. (I understand he's now a disc jockey!)
Guy Henderson, Cath Martin, and Peter Newberry were the oboe section of the Sydney SO; Claire Pikler had just left the orchestra and her replacement as second had not yet been chosen. Peter Newberry has been replaced by Karyl Lange as English horn. Josef Hanic, another Czech emigre, had just joined the faculty of the N.S.W. Conservatorium, where other members of the oboe faculty include Graham Powning, whose original works for oboe are widely known, Guy Henderson, and Pauline Strait.
A high point was a master class jointly sponsored by the Conservatorium and the Australian Double Reed Society. I played the Paladilhe Solo to open the proceedings and then listened to ten students of varying accomplishment. I enjoyed teaching the Britten Metamorphoses, the Kalliwoda Concertino and many baroque and classical works. I was interested to see many Marigaux oboes, some Rigoutats and an occasional Howarth, and an even more occasional Lorée, many without the left hand F key. The student who seemed most promising, Grant Dickson, soon after took over the English horn position in the Melbourne S.O. Generally speaking, the playing of these young people showed a rather strong middle European influence, perhaps that of Tancibudek and his pupils? Many of the current generation have also studied in London and with Holliger, but I discerned very little American influence in reed styles or concept of sound.
There is great interest in cane growing in the subtropical areas of the continent. We spent Easter morning in Graham Powning's cane grove in his backyard! I understand in more recent years cane dealers have produced Australian cane the equal of French varieties.
After making so many new and close friends -- Australians must surely be among the world's most welcoming people--it was hard to say goodbye to the Cran family at the Sydney airport. I spent three days at Kona on the island of Hawaii resting from a month of non-stop rehearsing, performing, and teaching. Bringing my prized digeridu through customs -- and finding a place to store it on the plane--was a major accomplishment. It how has an honored spot on my living room wall. The Qantas flight from Honolulu to San Francisco was my last touch with Australian hospitality.
Before returning to East Lansing, I was able to visit with dear friends Robert Moore in Eugene, Oregon, and Laila Storch in Seattle. They had each arranged for me to hear their pupils and it was almost a kind of culture shock to hear "American" oboe playing again!
This trip has a special place in my memory among all my foreign travels. I look forward to another antipodean venture, perhaps this time with a chance to explore Tahitian and Fijian beaches!