Festival_07_Gallery

Flute Festival 2007 - In Search of Inspiration

Don't play loud notes for the sake of it, play quieter and play music - Wissam Boustant

Playing upside down is perfectly normal....isn't it?

...as is playing through your teeth?

"First class organisation, first class musicians and tuition, first class participants" - Anne Renshaw

Yes! the whole piece from memory..... success!!!!

A moment of relaxation, in glorious sunshine.

"Great Fun, ecxellent display and performances" - Sam Shelley

Hope this is the right place to turn, I've lost count of the notes.

"it was very special to have someone of Wissam’s calibre here in Cornwall. I’d waited a long time to see him in action outside of the concert hall and it was well worth the wait" - Kate Whetter

"In Search of Inspiration"

with

Wissam Boustany

sponsored by Just Flutes, Blowzone, BFS and Jessica Rance Woodwind Repairs.

As Vicky plays Wissam dances - Hungarian style!

OY! (Hungarian sound effects)!!!

Surely he's not having to practise something?

"Fantastic,as always - Thanks once again for giving us such a lovely weekend. It was thoroughly enjoyable. The concerts were great,the venue is nice, food good , ambience great and Wissam inspiring.
Your festival is becoming a real highlight in May. - Sarah Hanley

"Miaow"

One more for the road!

"So do I have the motorbike, the MG... or just another cup of coffee"

"A great day, with just the right amout of work and leisure" - Vicky Lambert

"Would you walk on stage like a troll and then launch into Mozart?"

"Awesome!, truely inspirational!" - Amy Roberts

"If I promise to buy you a pint will you play Orange Dawn?"

"Really useful, inspiring - great. Thankyou" - Annie Quick

"What do you reckon Michael, the MG or the motorbike?"

"Tim was such an integral part of the weekend – after 3 years it doesn’t seem possible to have a flute weekend without him!" - Kate Whetter

"You are providing such a valuable source of inspiration for so many flute students in your area and beyond" - Wissam Boustany

Gallery

Falling in Love with the Music… In early May this year, Devon based flute choir, Flute Cocktail arranged a weekend with international flute soloist, Wissam Boustany. The weekend started on Saturday at Sterts Arts Centre, Liskeard with a day of masterclasses. Five talented volunteers played their chosen pieces and a whirlwind of information was absorbed. In the evening Wissam, along with flautist Michael Wood and pianist Tim Carey gave a skilfully articulated concert with a selection of intricate pieces, including Widor’s Suite Op 34. They were joined by Sam Shelley, one of the masterclass players. Sam had been persuaded by Wissam that it was possible to memorise his piece and he played Debussy’s Syrinx beautifully. Sunday involved more playing for participants, as well as discussions with Wissam. It ended with an informal concert and in addition to the fun of cats, Michael and Wissam playing Rossini’s Cats’ Duet was Wissam’s inspirational interpretation of Ian Clarke’s Orange Dawn. Wissam’s ability to communicate his music to the audience meant we could almost feel the gentle brush of Flamingo feathers passing our faces and the breeze on our cheeks as they took off in a gush of salmon pink wings; a haze of orange spilling into the horizon. Falling in Love with the Music…if anything stands out in our minds from Flute Cocktail’s weekend with Wissam Boustany it’s this. Falling in love with the music is the essence of Wissam’s musicality and where the true spirit of his playing lies. It’s love in the wider sense as he professes that ‘music allows us to see life through our hearts.’ Fascination of how we could capture this feeling and pour our hearts and souls into our playing was something we all yearned for. There were several chances to talk with Wissam over the weekend including open discussions in the programme. One discussion in particular captivated the group. Memorisation. Here lies the answer to how we can fall in love with the music. Memorising a piece frees our minds from the constraints of having to read the music and allows us to interpret and enhance each phrase to the best of our ability. It’s is a technique that sometimes panics players, but after listening to and watching Sam Shelley perform Debussy’s Syrinx from memory we were all intrigued to find out more about it. Someone asked the question on all of our lips, ‘Wissam how do you do it – this memorisation?’ There were several answers and the first positive message from Wissam was that ‘memorising is a much more natural process than people think’. He told us to look at the score and examine the whole picture, ‘learn to love the full statement’ and see the shape and story behind the entire piece. Then take the memorising a few phrases at a time learning a small amount each day and following on revising from the previous day. Learn a few more phrases, as much as you can manage. He assured us that the more we yielded to the idea of memorisation the easier it would become. Sometimes it’s a matter of playing by ear if you have already heard or know the piece well, but this depends not only on what you can hear inside your own head but your ability and skill to judge intervals, something which Wissam is particularly good at. In Flute Cocktail we have developed ideas trying to see the music as a pattern of notes photographically retained inside your head and also to imagine a scene or story behind the music if there is not one already suggested obviously by the composer. We have everything to gain by memorisation and the very thing that stopped us from going there in the first place is stifled – fear. It’s a valuable tool for building confidence and throwing away the shackles of the written notes. It means that we can divert more attention to the whole performance. And what if I forget the notes? Knowing the whole piece means that you will only have forgotten a few bars and with fear blown away and courage coming to a head improvising is an answer. If you think this is likely to happen make sure that you employ an excellent pianist such as Tim Carey to follow you into the wilderness as you go rambling off with a melody from nowhere and to come back to the piece with you as you remember it. Memorisation means that we can concentrate on how we are going to achieve what we want. It allows us to think about the style, dynamics, rise and fall of the tension and the emotion behind the music. And although we will have learned the note patterns and rhythms in the way that the composer has originally written the piece, it enables us to make the music our own. Memorisation is an asset to anyone’s technique. It brings our true playing to the forefront and as Wissam says ‘to memorise is to learn to love.’

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