Summertime and the weather is sticky!

 Pics from Ecuador.........

Iguanas Park ( seminary park)  is famous for its hundreds of Iguanas up to 5 feet in length

It is advisable NOT to stand or sit under a tree here .......splatt!

The summer school holidays last from Christmas to the end of February and it is a veritable feast of “summer courses” at every educational institution in Peru!  Children go too learn to play an instrument (though what can be achieved in 8 weeks? Twinkle twinkle little star - at best!), do drama, art, English, or take refresher courses to boost the teaching (or often lack of it) in the state schools.

You Tube video of the Iguanas ............  pity the guys didn't learn how to say the name of  the place!
The first 3 minutes gives you an idea ......

Metropolitan Cathedral  - Very Gothic inside!

At the conservatoire some 800 children are enrolled and it is mayhem … fortunately I don’t get involved,  I am continuing lessons with a group of 12 students and that is sufficient.  

As mentioned earlier Nick and I left for Ecuador and had a wonderfully relaxing time in Guayaquil (1.5 days) and Puerto Lopez (3.5 days) and we had 2 days travelling to and fro in the luxury bus.

The immigration official  “Señor Officious Jobsworth”  at the Peru border coming back declined to give me a visa for 183 days as apparently I am fulfilling no good purpose in Peru and need to consider my options!  He gave me 90 days and made it clear that if I didn’t like it he could always refuse me re-entry to Peru entirely!

Fortunately, I am currently in the process of agreeing a contract with the “El Cultural American School” in Trujillo as Head of Music from March 3.  The American School is new, it opens its doors in March and is an expensive, private school, offering the International Baccalaureate teaching and examination system. It starts with around 300 pupils from ages 6 – 13 and my role will be to lead the Music department. I will also be expected to develop extracurricular musical activities.

One of the locals!

All teaching with the exception of Mathematics, Spanish, Peruvian History and RE is in English and all students, by the age of 18 are expected to be “fluent” in Spanish, English and French!

Colonial splendour in Las Penas, now a RICH artists and arty community!

I am very taken by the integrated form of learning which is integrated, project and enquiry based.  The principal is a remarkable Brit, Michael Exley, who has been here in Peru on and off since the 70’s and has a reputation for developing international schools and universities!  He is great fun and I am sure will be great to work with/for.

Happily, the school will be arranging my residential/work visa and the 90 day deadline is to be used as a means of hurrying up the local visa officials here in Peru.  Michael also understands that I have other commitments with the Conservatoire and the Symphony orchestra and is happy to accommodate these in my contractual hours etc.

Task one is to design a music syllabus for the whole school, so I have my work cut out!

The UK Connection- aplaque on what was Sir Frederick Ashton's house! (now a boutique hotel)

The holiday was a much needed break from Trujillo. Guayquil was hot and very sticky (humid), it sits of the bank of a large river and for us, the Malecon provided a wonderful walking route from the city to the lighthouse at the top of some 424 steps in Santa Ana.  This part of the city also has the best preserved colonial houses in Guayaquil, in what is an artist and arty community, including  Sir Frederick Ashton, of the UK Royal Ballet, who was born in Guayaquil  and maintained a house there for his entire life.

Santa Anna lighthouse

A very poor favela on the next hill!  Chalk and cheese!

Local bus for Puerto Lopez in "Xipixapa"

But for us, we were looking forward to what promised to be a quiet few days in the small fishing town of Puerto Lopez. We had booked into the best small hotel in the place and it did not disappoint, it was an oasis of calm and tranquility on the beach, and thanks to it’s owners being a rather “alternative” Swiss and Italian couple in the late 50’s, the place ran like clockwork and had excellent Italian food on offer!  And all for $60 per day!  (See video picture gallery at end of blog!)

The crowded beach!

Ouch.......

Daily fish market - this is a working fishing village!

We took one day-trip to the Isla de Plata  the Silver Island, which used to glow silvery white at night thanks to huge mountains of “guano” [birdsh*t] covering the rocks in olden days.  Today the island is known as the  “poor man’s Galapagos”   as it boasts many of the birds only otherwise found 600 miles out to sea on the famous island group.

So after a speedy one hour journey in a powerful launch we arrived and the island did not disappoint for beauty, and for “blue footed boobies.”  The island is maintained as a strict reserve and there was no litter, no buildings (except for one educational centre)and nobody lived on the island.  The birds were absolutely unafraid of us humans, all happily clicking away on cameras.  We saw turtles and Nick had the opportunity to snorkel- although the sea was a bit cold and there were few fish to be seen in the area set aside for this activity.

