First Week at Crescendo

12th Crescendo Summer Institute in Tokaj, Hungary

Artistic Report, First Week

 

The Opening Ceremony of the 12th Crescendo Summer Institute was held on 20 July 2015 at 7.30 p.m., in the Main Hall of Tokaji Ferenc Secondary School, which also serves as the central venue for the Institute. Master classes are held by an international faculty of 70, with 180 students and guests from 37 different countries:

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Portugal, Switzerland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Republic of South Africa, Ukraine, the United States, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

Attendants at the ceremony were greeted by György Posta, mayor of the City of Tokaj, and by the leadership of Crescendo Summer Institute: Beat Rink and Airi Rink, founders and directors of Crescendo International; opera singer Timothy Bentch and violist Eszter Dudás, founders and artistic directors of Crescendo Summer Institute; and Balázs Végh, operative director of Crescendo Summer Institute. As a musical greeting, pieces by Bartók and Rossini were performed by Philipp Hutter, Swiss trumpeter; Gábor Varga, Hungarian clarinetist; Rita Termes, Hungarian pianist; and Eugene Alcalay, Romanian pianist from the USA.

The artistic programme of Crescendo Summer Institute began on the morning of Tuesday, 21 July 2015. Artistic directors of Crescendo have offered solo classes for strings (violin, viola, cello, bass), woodwinds (flute, oboe, clarinet), brass (trumpet, horn, tuba), piano, organ, voice and guitar. Opportunities for the students admitted to Crescendo Summer Institute to play together include classes in chamber music, orchestra, choir and choir directing, opera, piano accompaniment, baroque ensemble and jazz.

Beyond professional training, it is the goal of Crescendo Summer Institute to provide guidance for the next generation in several areas of life and to give them useful advice for their artistic careers with the help of professionals. Crescendo Summer Institute enhances individual training and character development by organizing mentoring programmes and small group talks. This year, the central theme for these is “The Artist’s Heart”. The work of Crescendo International as an organization has now been centred on the meeting point of faith and art for three decades, and the special quality of life at the Summer Institute also lies in the personal experience of this connection.

 

Two lectures were held during the first week of Crescendo Summer Institute.

Portuguese pianist Sara Ascenzo gave a presentation on the meaning of psychological well-being according to mainstream psychological models and on the different ways professional musicians cope with challenges concerning their mental well-being. During the two weeks of the Summer Institute, Sara Ascenzo, researcher at the Royal College of Music in London, holds consultation sessions for the participants with the use of the school’s professional materials.

In addition, Zsolt Körmendy, concert educator, editor of the family and youth programme at the Palace of Arts (MüPa), instructor at the Liszt Academy of Music and teacher at Crescendo Summer Institute held a talk on the important things musicians need to prepare for adult life besides professional knowledge. These included career beginnings, career building, relationships, time management and money management, moving about in the world of bureaucracy, and building international connections.

 

Nostalgia Concert in Sárospatak

After Crescendo Summer Institute was launched in 2004, for ten years it was organized in Sárospatak. It offered over 150 free-of-charge cultural events, and even whole operas were staged in the magnificent yard of the Rákóczi Castle. Although for the last two years Tokaj has been the new host town, Crescendo honoured its former and always enthusiastic audience in Sárospatak by giving a nostalgia concert there again, on 22 July 2015, in the Saint Elizabeth House. Pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach, John Dowland, Roland Dyens, Manuel de Falla, Ferenc Farkas, Iván Madarász, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Joaquín Rodrigo were performed by voice section students Norbert Antóni, Luca Bojtos, Zsuzsanna Dani, Anna Vivien Havár-Ferenczy, Botond Józsa, Anna Molnár, Melanie Utasi and Eszter Zemlényi and guitar section students Dániel Bögös, Bálint Bress and Gergely Olgyai. The artistic director of the concert was Erika Dallos, artist at the Hungarian State Opera House, instructor at the Liszt Academy of Music and teacher at Crescendo Summer Institute for the 12th time.

