David Van Hoesen has been our Bassoonist since 1947….yes you read it right!  He will play his final concert with us this Saturday at the LPCA at 7:30pm, and is an event not to be missed, he is one of Classical music’s legends and has performed with greats, taught the greats and is one of the greats!  We will miss him in the Orchestra, he has the lineage all the way back to the Paul White era.

Richard Cryder our Trombone for over 30 years is also retiring.  He has had the most difficult job of having to go between Trombone, 2nd Horn and 2nd Bassoon parts, a feat he has done with acrobatic skill for decades.  He has defined multi-tasking!  We will miss him.

Tonight is our final Park concert, although it looks like it will be in St Agnes at 7:15pm with the highlight of the program being Peter and the Wolf narrated by Susan Neal

Don’t miss our gala tomorrow night at the White Face Lodge tomorrow night, click here for details!

What a Summer it has been, it’s always so sad to leave, but the countdown will begin Sunday for when we meet again!

If you were not able to get to our Music at the Movies concert last Sunday, don’t despair!  At tonight’s concert you can here the Blue Danube Waltz by Strauss as well as hear Caroline Park repeat her exquisite performance of the Moriccone’s Gabriel’s Oboe from the film The Mission.  It is not to be missed! 

Tomorrow night we perform for the 10th anniversary of the Wild Center in Tupper Lake, click here for tickets, it will be a fun program!  This Sunday it is all about Beethoven with his Creatures of Prometheus Overture, Septet and Symphony No. 4 (my personal favorite by the way).  I had fun last Sunday getting up and joining the crowd for the start of Iron Man (picture below).  It inspired me to ride my bike the approximately 1.5 miles to the Arts Center for rehearsal!

What's in the box?

So the picture left is my seat on the plane last Tuesday from Boston to Saranac Lake and in that box….THE STANLEY CUP!!!!!   Once in a lifetime to be sure!  To prove it, down below is the picture of me with it after we landed.  The first week was like a whirlwind of activity with a wonderful membership reception and 3 wonderful concerts.  The group is in top form and Sunday’s concert was a feat, literally.  We got to do a work that I have been wanting to do for years Albert Roussel’s The Spider’s Feast.  In the vein of Debussy and Ravel, it is an impressionistic masterpiece from a very underrated composer.  Click here to listen to the Toscanini performance with the NBC Orchestra on Youtube from 1946!

We performed in Saranac Lake last Friday, it was picture perfect weather and the concert was well received, and this week we are in Jay on Friday night and our concert at the Arts center on Sunday (Yes Ironman Sunday) will feature Classical Music that has been used in films.  The highlight will be a performance of the Mozart Piano Concerto No. 21 K467 with Pianist Rieko Aizawa.  It is known as the Elvira Madigan  since the 2nd movement was featured in the film from 1967.  Do not miss it!   For curiosity the first 10 mintes of the film can be watched by clicking here, and the Mozart is interspersed starting at 2:46, then again at 4:10.

New this year I have discovered the decadent joy of the Maple Creme soft serve ice-cream at Emma’s on Main Street (2507 Main Street
Lake Placid, NY  12946 (518) 523-8201)…I’m going to get some as soon as I publish this post!  By the way for the next 2 weeks I am on foot and on bike, I am really enjoying the scenery….my legs will hopefully stop screaming at me soon!  On a personal note, I was thrilled to welcome a new son Benjamin who was born on June 29!  Now for those who don’t believe it was the Stanley Cup in that box……

PROOF!

Our principal Cellist Ann Alton expressed fond memories of the blueberry pancakes at HoJo’s (Howard Johnson’s) after concerts, but now pretty much sticks to her back porch.  She is a 46er! Loves the local library and her favorite quote: It must be Summer, the Sinfonietta’s back!

Tony Oliver our super multitasking Percussionist loves the tradition of meeting up with musicians after the Sunday concerts at c which is the downstairs part of the Lake Placid Club and Brewery, although his daytime beer of choice (not on rehearsal days of course!) is teh Abbey Ale from the Great Adirondack Steak and Seafood Company.  He frequents Books and Baskets in Saranac Lake, and his favorite mountain is Baxter! Not too long or short, he loves the views and the blueberries!

