JAVS Summer 1998

52

FORUM

Letter from Glasgow

During mid-July 1998, from Thursday morning, the 16th, until Sunday afternoon, the 19th, the ciry of Glasgow, Scocland, was host for a grand gathering of violists. Virtuosi, professional players, reachers, srudents, con noisseurs , groupies, the curious, and even some critics spent the berrer parr of four days and three evenings sampling aspects of the viola in what should righrfully be considered ideal circumstances. Ir was a genuine festival. The sire was the Royal Scorrish Academy of Music and Drama. Situated comfortably in downtown Glasgow, the eleven-year-old facility has a beautiful, 290 sear recital hall , where most of the events rook place. The large flat stage area is viewed from a bank of steeply raked, comforrably upholstered sears, divided by rwo aisles. The lighting, the ventilation, and most imporrancly, the acoustics are excel lent. A hale and hearty nine-foot Sreinway concerr grand did an excellent job of staying in rune, through lots of fancy pian ism. Glasgow is a port ciry and was a center of shipbuilding earlier in rhe century. ot roo long ago it was an old UK ciry with more than irs share of urban problems. Bur in the summer of 1998, ir was a pleasant commu nity with the advantages of being the largest ciry in Scocland (approaching a million per sons in greater Glasgow, according to ciry council figures). Glasgow exudes a sense of

civic identity and pride. With its many uni versities, hospitals, an opera house and con cert halls, the cortish television production facility, a transportation system that works, plenry of more-than-adequate restaurants, and museums, it presents the appearance of being prospe rous and sophisticated, wirh fewer problems than one might expect in a big ciry. Citizens are friendly and civil. The Glaswegian accent, in irs unadulter ated delivery, can defy identification as part of the English language, bur in most cases, when these patient citizens realize that they are deal ing with an outsider, they will slow down and make every effort ro make themselves under stood to the interloper. Luthier Exhibition There was plenty of space in rhe lobby area of the corcish Academy for music mer chants and publishers to display sheer music, some featured in the various Congress sessions and some simply of interest ro violists: Baren reirer, Boosey & Hawkes, Chester Music, Oxford, Peters, Serenade for Strings (an all mail-order house that features only music for strings, located in rhe countryside close ro Inverness), rhe Scottish Music Information Cemre, JosefWeinberger, and Biggars (a Glas gow music store), to mention rhe most

prominent. Ir was a fine display of iterns one doesn't see every day, even in large music houses. This Congress was held in memory of William Primrose, who was born in Glasgow, nor far from rhe sire of rhe Royal Academy. In hi s honor the lobby featured a wall display of photographs and memorabilia about Primrose , including a commemorative plaque rhar will be placed ar his birthplace. The host chairman of rhi s, the XXVI International Viola