Bruchsal BDZ Festival

[Ali]

I got back at 1am Monday morning from 3 days at the BDZ Festival in Bruchsal. Amazingly interesting and wonderful. I met or re-met so many mando-friends from across the world. Old friends like Sue Mossop (now Flower), Robert Schulz, Riss Carroll, Stephen Lalor (all from Australia), Caterina (the lovliest lady in the world and not a bad mando player ) and Marga who I now know surprisingly well having been to Germany for them a few times and had Caterina give a masterclass at Trinity. Keith Harris, Steffi Rauch welcomed me with very open arms. Lovely UK buddies like Ian and Barbara (Pommerenke) Steel, Nigel Gatherer, Frances Taylor. I met Carlo for the first time ever and "jammed" with him on Calace's Tarantella (I was playing Carlo's Pandini and he was playing a top range Knorr from the trade table!) - there's photgraphic evidence on someone's camera somewhere in world and the "jam" was witnessed by Don Stiernberg who aslo greeted me like one of his oldest friends! I met up again with Mark Davis for the first time since 1991. That was just great as well.
Without showing favourtism, the highlight in many ways was meeting, chatting with and hearing Mike Marshall - we've exchanged many emails over the years and exchanged virtually all our CDs but nothing can prepare you for meeting that guy in the flesh and hearing him play. I'm not sure what it is, but he's really got "something" - that something that makes a player and musician stand head and shoulders above the others although you just can't quite put your finger on what it is.
When I was a teenager, a festival in Europe (and I was invited to play at a couple) consisted of 2 or 3 orchestras, maybe a duo, a soloist and the occasional younger player like myself. This festival had kids as young as 7 or 8 playing in cute little workshops, orchestras and soloists/ensembles from Japan, Holland, Germany, Russia, Belarus, Scotland, Australia (two!), USA, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Norway. There were also loads of people like me, just along for the ride.
I've not been to a BDZ festival before for many varied reasons but I have to say that I had a ball!
The weirdest thing that happened was that Barbara introduced me to a young(ish) mandolinist from Germany who I had just heard play in concert in a flute and mandolin duo. I congratulated them on their playing and when Barbara said my name, she just looked blank for a moment and then her eyes lit up in recognition and said "Oh! Alison Stephens, the composer! I love playing and teaching your music" ?????!!!!!!?????? I never thought I'd see the day when I was more notable for my writing (Calling me a composer is rather insulting to our friends here who really CAN write music!) than for my playing!!! It was kinda fun!

Anyway, just thought I would share my great experience with you guys here. We may (globally) have differing goals and ideas for our little instrument but events like that can surely only strengthen and develop us all and bring us all together. Great
What a LONG LONG way we've all come in the last 20+ years and long may it continue.
Ali

[grassrootphilosopher]

Yes, we´ve come a long ways in the last decades. I´ve never been at Bruchsal but it´s surely worth going as well as making it known better.

[vkioulaphides]

Lovely!

Ah, someday, when I escape the treadmill... :-/

It is very gratifying to read what great things are happening in the mando-world, and especially so from the perspective of one like Ali, who has witnessed the trajectory from where we were, to where we are. Bravo to one and all!

Cheers,

Victor

[Margriet]

I got back at 1am Monday morning from 3 days at the BDZ Festival in Bruchsal. Amazingly interesting and wonderful. I met or re-met so many mando-friends from across the world.
We may (globally) have differing goals and ideas for our little instrument but events like that can surely only strengthen and develop us all and bring us all together. Great
What a LONG LONG way we've all come in the last 20+ years and long may it continue.
Ali

I am happy to hear this.
Thank you, Ali, for sharing.
Margriet

[Nigel Gatherer]

It was the first time I had made it to Eurofest [1], and what an experience. There were about a thousand players of plucked instruments there and I felt the same as Mike Marshall when he said, "I am with my people!" Hearing Mike and Caterina playing was one of my highlights too, alongside hearing (and seeing) The Electric Chair from Japan - I thought they were simply wonderful. Other highlights were Oliver Kalberer conducting his "Vishnu" suite; the joint performance of the Hessisches Zupforchester and the Kubota Philomandolinen Orchester; the Antipodean Mandolin Ensemble; playing with Don Stiernberg at the jam session; Ali Stephens stalking me our group's performance on the open-air stage. As wonderful as all the music was, however, the real highlight was meeting old friends and new friends. A fantastic experience for me - still recovering!

[1] = Four years ago I was all booked to go to the last one, but my partner was suddenly taken into hospital so I pulled out at the last minute. I was determined to make it this time, but when our flight was cancelled because of a strike, I thought it was never going to be. However, all's well that ends well.

[Acquavella]

Thanks for sharing Ali. Sounds like a wonderful experience. Hopefully one day I'll be able to go. Maybe next year.

[Ali]

Ali Stephens stalking me

Stalking!? Me?? No, I just like you. You're my nice Mandolin friend.

[Henry Girvan]

I think that Dr Stefanie Rauch (Head of the Organising Team of BDZ for the Eurofestival zupfmusic) should be congratulated on staging such an important event for the Mandolin and Guitar, and other plucked instruments.

The Open Air Stage was used for the first time at the Bruchsal event as well as the indoor concert venues in order for the music to be seen and heard by the townspeople who may not have considered going to a mandolin concert before. Special concerts were also held as part of the Schloss Zupfer-Night in the Baroque Castle.

The Music School was used as a venue for Instrument Makers and Music Publishers.

