FRANK STEMPER, COMPOSER
Viktorsberg (1991)
for viola and 'cello in 5 movements [12 mins.]
Written for and Premiered 1991 at the Kloster Viktorsberg in Vorarlberg, Austria
by Cynthia Fogg and Tom Flaherty.
Also performed in Los Angeles and at the
College Music Society’s National Conference in Minneapolis.
Opus 26 — A.S.C.A.P. work I.D. 520857272
SCORE
by Cynthia Fogg and Tom Flaherty.
Also performed in Los Angeles and at the
College Music Society’s National Conference in Minneapolis.
Opus 26 — A.S.C.A.P. work I.D. 520857272
SCORE
VIKTORSBERG (1991)
This duet for viola and 'cello was written at the International Composers Workshop in Viktorsberg, Austria. there are short movements:
I. Das Valz
II. Hangin' Around
III. Rhapsodic
IV. Rötis - Rankweil
V. In the Midst of Great Turmoil - Zwölf
NOTES
The Viktorsberg International Workshop wasn’t nearly as impressive as it sounds. There were just a handful of composers, and we spent a month during two consecutive summers living and composing in the Austrian Alps – tough work, but somebody’s gotta do it. Actually, it was very impressive. We spent our days, holed up in little cubby hole rooms in the Kloster Viktorsberg, a c.800 A.D. monastery. The small rooms had been those of the monks who lived and worked at the kloster nearly 1,200 years before. We worked in the monastery but lived in the house of a local family, the Liesinger’s, just a stone’s throw from the monastery. And the entire environs is one of the most beautiful settings one could imagine. Have a look:
This duet for viola and 'cello was written at the International Composers Workshop in Viktorsberg, Austria. there are short movements:
I. Das Valz
II. Hangin' Around
III. Rhapsodic
IV. Rötis - Rankweil
V. In the Midst of Great Turmoil - Zwölf
NOTES
The Viktorsberg International Workshop wasn’t nearly as impressive as it sounds. There were just a handful of composers, and we spent a month during two consecutive summers living and composing in the Austrian Alps – tough work, but somebody’s gotta do it. Actually, it was very impressive. We spent our days, holed up in little cubby hole rooms in the Kloster Viktorsberg, a c.800 A.D. monastery. The small rooms had been those of the monks who lived and worked at the kloster nearly 1,200 years before. We worked in the monastery but lived in the house of a local family, the Liesinger’s, just a stone’s throw from the monastery. And the entire environs is one of the most beautiful settings one could imagine. Have a look:
There were a couple of Austrian composers, two Americans, and one from Kiev, Ukraine, and several outstanding musicians from the Feldkirk Conservatory, down the mountain. In addition to composing, we went to concerts (including Bizet’s Carmen at the Bregenz Festspielhaus, which is an outdoor opera setting on the shore of Lake Constance — a ship actually came into the opera port as part of the production), toured around the rural areas and cities that were nearby, and played chamber music in the evenings – in the kloster. The other American, Tom Flaherty, brought his wife with him. He was also a cellist and his wife, Cynthia Fogg, was a violist. I finagled a way to bring 2 of our 5 children with me – the first year. At ages 9 and 11, being away from home for a month was challenging, but they both seemed up to the challenge. And, both being quite bright, were constantly exploring. Sometimes in the afternoons, my 9-year-old son would stand outside my kloster window, trying to get my attention, because he was ready to go exploring. One afternoon he tried to get my attention by throwing some stones at my window. The window broke. Yes, the boy broke a window in this 800 AD Kloster!!
The second summer, it was me who had the challenge both musically and personally. Without my kids, I missed my family too much and ended up leaving the workshop a few days early. Musically, in addition to realizing that composing away from home is counter-productive for me. Artist retreats must be for the grand majority of artists who don’t have families, nor often a significant other. I realized that in that regard I was in the minority, and it certainly is true. Although I still had a productive month, I was reluctant to pursue future artistic retreats. There was one casualty in my leaving a bit early. Early on, I finagled a ticket to the annual Bayreuth Festival. This was a production of Wagner’s RING in the original setting in Bayreuth, Germany. The four 5-hour operas were performed on consecutive nights – Monday, Tuesday, (Wednesday off), Thursday, and concluding Friday. It would have been quite an experience, as well as an ear and eye treat, but I decided to give up my free ticket, so I could go home. Such is life, “In the Midst of Great Turmoil — Zwölf!”
The second summer, it was me who had the challenge both musically and personally. Without my kids, I missed my family too much and ended up leaving the workshop a few days early. Musically, in addition to realizing that composing away from home is counter-productive for me. Artist retreats must be for the grand majority of artists who don’t have families, nor often a significant other. I realized that in that regard I was in the minority, and it certainly is true. Although I still had a productive month, I was reluctant to pursue future artistic retreats. There was one casualty in my leaving a bit early. Early on, I finagled a ticket to the annual Bayreuth Festival. This was a production of Wagner’s RING in the original setting in Bayreuth, Germany. The four 5-hour operas were performed on consecutive nights – Monday, Tuesday, (Wednesday off), Thursday, and concluding Friday. It would have been quite an experience, as well as an ear and eye treat, but I decided to give up my free ticket, so I could go home. Such is life, “In the Midst of Great Turmoil — Zwölf!”
Bregenz Festspielhaus
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Bayreuth Festivalhaus
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