Elliott Schwartz-Chamber Concerto VI: Jefferson Peter Sheppard Skaerved-Violin American Composers Alliance Orchestra – Conductor Oliver Hagen Live Recording – Symphony Space, New York City June 2012 Film-Elliott Schwartz introduces the concerto… Jefferson:The Inventor and The Violin (Movements 1 and 2 Thomas Jefferson was a lifelong musical enthusiast. He was a [...]
June 21, 2012
Paganini in Washington. A long term collaboration with the collections of the Library of Congress-Washington A word of explanation. I am deepening my interaction with the collections of the Library of Congress, Washington. This will have a particular focus on the Paganini holdings-both instruments and documents, in the collection. As this builds, I [...]
June 10, 2012
David Matthews-Birthday Piece for Richard June 2012 Peter Sheppard Skaerved (Workshop recording-Baroque violin and bow, June 10th, Wapping) The premiere of Mihailo Trandafilovski’s Diptych dedicated to Richard Bram on his 60th birthday was very well attended by composers, including John McCabe, David Gorton and David Matthews. Richard was delighted that David had made him a [...]
June 9, 2012
The Lost Sessions March 2003 In March 2003 Peter Sheppard Skaerved recorded works written for him by Widmann, Gomelskaya, Clarke, Simaku, and others in a recording session that was never released. At the time, these were all first recordings. Here are some unedited outtakes. Peter Sheppard Skaerved-Violin (Stradivari 1699 ‘Crespi’) Engineer-David Lefeber Jörg Widmann-Etudes 1 & [...]
June 7, 2012
Elliott Schwartz – ‘Water Music (Posted 20th September 2012) The Kreutzers (Peter Sheppard Skærved, Neil Heyde, Mihailo Trandafilovski & Morgan Goff) with friends: Rachel Meerloo, Val Wellbanks, Diana Mathews, Aisha Orazbayeva, Midori Komachi, , Alice Barron, Steven Crichlow, Annabelle Berthomé Reynolds/ Engineer-Jonathan Haskell (Astounding Sounds) The secret of collaging….Elliott Schwartz at Work Elliott once told me [...]
June 5, 2012
Live Recording: Mihailo Trandafilovski Diptych 2011-2012 Dedicated to Richard Bram (World Premiere) 1. ‘Dance Ascent’-2. Song-Rotation Reporting back-a wonderful evening at Wilton’s Music Hall. Capacity audience-filled with Wilton’s energy and involvement. Great enthusiasm for the early version of the Mendelssohn concerto (John McCabe-’I think it’s the best piece he ever wrote!), and the reception [...]
June 2, 2012
Felix Mendelssohn-Etude for a violin to Joseph Joachim in Friendship-Berlin 11th March 1844 Peter Sheppard Skaerved-Violin (Workshop recording 2nd June 2012) Joseph Joachim acquired near-legendary status with his debut in London, under the baton of Mendelssohn, in 1844. As was still the practice he arrived armed with letters of introduction to the Hanoverian Embassy, from Mendelssohn: [...]
June 2, 2012
Mendelssohn at work… There are two manuscripts for the Mendelssohn D minor Violin Concerto, which I am playing at Wilton’s Music Hall on the 6th June. The 13 year old composer seems to have been in several minds about the siting and scale of cadenzas. Here are some notes from the practice-bench ( I don’t [...]
May 31, 2012
SOUNDBOX Tuesday 29th May 1230 Pm Royal Academy of Music Museum Piano Gallery Viotti-Ideal Chamber Music with Inbar Verni-Harp Repertoire -Viotti-Sonata for Harp and Violin (dedicated to Lady Dunmore), plus Country Dances for 1808 & 1809 A celebration of Giovanni Battista Viotti through his private artistic world, which was always more important to him than concert [...]
May 30, 2012
Giovanni Battista Viotti-Sonata, for Harp with Violin Accompaniment, dedicated to Lady Susan Dunmore Harp-Inbar Vernia, Violin-Peter Sheppard Workshop Recording-SOUNDBOX, Royal Academy of Music Museum, 29th Mary 2012 Allegro BrillanteAdagio ‘composta da una dilettante’Allegretto Viotti was also the last great soloist who as reportedly happy to work as an accompanist, whether to harpists, pianists or dancers. [...]
June 23, 2012