Well, the Sunriver festival is now history for this year. It was a good run, very enjoyable in many ways. It was nice to have some time to hike (Newberry Crater trail) and bike (the 40 miles of bike paths in Sunriver) and just hang out with my friends and colleagues in the orchestra.
The highlight of the second week was undoubtedly the arrival and performance of violinist Rachel Barton Pine. She performed the monumental Beethoven Violin Concerto, and with great command and aplomb, I might add. She followed with two (!) encores: Kreisler’s Recitativo and Scherzo and her own fiendishly inventive and difficult variations on the New Zealand national anthem. Unbelievable!!
I don’t know why she hasn’t yet appeared with the Oregon Symphony (especially since she recorded the Brahms and Joachim concertos with our music director Carlos Kalmar in Chicago, and appeared with him in Iceland) – but it is an omission that must be rectified as soon as possible. She is a true virtuoso, but without affectation, and is also a voracious musical omnivore.
Heather and I had a chance to catch up with Rachel (I’d met her about 10 years ago when we were both teaching for a week at Interlochen) and read some string trios on Saturday afternoon, and it was great fun. We’re hoping that some future collaborations might become possible, and we’ve been looking for an excuse to visit Chicago, so who knows?…