During the event a General Assembly of EGMA (European Guitar and Mandolin Association) was held with representatives from different National Organisations, and at which Barbara Pommerenke-Steel was re-elected President of EGMA.

It was also good to meet up with friends from all over the Mandolin World.

[Plamen Ivanov]

I missed this year's issue of the Eurofestival Zupfmusik, but i'm lucky to know exactly what Ali is talking about. Good for you all that have been there, thanks for sharing the experience and also for enhancing the mando spirit!

I guess pictures of the event will appear soon on the BDZ website.

Best,
Plamen

[John Goodin]

Ali, Nigel, Henry,

Thanks very much for your reports from Bruchsal! I for one would love to hear even more details. Who played what where, that sort of thing.

In 1994 I was lucky enough to attend the BDZ festival in Schoneck with the Louisville Mandolin Orchestra and I wish now that I had taken a few minutes to record some memories before they became jumbled. [It turns out I did write a report. I'll post it later when I get a chance.] So many wonderful people, great players, orchestras, adventures, etc.

Maybe some of you even have photos to share?

John G.

[mandoisland]

Hi to everybody! unfortunately I could only be in Bruchsal for the first two days - and I missed Ali - although I think I save her for a second...
If you are interested in the participants you can go to my blog and find a list of all the participants:

Participants of teh Eurofestival in Bruchsal

or in German (and maybe a little more up to date - I am trying to add everything to the English page too):

Eurofestival Bruchsal - Teilnehmer

I am also collectin other articles in German mainly on another site:

Presseberichte Eurofestival Bruchsal

I think (and hope) there will be a photo collection within the next days or weeks on the site of the BDZ.

The program and some other information are also available on the blog about the Eurofestival which was written by some persons of the organisational team:

Eurofestival Blog

For me one of thehighlits was an adaption of Mozarts opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Abduction from the Seraglio) for children - and also played by children - a 90 minute show with popular songs and arias from the opera with mandolin orchestra. The opera arias were sung by young opera singers (students) The team has prepared this for about 9 month, and it was a great performance. As this has been filmed there might be a movie some time.

Another highlight for me was the session with a set of jazz standards that had been provided by Peter Forgach from Hungary which was a lot of fun (with Mareike Wiesenekker, and also Don Stiernberg, Barbara Pommerenke-Steel and lots of others.

Very special for me was that I met many old friend with whom I had played years ago in the mandolin orchestra of Baden (Badisches Zupforchester), including a very interesting premiere of a work by Christopher Grafschmidt.

I did also like very well an arrangement of Spain by Chick Corea played by the orchestra from Neuenhein. Or the Apanhei-te Cavaquinho by the Ensemble Giocoso from Lieboch (Graz) in Austria. Or the St. James Blues played by the youth guitar orchestra from Saarbrücken, .....

There was a Klangwerkstatt Mandolin where 9 or 10 German mandolins and two Italian mandolins were played one after another - each of those a great instrument,...

I think the team did a great job to prepare this and bring it to a big success.

Michael

[trebleclef528]

I'd like to thank Michael (mandoisland) for taking the time to prepare the list of participants in the Eurofest. ... just have a look ....it gives a good indication of the size and quality of this event.

It was great to see more friends from "across the pond", a pleasure to meet Mark and Beverly Davis (Province Mandolin Orchestra) and to hear an absolutely wonderful performance from Mike Marshall and Caterina Lichtenberg.

Our own contingent from Scotland (Da Capo Alba) had the pleasure of performing in the open air concert in Bruchsal which was intended to take the music to the people, our completely Scottish traditional sets seemed to go down well..... and my kilt definately raised a few eyebrows!

This event is an absolute must for mandolin and guitar enthusiasts... you will not see anything bigger or better anywhere in the world, 1200 musicians, orchestras and ensembles galore (The Japanese orchestra had an entire bowlback mandocello section) and four days of concerts and performances from 10.00am to 10.00pm running parallel in two concert halls... so much to choose from and something for everyone...... and top quality instruments on display and for sale.

You will meet the world at this event, we've been invited to Australia and to Israel and made a host of new friends ....

SAVE UP YOUR MONEY....... for Eurofest 2014 , I can assure you, you will not regret it.

A huge thanks from the Scottish contingent to our friend Stefanie Rauch the festival director and a vice president of the BDZ (Bund Deutscher Zupfmusiker) who in her first year in the role produced an exceptional event , thanks to the Eurofest team and to Dieter Kreidler (Musical Director) to Rüdiger Grambow (Vice President BDZ) and to all in the BDZ who made this an event a spectacular occasion which brought together so many people from many nationalities in an atmosphere of musical togetherness.

It was one of these events that I will never forget.

Regards
Ian

www.mandolinscotland.org

[mandoisland]

The first photo albums about the eurofestival zupfmusik 2010 in Bruchsal are available at:

photo albums

Here I am in my red coolmandolin T-shirt during the session - thanks to the one who made this photo:

[Nigel Gatherer]

...Here I am in my red coolmandolin T-shirt during the session ...

...and that's me on the other side of the guitarist, just before an over-zealous jammer put my mandolin in mortal danger. Sorry I didn't get the chance to meet you, mandoisland.

[mandoisland]

Hi Nigel - nice to know that I jammed together with you - hope there will be a next chance that we meet!

[mandoisland]

eurofestival zupfmusik in the local TV station: Kraichgau-TV

[mandoisland]

Some pictures on the Homepage of the BZVS - the plucked strings association of the Saarland (Saarbrücken): eurofestival zupfmusik