Tchaikovsky Archives

Conversation with Sara Sant’Ambrogio (January, 2005)

Interview by Tim Janof Grammy Award-winning Sara Sant'Ambrogio first leapt to international attention when she won the Eighth International Tchaikovsky Violoncello Competition in Moscow, Russia. As a result of her medal, Carnegie Hall invited Ms. Sant'Ambrogio to perform a recital that was filmed by CBS News as part of a profile about her, which aired nationally. Bernard Holland of The New York Times described Ms. Sant'Ambrogio's New York debut as "sheer pleasure." Ms. Sant'Ambrogio has appeared as soloist with such orchestras as Atlanta, Boston Pops, Chicago, Dallas, Moscow State Philharmonic, the Osaka Century Orchestra (Japan), St. Louis, San Francisco and Seattle; she has performed throughout the world at major music centers and festivals including Aspen, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Hollywood Bowl, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, the Konzert Huset in Stockholm, Marlboro, [...]

By Tim Janof|2020-03-01T17:56:16-05:00October 27th, 2019|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Competition, Interviews, Performance|Tags: Competition, Tchaikovsky Competition, Tchaikovsky, Eroica Trio, Sara Sant'Ambrogio, cello|

Pezzo Capriccioso, Transitions, Alterations, and Rosin (Edited Version) — by Robert Battey

I am indebted to Aron Zelkowicz for correcting factual errors in the first version of this article, and to Peter Close for locating an on-line version of the original score. Today’s ruminations are on Tchaikovsky. And his congenital weakness regarding transitions. It’s kind of endearing, that such a genius would have this Achilles’ heel; for some reason, his muse regularly deserted him when he needed to stitch together two sections of music. It could be in a placid spot, such as the transition to the jerky second theme in the first movement of the Piano Concerto . . . or the connecting “music” preceding the waltz variation in the A minor Trio. It could also be in a transition meant to increase tension, like the second return to the [...]

By Robert Battey|2018-03-18T04:39:36-04:00September 8th, 2013|Categories: Repertoire|Tags: Battey, difficulty, opening material, robert, experimenting with rosin, Pezzo Capriccioso, creativity, virtuoso, flawed works, repeated notes, cello, alterations, glissando, Rococo Variations, Piatigorsky, gummed-up fingers, sections, options, compositions, increased tension, show piece, melody, transitions, Leopold Auer, sticky problem with shifting, Rostropovich, rosin, lyrical, Tchaikovsky, recordings, sections of music, master, trill, composer, Achilles’ heel, modern artists, effects, charming, musical transitions|