Crescendo’s Promenade Concerts have established themselves as a tradition in Tokaj as well. This year, they were held at 5 p.m. on 22 July 2015, in the town’s main square. Pieces by Robert Schumann, Igor Stravinsky and Jörg Widmann were performed by Bethany Brooks (USA, piano), Csilla Dominkó (Hungary, cello), Dávid Dominkó (Hungary, guitar), István Dominkó (Hungary, piano), Levente Dominkó (Hungary, marimba and vibraphone), Liliána Dominkó (Hungary, cello), Belle James (USA, piano), Aleksandar Janković (Serbia, bass), Jovana Jevtić (Serbia, oboe), Suzanne Klukas (Canada, piano), Eszter Kruchió (Hungary, violin), Katarina Popović (Serbia, horn), Noémi Sallai (Hungary, clarinet), Iowana Siemieniuk (Poland, soprano) and Gyula Váradi (Hungary, violin).

The concert given by Crescendo Summer Institute’s faculty, including soloists and chamber artists of world-famous orchestras and professors from renowned universities, is always a highlight of the academy. The concert offered a selection of our artist professors’ extraordinary repertoire, ranging from baroque to contemporary music. This Summer Institute’s first Faculty Concert was held in the Tokaj Synagogue at 5 p.m. on 23 July 2015. Professors of the Early Music Department performed pieces by Giovanni Paolo Cima, Dietrich Buxtehude and Georg Friedrich Händel. The performers were Miriam Feuersinger (Austria, soprano), Gustavo Gargiulo (Argentina, cornett), Bálint Karosi (Hungary, harpsichord), Paolo Paroni (Italy, harpsichord) and Steuart Pincombe (USA, viola da gamba). Further pieces by Johannes Brahms, Franz Liszt, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Alexandre Tansman were performed by Timothy Bentch (USA, tenor), Erika Dallos (Hungary, piano), István Dominkó (Hungary, piano), Igor Františák (Czech Republic, clarinet), Józef Kolinek (Poland, violin), Ye-Ree Kim (Republic of Korea, piano), Beata Halska (Poland, violin), Bernard Le Monnier (France, violin), László Seeman (Hungary, horn), Tünde Szabóki (Hungary, soprano) and Rita Termes (Hungary, piano).

In the spirit of international connections, Crescendo Summer Institute places a strong emphasis on the cultural cooperation of the Visegrád Countries (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) and showcasing the region of Central Europe. At 3 pm on 24 July 2015, violin professor David Danel led a workshop entitled “When the (Iron) Curtain Falls” – New Music in Changing Societies. Participants of this contemporary music course could learn pieces composed in the Visegrád Countries in order to get to know prominent composers from the period after the fall of the Iron Curtain. The pieces performed allowed listeners to experience the art of composers who have a distinct style and musical attitude within contemporary music.

The Winners’ Concert of the Crescendo 2014 Gala was held in the Synagogue at 5 p.m. on Friday, 24 July 2015. Pieces by Frédéric Chopin, Charles Gounod, Ferenc Lehár, Jules Massenet, Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Niccolò Paganini, Giacomo Puccini, Pablo de Sarasete and Giuseppe Verdi were performed by Xénia Sárközi (Hungary, soprano), Hyuk Namkoong (Republic of Korea, piano) and Gyula Váradi (Hungary, violin). Erika Dallos and Rita Termes contributed on piano.

 

The Arts at Crescendo Summer Institute:

The main concept behind Crescendo Summer Institute is built on an approach that covers all of the arts. Throughout the past decade, acting, fine arts and dance were all present for several years in addition to music. The writings of Crescendo International founder Beat Rink are also available all year long. Beat Rink’s reading night a few years ago in the Prayer Room of the Grammar School of the Reformed Church of Sárospatak, with the contribution of German pianist Martin Helmchen, is a memorable event in the history of Crescendo Summer Institute. This year, András Visky, a Hungarian poet from Transylvania, is the special guest of Crescendo Summer Institute.

 

András Visky and Crescendo

The relationship of András Visky and Song for the Nations Foundation, the organizer of Crescendo Summer Institute, dates back to the times before the Summer Institute itself. Before this year’s cooperation, both parties were involved in the creation of the monodrama and literary masterpiece “Júlia”, and in a joint artistic project at a creative camp for the fine arts. It was a great pleasure and honour for Crescendo to host András Visky at the Summer Institute from 23 to 27 July 2015. On his first night, he talked about his life at a roundtable discussion entitled “Living in the Theatre”, where young artists also had the opportunity to ask questions concerning the ideas and life experience he discussed. At 8 p.m. on Friday, 24 July 2015, the Synagogue was host to a recital of Andrea Meláth and András Visky, entitled “Give Me a Sign”. During the recital, pieces with Biblical themes could be heard: mezzo-soprano Andrea Meláth (Hungary) sang songs by Antonín Dvořak, Franz Liszt, Luigi Denza and Albert Hay Malotte, while András Visky read his own poems. Then at 5 p.m. on 25 July 2015, András Visky gave a lecture entitled “Theatre: What’s the Point? Caravaggio’s Black Box”. Finally, on the morning of Sunday, 26 July, he preached at the international church service on finding and recognising God’s grace in the dry desert.

 

Spiritual Life at Crescendo Summer Institute

Tune-Ins run every morning from 8:45 to 9:30, creating a wonderful community out of the participants of Crescendo Summer Institute. Days start with a community experience of singing, encouragement and preaching, which provide great energy for participating in the intense series of events afterwards. During the evenings, each day is closed by small-group discussions centred on the topic of the different states of “The Artist’s Heart”, as follows:

– How am I doing? – The joyful heart

– What affects me in a critical way and what leads to success? How am I with envy? – The broken, the proud and the steady heart

– Is perfect good enough? – The heart aspiring to perfection and excellence

The process of tuning hearts and revealing their different states throughout the week served as important preparation for experiencing one of the most important events of Crescendo Summer Institute. The Creative Church Service began at 8 p.m. on Saturday, 25 July 2015 in the Reformed Church. This church service is an ecumenical service where music, the arts, preaching and a creative prayer walk are all present together. It was created by Crescendo 30 years ago, and similar ceremonies have been held in over 40 cities, mostly throughout Europe. This year’s theme for Crescendo Summer Institute’s Creative Church Service was “Let Your Light Shine!”. The sermon was given by the Revd. Beat Rink (Switzerland), reformed pastor, writer and founding director of Crescendo International. The Creative Church Service featured pieces by Charles Gounod and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, performed by Constance Fee (USA, soprano), János Pálúr (Hungary, organ), Attila Füzesséry (Hungary, violin) and Eszter Füzesséryné Dudás (Hungary, viola). The service began with the performance of the Brass Section’s band, and it also included an improvisation by organist János Pálúr after the message.

Musical Services in Tokaj with the participation of students and teachers of Crescendo Summer Institute

It has become a tradition that students and teachers play music at the services of the local congregations during Summer Institute. During the musical services some short pieces were performed between the different parts of the liturgy that expressed and supported the message of the Bible in the language of music. Pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach, Jacob Gordon and Zoltán Kodály were performed by Bethany Brooks (USA, piano), Adrian Harabaru (Moldova, cello), Jovana Jevtic (Serbia, oboe), Marta Klimcak (Poland, flute), Eszter Kruchió (Hungary, violin), Hannah Mörchen (Germany, guitar) and Gergely Olgyay (Hungary, guitar).

Sunday’s day off was closed by joyful outings, wine cellar visits and wine tastings, rest, beach time, a barbecue party and dances from the Moldva region by the river. The historic Tokaj-Hegyalja wine region is rich in natural beauty, and it is no accident that it is a cultural region protected as one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. Guests from several different parts of the world had a number of opportunities to enjoy wonderful refreshment mentally and spiritually, as well as physically. Young and old, international and Hungarian students, organisers and volunteers, teachers and students can all look ahead to the master classes of Crescendo Summer Institute and the events of Crescendo Summer Festival filled with amazing experiences, renewed minds, and great expectations.

 

Tokaj, 26 July 2015

 

Eszter Dudás

artistic director

Crescendo Summer Institute