Aeolus (ˈēələs) Greek Mythology:
The God of
the Winds.
Something extraordinary happened this week
(September 13-18, 2016) in Düsseldorf, Germany. The 11th edition of THE
AEOLUS INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION OF WIND INSTRUMENTS was a major musical event.
I was privileged to sit in the judges committee in this year’s competition for
trumpet, trombone and tuba.
2016 is truly a year of international tuba
competitions, from Jeju, Korea, the Aeolus competition in Düsseldorf, Germany,
Brno, Check Republic, Japanese National Competition, and Portia, Italy. 2016 is
an unusually active year for the tuba. Some players would like to have
participated in all these competitions; very few had the recourses to cover all
the expenses, plus the necessary study to learn five separate repertoires would
be a daunting task.
All competitions have one thing in common,
after months of specific preparation, many return to their homes dissatisfied.
This is normal, similar to having prepared for the Olympics, concentrating a
huge and lengthy amount of preparation and energy, into a few minutes of highly
focused performance, can be quite stressful. Frequently, such prolonged stress
and subsequent disappointment can translate into bitterness with hints of jury
favoritism regarding nationalism, teacher-student history or other
rationalisations to hide the pain of that disappointment; sometimes the stress
and disappointment also affects the judges of the competition. This was
ABSOLUTELY NOT the case at the Aeolus Competition in Düsseldorf; although not
all the judges agreed with the results, which were very close, all finished the
week only with deep respect for each other.
The extraordinary success of the Aeolus
Competition can largely be attributed to the leadership and organisation of Dr.
Sieghardt Rometsch who’s vision realised a competition with an extraordinary
positive atmosphere for competitors, jurors and all concerned.
The winner of the final round of the
Aeolus competition was Swedish trombonist, Louise Pollock with a stunning
performance of the Concertino op. 4 of Ferdinand David.
During the semifinals of this competition
something very significant happened: All the semifinalists were required to
play a specific contemporary work, For the trombone, this piece was BLACK HAWK
EAGLE, by trombonist, conductor, fellow juror and composer, Christian
Lindberg. In the opinion of this listener, this was the finest new work for any
brass instrument written in my lifetime. As a would-be writer, I try to avoid
superlatives but I would like to share my quick written notes written directly
after hearing the four sequential performances. Quoted from my notes: “Monumental,
powerful, tenderness, Mahleresque, new world standard of a solo brass piece –
pay attention!!” It’s understood these are strong adjectives but I
invite you to listen to this piece and find your own impressions.
Again, it’s with thanks and appreciation
to Dr. Sieghardt Rometsch for his vision and creation of the Aeolus
competition.
October 24, 2016, Oaxaca, Mexico
