A Far Cry has collaborated with a handful of fabulous flute and piano soloists, but until this point, never have we worked with a string soloist from outside the band. It is such an incredible honor for me to have my mentor and teacher, Roger Tapping, joining us as viola soloist for Britten’s Lachrymae on this cycle.
Roger is one of those musicians, one of those artists, that everyone admires. Not only is he an incomparable violist, but he is also a graceful diplomat, and a true gentleman. We were reluctant to have him join us for our very first reading of the Britten on Friday afternoon, because the first rehearsal is traditionally a time when the orchestra has the opportunity to fix and expose basic issues of ensemble, dynamics, character, and transitions. We were worried about embarrassing ourselves in front of a fellow musician who we look up to so much! But, his gentle leadership from the viola carried us through the rehearsal. He demonstrated his sound world, the palate of colors he wanted to use, the tempi he preferred, discussed dynamics with us, and the whole rehearsal felt like such incredible chamber music making. I can’t wait to continue to rehearse this piece with Roger and the Criers over the next week, and especially can’t wait for the performances!
Join us for one of the performances with Roger Tapping, either Thursday April 17th at Eastern Nazarene College (North Quincy, MA), or Saturday April 19th at Pickman Hall/Longy School of Music (Cambridge, MA). He’s going to knock your socks off!