Violinist Anne Pandolfi shared with me that she and David (our principal Horn) like to treat themselves at The Veranda, when she was describing it, she was definitely in her happy place remembering the great meals and times there!

In part 2 we will here from Caroline Park and Devin Howell, my favorite dish by the way so far without question has been the grilled Octopus at Mykonos, it is as tender as any tenderloin, I just had it again last night!  I hope we see you at the concert tonight, will be a blast!

In week 3 and the upside to a rainout is that our wednesday rain location is St Agnes and the acoustics are magnificent!  The orchestra is performing like a well oiled machine, tonight we are at the Wild Center Tupper Lake Call 518.379.7800 for tickets (kids 4-14 are free), tomorrow at 5pm I give a talk with Bassoonist David Van Hoesen at 511 Gallery on Main Street and then on Sunday is our next Symphony Series concert, details to come!  I am working on an article about what the musicians get up to around here so look for that next week…below some pics with my son Noah!….

Macaroni Cheese at the Cottage!

He’s on top of the world!

This place is in Westport where we performed last Thursday, priceless!

What a great setting for a concert

Myself with Alex Markov after our Sunday July 11 performance – what an outfit…Alex too ha!

Paul Wexler (Clarinet) and Devin Howell (Bass) on one of their climb’s!

Snapped this at the Lake Placid Horse Show, an amazing experience, love the Ski jump in the distance!

Is there a more beautiful concert setting!!!!

Quick post, we all (myself and the musicians and all our families) are all packing (or waiting to the last minute!) and soon will be headed to Lake Placid for a summer of exciting music making!  Wednesday July 7 in the evening we kick things off at the Paul White Memorial Band Shell with Red White and YOU!!!!  This blog will keep you updated so check back next week for exciting developments and see you in Lake Placid!…..

The Lake Placid Sinfonietta Education Committee is pleased to present “Arabesque Winds”, an award winning student woodwind quintet from the Eastman School of Music at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts on Thursday, April 22 at 5:30 PM.  This performance is being presented in conjunction with the LPCA’s Potluck Gallery Opening of the Community Arts Showcase.    This dynamic performing group will be in Lake Placid on the 22^nd and 23^rd doing educational outreach with master classes and presentations in the Lake Placid Central Schools, St. Agnes School, North Country School and Northwood.  For more information on the ensemble please go to www.arabesquewinds.com .

The Gallery Opening for LPCA’s Community Arts Showcase and Sale is from 5-7 PM.    The works of established and aspiring artists will be on display in the Fine Arts Gallery, and the opening will feature a potluck reception.  (Feel free to bring an appetizer to share!)   The Arabesque Winds will perform for about 25 minutes in the theater beginning at 5:30

The Lake Placid Sinfonietta is proud to support music education in the schools!

The next program I would like to preview is Things of Wire, Mortar and Wood!

Beloved Violinist Vladimir Pritsker is retiring from the LPS, but he and Daniel Szasz will join forces for the Bach Double Violin Concerto and we introduce an exciting composer Marc Mellits who’s works have been performed across the globe including at Carnegie Hall with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra who premiered his work Brick.  His works have tremendous excitement energy and forward motion.  We will perform a suite from Brick. Also Pianist Andrew Russo will perform a Beethoven Piano Concerto, click HERE to vote on which one! Now below is video of a mini documentary about Marc Mellits and it just so happens the Pianist in the video is Andrew Russo! Here is the entire program then the video:

Stravinsky Dumbarton Oaks

Bach – Double Violin Concerto

Marc Mellits – Brickette

Beethoven Piano Concerto

In April, the Lake Placid Sinfonietta’s Education Committee is pleased to again bring a quintet of students from the Eastman School of Music to the Lake Placid area schools.   “Arabesque Winds” , an award winning ensemble will return to Lake Placid on April 22 and 23.   Information will be posted soon about their exact schedule while in the area.  More news……

Another program this Summer in keeping with Elements theme: H2O

H20
Delius – Summer Night on the River

Sibelius – Swan of Tuonela

Respighi – The Birth of Venus (from Trittico Botticelliano)

Handel – Water Music Suite

Beethoven – Symphony No.6 “Pastorale”

There are also a few musical depictions of Mirror Lake and so we will include that also!  Here is some video passed on to us by Ordabek Duissen – Winter from the Four Seasons – enjoy!: