42nd International ESTA Conference, Dresden, 8 – 13 April 2014

The “Carl Maria von Weber” music academy in Dresden made its huge, atmospheric concert hall available to speakers and participants for the daily lectures and concerts at the 42nd ESTA Conference. As an opener, and within the context of the concert series “Falling Walls” in the 25th year after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the orchestra, choir and soloists of the academy gave a choral and symphonic concert of works by Mozart, Lachenmann and Voigtländer. The varied conference programme went under the motto “Music without limits”. All the concerts and lectures were scheduled not to clash with anything else so that participants only had to change rooms for string consultations with Pirastro or workshops on Feldenkrais and Alexander Technique. By way of relaxation, we enjoyed a film presentation, a bus sightseeing tour of Dresden by night, and a Gala evening at the Watzke ballroom with the salon orchestra Cappuccino, directed by the Albrecht Winter, creating a lively atmosphere.

Concerts:
The Academy symphony orchestra and Academy choir gave a concert in the series “Falling Walls“ organised by KlangNetz Dresden: Mass in C minor KV 427 by Mozart; Notturno (Music for Julia) by Helmut Lachenmann; Oratorio “MenschenZeit” by Lothar Voigtländer – protagonists from East and West Von Thord: Johannes Bergion, cello and David Werthén, bass
Saxon state grammar school Carl Maria von Weber with Mario Zecher and Prof. Andrea Eckholdt – “Saitensprünge” (“Strings making Strides”): introducing pupils from the Saxon state music school.
Professors in concert: Igor Malinovsky and Annette Unger (violins), Pauline Sachse and Vladimir Bukac (violas), Emil Rovner (cello), Arkadi Zenzipér (piano) – Richard Strauss: Sextet for Strings from the opera “Capriccio“ op. 85; Dvorák: Piano Quintet in A major op. 81; Tchaikovsky: “Souvenir de Florence“ String Sextet in D minor
Lecture recital: Erich Scheungraber (presenter) and the Lerchenquartett (Kathrin Scheungraber and Lisa Klotz (violins), Hanna Breuer (viola), Sophia Scheungraber (cello) – Shostakovich String Quartet no. 8 in C minor op. 110
Frederick – for strings. Music theatre for children. The Benjamin Orchestra of the Heinrich-Schütz-Conservatory.
Sinfonietta Fredericia with Marianne Eising and Karen Valeur
Concert by prize-winners from the Dresden Music Academy: Prize-winners from the classes of Prof. Annette Unger (violin), Prof. Igor Malinovsky (violin), Prof. Pauline Sachse (viola) and Prof. Danjulo Ishizaka (cello)
Wald String Quartet – Edvard Grieg: String Quartet in G Minor op. 27 (worked on at a course with Tim Vogler)

Workshops and Advice:
Gudrun Schröter (D) – Feldenkrais warm-up
Pirastro (D) – string consultations
Stefan Pintev (D) – Playing Yamaha electric instruments
Sabine Frick (D) – Rhytmikon. Alexander Technique

Panel Discussion:
“La Cellissima” – Prof. Maria Kliegel (D): the artiste in a recital and conversation with Siegfried H. Pöllmann. Pianist: Nina Tichman

Presentations:
Prof. Bujar Sykia (ALB) – Historical view of the Albanian violin school from its early stages (1946: first professional music school) to the present day
Prof. John Holloway (UK) – “A hideous ghost”
Prof. Dr. Clive Brown (UK) – Beethoven’s Violin Concerto Op. 61: performance practices and traditions in the 19 th century. In search of the composer’s intentions
Prof. Yova Yordanova (RU) – New teaching methods for beginner violinists
Ingolf Turban (D) and Norbert Müllemann (D) – Pablo Sarasate’s Gypsy Airs op. 20 newly edited (pub. Henle Verlag)
Bernd Müsing (D) – The bow: physics, history and evolution (Arcus)
Prof. Dr. Eckart Haupt (D) – Conventional or Boehm system flute and Romantic music
Prof. Wolfgang Klos (A) and Prof. Piotr Szumiel (PL) – Viola Pyramid (co-operation between Vienna and Dresden music academies)
Hella Hartung-Ehlert (D) – Frederick, for strings, musical theatre for children
Klaus Ludwig Clement (D) and Alexander Pilz (D) – History of string instrument varnish and its relevance. Historical considerations and modern acoustic analyses
Ángela Dominguez (ESP) and Mark Lambrecht (B): Polifonia – “Training for Entrepreneurship“
Andreas Sønning (NO) – Creative musicians as entrepreneurs. Basic principles from the world of business applied to musicians and cultural institutions
Franziska Kraft (D) – Chaos or self-discovery. Finding the thread.
Susanne Paul (D) – How to groove on a string instrument. Special playing techniques of jazz, rock and tango in string teaching
Prof. Dr. Eckhardt Altenmüller (D) – Why do we make music? The neurobiological and evolutionary basis of the love of music
Ramil Sadriev (RU-TA) and Lilia Absatarova (A) – Music from Russia and Tatarstan
Elisabeth Grabner (A) – Self-organised lifelong learning in violin pedagogy from the teachers’ perspective
Luigi Gageos (RO) – A pathway from music classes to worldwide performance
Prof. Dr. Christian Jabusch (D) – Pain syndromes of musicians: mechanisms, recovery and prevention
Prof. Wolfgang Lessing (D) – The culture of specialist music schools in the GDR
Prof. Annette Unger (D) – Concerts and lessons, a good marriage?
Prof. Judith Ermert (B) – Lecture-Recital: Hindemith and his work. Pianist: Daan Vandewalle
Kosovo String Trio (KO) – String trios by Albanian composers
Ulf Prelle (D) – Handedness: function and chance.
Tim Vogler (D) – Intonation in ensemble playing
Tobias Grosshauer (CH) – On stage, in the lab, at home: applications of new technologies in teaching, practising and research.

Acknowledgements: Heartfelt thanks are due to all the Conference’s Sponsors for their generous support: Pirastro, Thomastik Infield Vienna, Schott, Breitkopf & Härtel, Edition Peters Group and G. Henle Verlag. Thanks also to the Secretary of ESTA Germany Trixi Wentscher-Helpenstein and her family, as well as the board members for their dedication and hard work, especially Udo Scheuermann (President), Prof. Ulf Klausenitzer (Vice-President), Agnes Stein von Kamienski (Treasurer), Walter Mengler, Prof. Ute Hasenauer, Hella Hartung-Ehlert and Erich Scheungraber.

6. Januar 2018, ISABEL HAHN

English edited by Janet Thomas, January 2018