Other than the trip it was days of eating, cocktails, walking the deserted beach, sleeping and playing board games ( of which the hotel  had over 300!)  And it was just what we both needed, especially Nick who now has new responsibilities at work and seems to be working 12 hour days minimum.

Currently I am preparing for the new role at the American School, and also thinking about my series of five concerts with the Symphony orchestra.  Trying to locate and source different and exciting repertoire for my first concert of 2014 on March 7.

More pics......

About to attempt my daily channel swim!!!! jejeje!

The best bit!

Dominoes and a cool beer.....mmmmmmmm

Finally........ found this video (picture gallery) on YOU TUBE  about the hotel ........
it wasn't quite as "far-out" as the music might suggest! But certainly a place to relax. The five huge dogs.....  were also full of a very quiet KARMA  never barked once and just plodded about the place,

Felices Fiestas

Don't forget that by clicking on any picture you can see it enlarged!

Christmas morning in Trujillo.  Nick sleeping off his family Christmas dinner eaten at precisely midnight on Christmas eve (well as precisely as anything is in Peru!) he got home around 3am.

I decided that this year my only “Christmas thingy” would be to prepare dinner for us both today in the evening. The succulent roast leg of lamb of my imagination turns out to be two rather scrawny legs with probably enough meat for two generous portions …..lets see.   But we will be having both mint and onion sauce.. roast potatoes, peas, carrots and YES “brussel sprouts!”

Nick’s Christmas present is a fish tank and all the “gubbins”  the fish shop has been given us conflicting advice but we are taking things slowly and doing things by the book (well some good you-tube videos) so the fish will start to be introduced this coming Friday or Saturday.

I finished the term at the conservatoire on a high, we held "internal" grade and diploma examinations (as getting the LCM examinations turned out to be just too expensive) and the 10 candidates did really well and I think they were surprised at just how professional  and demanding the whole process was.  I felt that after a frustrating year in getting the “Centre for the Execution and Interpretation of Music (CEIM)” [of which I am the Director] off the ground  the results are a vindication of all the badgering I have done of the Conservatoire Director and others. And 2014 is going to be even better.

The best students who had passed their CEIM auditions were invited to participate in the “1^st annual concert” of the conservatoire which was combined with a diploma awards ceremony and the closing ceremony of the academic year, and despite a bus strike a good number of people were able to attend.  I had suggested to the Director that the award of “student of the year” would be very motivating and so it has been instigated with Milton Hinsbins Espinoza our student of the year 2013. 

Fredy one my euphonium students (well I accompany them) gained 97% and distinction in his professional recital diploma,  3 years early, with an almost faultless performance it was a great joy to play for him.  And my other students all managed to obtain a professional recital diploma with “merit.”   So I was well pleased.

 I am now trying to beg and borrow new music for him as he needs to explore more of the repertoire but with a single work costing the same as a terms fee to study at the conservatoire (£25) ....... I am hoping that somebody will comes to his aid. The conservatoire has an almost zero budget for new music.

The following  videos are from my 3rd concert with the OST on 25^th Oct 2013, and many thanks to University UPAO TV  for making these recordings available.

Maestro Alvarez'  "Sacred Mountain" Tone Poem. 

This lovely tone poem represents a fist view of the mountain with the opening surge of the music giving us an idea of its grandeur followed by an Inca Ritual high in the mountain temple and finally we experience complete tranquility.  It was a great pleasure to conduct my dear friend's music in his presence.

Shoshtakovitch Symphony No1.Slow Movement -Lento.

This was a real departure for the orchestra and probably the first time they have attempted a Shoshtakovitch Symphony even if it was only one movement I was exceptionally pleased with how they rose to  the challenge of the work especially in the difficult Oboe, Trumpet and Violin solos.

Jean Sibelius- Karelia suite  3rd movement March.

This suite was the finale of the concert here is the last movement.

 

Seems a while ago now but my last and 4^th concerto this year with the Orquesta Sinfonica de Trujillo was also a personal best for me. I had worked the orchestra very hard and the result was that we played the Wagner Siegfried Idyll and also the Hansel and Gretal Overture of Humperdinck, both works technically demanding.  I am awaiting the DVD.  Also in this concert it was my privilege to conduct two works by my good friend Maestro Alvarez the programme stated (in Spanish – reads a bit odd in this abridged English version!): [Videos to follow!]

Pequeña sinfonía para cuerdas
Teófilo Alvarez Alvarez

1. Allegro molto 2. Slow March. Scherzo 4. Finale: Allegro con moto

Originally composed in 2009, tonight we hear the revised version of 2013, has a new second (slow) movement.

