The Space Between the Notes - XXXI
"The mood is right, the spirit's up. We're here tonight, and that's enough." – Paul McCartney, from his song "Wonderful Christmas Time"
The Strad Podcast
The Strad, a UK-based monthly classical music magazine about string instruments invited me to be part of their podcast series. With a focus on works for violin and piano that are rarely performed, this podcast explores pieces such as “Nocturne” by Lili Boulanger, “Tango” by Poldowski, the little-known daughter of Henryk Wieniawski who hid her talent behind a fantastical mononym; “Ritmi” by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, “Burlesque” by Vítězslava Kaprálová and Lazare Saminsky’s “Hebrew Rhapsody”.
The Gift of Music
When I first heard a concert given by Yurodny, it wasn’t enough for me to just listen to them, to be moved to dance to their music, to be swept away on their groove. It wasn’t enough to experience it and feel the goose bump moments the music had on me. I had to HAVE it.
Well – no matter how greedy I or anyone else might get, music is that elusive thing; it cannot be captured, clenched, or consumed to nonexistence or inconsequence.
If I could not HAVE Yurodny – then I would kindly ask if I could join them every now and then. They kindly let me join in – every ten years or so ;-)
The last time I performed with them was as part of the GAIA Music Festival in 2013. A decade later, I get to be transformed by Yurodny once again – and so can you.
Join us for this concert on Saturday, 21 January 2023.
Purchase a ticket to Global Beats here.
Tickets cost as little as CHF 30.–.
AND/OR join us at an exclusive back-stage event hosted by singer-songwriter and poetess Shirley Grimes, featuring conversations and impromptu music by members of JÜTZ such as Daniel Woodtli (also the trumpet player of Patent Ochsner), Nick Roth and Cora Venus-Lunny of Yurodny. Drinks and snacks will be served throughout.
Support the Arts and Become a Patron of Gwendolyn’s Bridge Club
There’s no business like show business and the show must go on… except when it cannot. During the COVID-19 pandemic, patrons of Gwendolyn’s Bridge Club not only enabled artists to continue believing in a future but elevated a number of projects. One of those projects finds its culmination on 21 January 2023 in Casino Bern in the form of “Global Beats” as part of “Cocktail für die Musen”, a series I curate for Casino Bern. When financing fell through for Hungary’s foremost cimbalom player Miklós Lukács to appear at “Global Beats”, patrons of Gwendolyn’s Bridge Club stepped in to ensure his travel to Switzerland, and the hiring of his instrument – of which there are very limited examples in Western and Central Europe.
For as little as CHF 1.– a week, you can make a difference and support artists to continue to be what they often are: truth tellers holding together the strings of society with an ability to entice us to look at things we are sometimes afraid to, and reveal the beauty in the every-day that we sometimes fail to see.
May this festive season be filled with art and music, and may we hold space for one another to ensure that art and music continue beyond just the season.
With love,
Gwendolyn