An Interview With Cellist Marc Johnson
For thirty-five years cellist Marc Johnson performed with the renowned Vermeer Quartet. The Quartet appeared regularly in the world’s musical capitals on five continents and made extensive tours yearly in Europe and North America. Their recordings gathered critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic, and included a version of the complete Beethoven string quartets on the Teldec label. Mr. Johnson continues to pursue an active career since the Quartet’s retirement in 2007, appearing in recitals and as a soloist with orchestras in North America and Europe. He was also awarded the Chevalier du Violoncelle by the Eva Janzer Cello Center at Indiana University. His cello is a fine, old Italian instrument made c. 1730 by Francesco Stradivarius. He lives in Cushing, Maine, with his wife, two absurdly large dogs, and a sarcastic parrot.
Marc Johnson will be performing at the Norfolk Festival on Friday, July 24, at 8pm.
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When you are away touring, do you bring anything special with you to remind you of home?
I bring wallet-sized photos of my wife and daughters and 4 or 5 of my grandson Sebastian (who just turned 4). I’m a notoriously light traveler, especially when flying, so anything else I have with me is strictly utilitarian.
Are there any “good-luck” rituals that you observe while one the road? (more…)
Composer Scott Wheeler Remembers Virgil Thomson
Composer Scott Wheeler’s opera Democracy was commissioned by Plácido Domingo and premiered by Washington National Opera. His first opera, The Construction of Boston, is available on the Naxos American Classics series. His most recent commission is for an opera for the Metropolitan Opera and Lincoln Center Theatre. Scott is the recipient of the Stoeger Prize from the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, as well as awards from the Guggenheim Foundation and many others. Some of his songs will be performed in the Music Shed on Friday, July 3, beginning at 7:30, as part of this year’s Virgil Thomson Project.
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Festival: How did you meet Virgil Thomson?
SW: My composer friend Rodney Lister introduced me to Virgil’s music, then, in the spring of 1976, to Virgil himself. The occasion was Virgil’s visit to Boston for the Boston Lyric Opera production of The Mother of Us All. Rodney and I met Virgil at his hotel (the Ritz) and took him to the Harvard Square apartment of our friend Ezra Sims, who served us all afternoon tea. As I recall, Virgil wasn’t in a good mood, perhaps because the BLO production wasn’t very good. I don’t remember much about that performance, but it certainly didn’t encourage me to get to know this wonderful opera. (more…)
An interview with Grammy Award Grammy® Award-winning soprano Susan Narucki
As part of the Norfolk Festival’s Virgil Thomson Project, Grammy® Award-winning soprano Susan Narucki will perform in An Evening Of American Art Song on Saturday, June 27th at 8:00pm. This concert will feature the works of the great American composer Virgil Thomson, as well as work by Charles Ives, Martin Bresnick and Julianna Hall. In preparation for her residence at the Festival we asked Ms. Narucki to share her thoughts on and experience with new music, life as a singer, and of course Virgil Thomson.
Susan Narucki is a familiar presence in the world’s major concert halls and opera houses, with recent appearances at the San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Netherlands Opera, London Sinfonietta, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Recent performances include the Great Performers series at Lincoln Center in Louis Andreissen’s opera De Materie; revivals of Andriessen’s Writing to Vermeer (Netherlands Opera) and Rêves d’un Marco Polo at the Holland Festival and the Norfolk Festival Nominated in the Best Classical Vocal Performance category for a 2002 Grammy®, her extensive discography reflects the exceptional range of her activities. In addition to her 2001 Grammy® Award-winning disc of George Crumb’s Star-Child with the Warsaw Philharmonic, and her Cannes Award-winning CD for Best Recording of Works by a Living Composer (works of Crumb with Speculum Musicae)—both on Bridge Records—she may be heard on Sony Classical, Philips, Angel, Chandos, Nonesuch, Decca and many other labels.
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Festival: When you are away touring, do you bring anything special with you to remind you of home?
SN: Well, when it works out with our schedules, I bring my husband, David.
Festival: Are there any good-luck rituals that you observe while one the road?
SN: I used to have an obsession about bringing a banana to eat at intermission, but that fell by the wayside. Now what I do is try to remember two things: life is a lot better if you’re relaxed - and something that my first voice teacher, Janet Parlova, used to say to me before every performance: just have fun. I’m finally beginning to understand what she meant. (more…)
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