This work is a wonderful exhibition of musical techniques with fully worked out movements in sonata form, with some passages using exotic harmonies all presented in an attractive and immediately enjoyable format. The different possibilities of sounds and string orchestra are fully exploited during the four movements.

Concierto para dos eufonios , tuba y orquesta de cuerdas .

Teófilo Alvarez Alvarez

1.     Allegro con moto two . Andante appassionato 3 . Finale: Molto allegro

This concert came from a conversation between myself and Master Alvarez when I suggested that he might write a piece for an unusual group of musicians who go by the name of " deep voices " and also expressed the wish that the piece would show three different musical styles. Three months later, the concerto was ready.

This is probably the only concerto in the world written for this combination of instruments, as obtaining a balance between the three low brass instruments and an orchestra presents many problems . Maestro Alvarez has skillfully solved this by writing what is in effect a "concerto grosso " of the 21st century . The soloists never play alone, but play as a group or have solos which are accompanied by orchestra or solo group work in dialogue with the orchestra.

Maestro Alvarez is a modest man, but I am encouraging him to promote this concerto and as a summer project we are going to start a publicity for this concerto via the specialist websites for Euphonium and Tuba players- it is the only way I can repay him for this, my first commissioned concerto.

I very much hope that the concerto was captured on video  by the local UPAO university TV channel  - as I only just got the  DVD for part of the October concert will have to wait until may be February to find out! 

December 26 all back to normal, no boxing day here.   

The next holiday is January 1.  

Well we had our Christmas dinner- the roast lamb was sweet and juicy, although only enough meat for two
(I think it was a front leg and part shoulder) and the roast potatoes and onions cooked in the fat dripping from the meat so were also very tasty.  Nick experienced brussel sprouts for the first time as well as British mint sauce!  We started with Peruvian Champagne, I managed to find a “dry” one! (At £6.50 a bottle compared to the local super sweet Asti-fizz at £1.50!)   And we had a very nice Merlot with the Lamb.  My capacity for alcohol is definitely shrinking, despite that we are starting to stock the “bar”, vodka, coffee liquer, cachaxa, tequila, triple sec and sugar syrup means we can do Black Russians (my tipple), Margaritas (Nick’s), Caiparinhias, Mohitos …….. mmmmmm

 Just a reminder that Trujillo is surrounded on three sides by the Andes and the fourth is the sea.But because of the desert conditions it is rare to be able to see all the mountains clearly. This was taken at around dusk 5.45pm

.

Today was hoping that the light unit would be ready for the fish tank, but it is delayed so no fish until Saturday probably.

So, today I am starting to sort out a timetable for some teaching in January and February (the summer academic holidays) and in two weeks time Nick and I are off to Ecuador for a week 2 days in Guayaquil and then 5 in Puerto Lopez on the coast at a very quite and alternative beachside hotel, where we have a cabin!

So all is well here, wish I could send you (in UK) some sunshine…… more soon.

Hope you enjoy the videos- two more as an encore!


Elizabeth Gil-Introduction to a Ballet

and The Sibelius Karelia Suite First Movement

Hasta luego amigos.

The agony and the ecstasy! "Home" thoughts from abroad!

First (and last) concert with Orquesta de Barro

It is sometimes painful to realize that things are just not working.  The Orquesta de Barro gave an excellent concert last Wednesday (Wed 6) but the journey to get there and the stressful circumstances surrounding my refusal to participate in the Camerata Arpegio inaugural concert last night (Sat 9) have convinced me this was not a “marriage made in heaven”.  I know I do not come out of this looking good but I hope that lessons are learned - just too frustrated by lack of support, poor attendance at rehearsals and carping criticism.

I was feeling very stressed, disillusioned with the whole thing as there was a real clash between me, the German volunteers, and the students. I sent my resignation letter to the Arpegio director last Friday and already I am back to feeling less stressed. We live and learn, and organisations lacking leadership and youth orchestras are definitely no longer my forte. 

And tough and selfish as it maybe I am now listening to my body and simply won’t tolerate stress anymore as it makes me feel physically sick, unable to sleep and unable to think!

Happily I had Nick to support and comfort me and I had the welcome distraction of cooking as we welcomed Maestro Alvarez as our first supper guest;  made especially touching be the fact that Maestro Alvarez commented that he felt that already he was in home not merely a house!

But I get ahead of myself…so back two weeks

….. finding the Mott-Tirado abode!

On the balcony overlooking avenida España

Having failed to get a couple of apartments Nick went on a flat hunt via the web …. and what a result!  Yey!

