Mini-Series Part III: Rossitza Goza

The third installment comes in quick succession of part II.  I am on a roll...and also falling behind! 

This post features Rossitza Goza as the soloist performing Tzigane with the Tulsa Symphony and Maestro Dan Hege.

Fortunately for me, I've already published a blog post on this piece (phew!) to read it, click here. That saves me a TON of work and agonizing over what to say, recordings to use, etc. I really hope you check out my last post on this one - I'm serious! At one point in my life (not too long ago) I put a great deal of energy into learning this piece AND about this piece. That's the thing about getting your doctorate and preparing doctoral recitals - they really grill you on the repertoire!

Anyways, this program might be one of my favorites of the season. 

The Hebrides Overture, Mendelssohn (#felixforever!) 

Le Tombeau de Couperin, Ravel

Tzigane, Ravel

Symphony #4, Beethoven

I didn't know The Hebrides Overture before working on this program but I really love it now. If you're anything like me (aka a super fan of Mendelssohn) you'll like it too. It evokes mists and the rugged shorelines of Scotland. There is an expansive poetry in the melodies and textures that really makes my skin tingle and takes my breath away.

Le Tombeau de Couperin begins with a massive oboe solo and our principal oboist, Lise Glaser really knocked it out of the park! She can regale you with stories about playing this for different auditions and conductors that are all charming and rather absurd.

Tzigane (if you don't already know this) is one of my favorite violin pieces. I know for a fact that I am not the only violinist who thinks this. In September, while writing the post on Joshua Bell (you can read that here) I realized that Tzigane is on my first violin CD and coincidentally I still love all the violin repertoire on that album. Ahh the power of exposure as a youth!

For those of you out there who might not know, Rossitza is the Concertmaster of the Tulsa Symphony so this concert featured one of our own. 

Here is an excerpt from Rossitza's bio.... 

Violinist Rossitza Jekova-Goza has made numerous appearances as concerto soloist and recitalist in the United States, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and her native Bulgaria. She has served as concertmaster of the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra and the Verbier Festival Orchestra in Switzerland, and has been featured as principal second violinist of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London.

A winner of concerto competitions, she is also a co-winner of the 1999 MTNA national competition in chamber music. Prior to joining the Harrington String Quartet in 2010, she taught at the Universities of Arkansas, Oklahoma and North Texas, and for six years was on the faculty of the prestigious Encore School for Strings.

Her advanced degrees are from Louisiana State University (MM) and the Cleveland Institute of Music (DMA). Currently Dr. Goza is a Harrington Lecturer at West Texas A&M University, first violinist of the Harrington String Quartet and concertmaster of the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra.

Her dress was a statement. Bold and Red, it really suited the piece. And not to sound like somebody obsessed with what a performance looks like BUT I do think that clothing and other non-musical elements can set a tone for a performance.

This photo does not do the dress justice. Photo credit to Angela Brenton-Carter, our bass clarinetist who snapped this picture from the balcony.

This piece is so fun to perform (as a member of the orchestra). You get to sit back, relax, and watch the soloist for a full five minutes without having to worry about counting rests. The silence that overtakes an audience at the very beginning is always astounding. A full concert hall sits rapt, listening to a solo violin. It is a very special mood that I really love, as if there is static electricity silently running through every seat in the hall. It happened when Joshua Bell played the cadenza of the Tchaikovsky last September (and there were even audible gasps from the audience).

Talking to our harpist Jill Weibe, I discovered that the harp solo in Tzigane is one of the HARDEST things ever written for the instrument. I was so impressed! She sat right next to me for this piece and I would never have guessed that she was nervous or that the part was difficult. 

After her daring performance and standing ovation, Rossitza led the orchestra through the second half of the program. That is quite a workout for one evening! It was a great program and wonderful performances from all of the soloists of the Tulsa Symphony. A performance where your colleagues have an opportunity to shine is definitely a special thing.

Unfortunately I don't have a recording from this performance so you'll just have to make do with this pretty wonderful one of Maxim Vengerov and the Moscow City Symphony.

*As a side note I think that his pacing of the opening cadenza is fantastic. Often, violinists speed through the rests and don't let the phrasing really breathe. That is not the case here.

I hope you enjoyed this post!

Thank you for reading it!