Stephen Bryant

 Wayne McGrath is a name known to most musicians.Officially the oldest leader ever (about 36) of the Wanganui Schools Symphony Orchestra in New Zealand,his name is a byword for excellence in the Orchestral world.Some months ago,I was thrilled to receive a message from him with some helpful advice .Then last week (despite changing my address) I received another message.So,now I’ve given up and I’m giving him his own column.

Wayne  McGrath Writes (March 2010)

G’day mate from Wayne,leader of the Wanganui Schools Symphony Orchestra New Zealand!Loved the site mate and some really great tips for leading-especially the “day of the concert” stuff!Like ya good self,I’m a bit of a perfectionist so I always cut right back on the grog for the concert day.Just a couple for medicinal purposes if ya know what I mean.You missed out on the best thing about leading, mate-the girls.I’ve had a couple trying to break my Leader’s Room door.I always let them out in the end though.Cheers Wayne

(June 2010)

G’day again mate from Wayne, now officially the oldest ever leader of the Wanganui Schools Symphony Orchestra New Zealand! I reckon that sounds better than telling everyone I’ve got to resit me final exams for the 3rd year running! Anyways, mate, great to be back on the site.

I’m facing a minor disciplinary at the moment for breaking a string during a solo. Admittedly it wasn’t my string. Or my solo either. My no.2 Dave Dooley was playing way too loud in the Grieg Piano slow movement so I slipped his A string with me flicky. Apparently this is ‘unacceptable behaviour in a concert’. I tell you what though mate, the punters loved it. Dave is such a dag! And he’s always trying to upstage me. When we do the semiquavers in Tchaik 6 he always tries to play them louder than me. He’s got no class. I say “Dave, you’re missing the point mate. It’s not how loud you play them, but how fast”. And I win hands down on that one every time. Seriously though mate, what can I do to handle this guy in a non physical way? Cheers Wayne

 The Violin Concerto is inspired by Rilke’s ‘Sonnets to Orpheus’ and is a great example of the sophisticated and completely unique soundscape that Detlev creates in his music. I have given a few premieres before, most notably the British Premiere of Korngold’s Violin Concerto and the world premiere of Elgar’s ‘Etude Characteristiques’. This, for me,will be just as exciting!

BBC交響楽団の極東ツアー2010年5月

From the 10th to 27th May the BBCSO embarks upon it’s Far East Tour of 2010 with our principal conductor Jiri Belohlavek. We visit Tokyo (11th - 13th May), Seoul (13th - 17th May), Shanghai (17th - 20th May), Beijing (20th - 21st May), Taipei (21st - 22nd May), Kaohsiung (22nd - 23rd May), Taipei  (23rd - 24th May), Guangzhon (24th - 26th May) and then back home and a familiar bed! Programmes include Dvorak 9, Elgar ‘In the South’, Prokofiev 5, Brahms 4 and Tippett’s ‘Fantasia Concertante on a theme of Corelli’ - the Tippett is a great piece scored for 1st and 2nd solo violin and solo ‘cello (myself, Amyn Merchant and Graham Bradshaw) and String Orchestra. I’m really looking forward to playing that. Incidentally, we will also play the Tippett on the 8th May (7.30pm) at the Barbican - this concert also includes Martinu’s 6th Symphony and the Schumann Piano Concerto. The other programme I’m particularly looking forward to is a chamber music concert in Seoul at the Hoam Art Hall on the 14th of May. It is the same group of BBCSO players that gave the concert for OCD Action in 2009 (reported elsewhere in the blog). We will be playing Webern Rondo for String Quartet, Mendelssohn Piano Trio in D minor and Schumann Piano Quintet. This concert will be broadcast on Radio 3 so if you can’t make it out to Seoul (!) I hope you catch it on the radio (broadcast times to follow on this site).

 2009年11月28日 - 室内楽コンサートOCDの行動の援助

This concert was held at St Edward the Confessor Church, Golders Green and was an opportunity for me to play with friends from the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Liz Burley, piano, Frances Dewar, violin, Mary Whittle, viola and Mark Sheridan, ‘cello made up our quintet and the programme was a nice one, I think - with Schubert’s Adagio and Rondo for piano quartet, Mendelssohn’s piano trio in D minor, and Dvorak’s piano quintet in A major. There was a big and appreciative audience there and a decent sum was raised for OCD Action and the Alzheimer’s Society. OCD Action is the largest OCD charity in the UK and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a subject close to my heart as I was diagnosed with severe OCD in 2006 having lived with it for as long as I can remember. Like a lot of mental illness, OCD seems to either be misunderstood or stigmatised but it is in the World Health Organisation’s list of the ten most debilitating illnesses and many people that suffer from it are struggling to cope.

I’m hoping to do more concerts in the future and raise more money for OCD Action. If you would like to look at OCD Action’s website click on this link www.ocdaction.org.uk/

ブザンソン2009年9月

This September the Orchestra travelled to Besancon in France for the International Conducting Competition - lasting 8 days this competition attracted a lot of press interest with the eventual winner conducting the first half of a concert featuring the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Besancon is a pretty town with houses of brown stone and red roofs - and with the weather on the whole being quite good and the food being very good, we spent a pleasant week there - it being a rare opportunity to stay in one place for a  length of time. There was a lot of media interest in this competition and I must have done at least half a dozen interviews by the end of the week! Below are some excerpts from local newspaper coverage and also  an interview I gave to Arte TV.

‘Brillant BBC Symphony orchestra’

Musique a programme avec Jiri Belohlavec a la baguette. De l’Italie d’Elgar a la Pastorale de Beethoven.

(photo)

‘L’orchestre de la BBC entre en scene’

‘…..Hier soir encore, la moitie des candidats encore en lice devait tirer sa reverence. Il en est meme un qui a insiste apres du photographe pour qu’il immortalise sa poignee de mains avec le premier violon du BBC Symphony orchestra. Une photo souvenir pour temoigner qu’il a dirige une formation de prestige….’

(photo)

From: Le Parisien.fr

‘Le Concours de jeunes chefs d’orchestre de Besancon, un ‘veritable tremplin”  de Angela Schnaebele (AFP) - 17 Sept 2009

‘..The BBC Symphony Orchestra is very good training, very flexible. This is an incredible experience that will serve me in my work’ enthuses Japanese candidate Kazuki Yamada, who returns to contest the competition for a second time. Three candidates from Japan had been selected for the competition in Besancon - all are present for the semi finals. ‘A lot of Japanese conductors seem to have high sensitivity and great technical precision’ analyses Stephen Bryant, first violinist of the BBC Symphony Orchestra…..’

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hd2fn0QFcE7Cu4YBcjPfXZ15s-_w