The participants of Crescendo Summer Institute and Festival were treated to excellent concerts and performances during the second week. The faculty concert included solo and chamber pieces from Baroque to the modern era. Most of the featured teachers were invited to the summer institute for the first time, or they were teaching a master course in a new field. Our 2015 winners’ concert would have impressed audiences anywhere: Aleksandra Bilanović (soprano), Johanna Schwarzl (flute), and Elisabeta Furtuna (piano) performed masterpieces, virtuoso solos, and exquisitely composed works. Sectional closing concerts capped off the fruitful work of the week, providing everyone with an opportunity to perform, and leaving them with further guidance and evaluation. Wind players from our orchestra played Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Serenade in B-flat major, “Gran Partita”, K. 361 (K. 370a): a true challenge for those involved. The performance was outstanding, leading to an invitation to have the first movement presented as the opening act of the Gala Concert.
The concert of the opera section has traditionally been one of the highlights of Crescendo Festival. This year, voice students performed a 90-minute rendition of Henry Purcell’s “The Fairy Queen”, as well as several opera scenes. The opera was accompanied by our faculty chamber group, which was led by Erika Dallos, director of the opera section. Krisztina Tarjányi was the director of the show. The Gala Concert of the following day was another opportunity to shine for several of our voice students. Sharing the spotlight with them were excellent young pianists, string players, clarinet virtuosos, and the brass ensemble. As a closing movement of Crescendo Summer Institute and Festival, the institute’s symphonic orchestra performed Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 in E minor (“From the New World”, Op. 95, B. 178), conducted by Delta David Gier.
Week 2 of Crescendo included a number of lectures about different fields, all drawing large audiences. Dutch musicologist Marcel Zwitser gave a presentation on Rachmaninoff, while Bálint Karosi held an interactive workshop about the piano and harpsichord pieces of Johann Sebastian Bach. Sara Ascenzo, Portuguese pianist and researcher at the Royal College of Music in London, talked about “The Power of Music” as well as its psychological effects. Her workshops during the day covered “Efficient Practice Strategies” and “Developing Performance Memory”. Game night was a new addition to Crescendo social activities, and it was a success, bringing together diverse teams from across the institute. The themes of the morning Tune In sessions were, “Creativity and Hard Work”, “Creativity and Careers”, “Creativity and the Holy Spirit”, “Creativity and Performing Art”, “3D Relationships”, and “Creativity as a Process”.
The second night of Candlelit Worship was organized midweek, whereas on Sunday, Crescendo artists played music in church services across town. Európa Radio was broadcasting from the Reformed church. The Gala Party concluded the week, followed by everyone’s return journeys, filled with with memories of friendships old and new, as well as hopes of another memorable Crescendo Summer Institute and Festival in 2017.