Our flat is on the top floor

To cut a long story short, we both liked one particular flat and because I had rehearsals Nick went to see it alone with the agent, and came back simply describing it in one word: “amazing!”   He arranged a second viewing and interview with the owner and I was just stunned by the place and knew within two seconds we had to have it. Even though for a first place it is too big and maybe too grand (can it be too grand?)  But the rent was the same as much smaller flats and the location perfect both for Nick to get to work and for me to get to the Conservatoire – (it is just four blocks walk).

Fortunately the owner turned out to be the cousin of my good friend Vicky from the Conservatoire so that helped clinch the deal! So contracts were drawn up, signed and notarised – a surprisingly quick process and we were given keys to be able to access the flat to move in furniture etc. a week before our official moving date of November 1.  The flat comes with entry phone, cable TV and internet both fixed-line and Wifi!

Nick assembling some office furniture for the study.

Well, of course, I was on the journey to lead a simple life, and be a nomad, but “fate/life/karma” dictated otherwise – very happily – and so the last two weeks have been a whirlwind of spending as we were moving into a completely empty flat and everything needed to be purchased.  There is no e-bay, or second-hand market here, so it all had to be bought “new” – the design of the flat meant that we needed to go modern and so countless trips to the shopping mall, and some good luck on discounts and reductions meant that by November 2nd I could move despite the cooker, fridge and suite not arriving until November 5. Nick moves in shortly.

I made this short "through the keyhole" video of the flat ....... 

Yet again I am thankful for my private pension, which thanks to some profit taking, gave the funds for the spending spree.

Happy. Happy, happy.

Credo! 

Already we are planning some lovely dinner parties and evenings of DVD’s on the 50”  TV with additional sound system!  (Well somebody does like to watch his sport and I am hoping that the Six Nations will be available on our cable!)

As we have acres of wall space and a spare bedroom, so, I plan to start painting again and in my minds eye I see some large bold abstract paintings adorning the walls ……..

In the middle of all this, I had my concert with the Symphony Orchestra and it was a splendid evening with the orchestra responding to the challenges of the programme, which included the following first performance by up-and-coming composer Elizabeth Gil Diaz: a wonderful modern work and so different to the orchestra’s more traditional usual programme.  

CLICK TO VIEW VIDEO

I was extremely fortunate to have both a article promoting the concert in the regional newspaper ......

and also a Sunday special interview on the Sunday after the concert, which I gave in my very best/worst Spanglish (though I have to say more Spanish than English actually!!!!!)  

Click link below to read the article!

CLICK HERE TO READ ARTICLE

So one door closes (Arpegio) as another door opens (the flat), and yet another revolves as the relationship with the Symphony Orchestra evolves!   And the front door heralds a new chapter of my life  as Nick and I turn the flat into our home.

But I have to see if I can augment my pension a little bit …… Thankfully, with my certificate to teach English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) I am going to offer my services to some of the local English Schools especially one, just 100 yards from the front door which teaches British English!

Today I am contemplating the luxury of an almost traditional British Sunday lunch with chicken, home cooked roast potatoes and loads of green veggies!!!!

More soon...... probably after my next Symphony Concert on 25th November which is a celebration of music and musicians!

But finally, a picture of the judges and winners from the National Singing Competition! 

Anniversaries

Well, it’s been a few weeks since the last blog, life as they say is “going on” and on Monday it is a year since my first arrival in Trujillo.  What a year!  Getting started at the Conservatoire,  and  getting established in Trujillo,  getting serious with Nick, meeting Maestro Alvarez, developing a sound working relationship with the Trujillo Symphony Orchestra, taking a holiday in Colombia, joining Arpegio ………

The pictures in this blog are all taken from the "63rd annual Festival of Spring"  - Trujillo being the city of Eternal Spring!  The festival brings some 250,000 people to the city for the grand, chaotic three hour long procession.   Nick and I were a little late in trying find seats  - people put chairs outside their houses and sell you a seat! We bumped into a guy who was "selling"  his seats in the Pilsen Trujillo VIP stand,  he was selling as children were not allowed into the stand (yippee) because alcohol (Pilsen Trujillo Beer) was to be served (double yippee!) he was asking for S.10 (£2.50) per ticket. We happily paid and he then escorted us to the stand and we were admitted as "his friends".  On stand we were obliged to wear Pilsen Trujillo tee shirts and caps, BUT in return we got the best view and a constant supply of free beer and amazing food, all in all making it a wonderful afternoon.  Even if during the middle of it aloud speaker burst into flames causing a minor commotion.

Today,  sadly, maddening-ly, and frustrating-ly a flat I had hoped to rent has fallen through, and so have to shortly buy a copy of La Industria and start searching again, bit of a blow as the flat was within the right part of town and these are few and far between, so have had to widen the net a bit.  Have decided to try for a rather nice area of the city, which is about a 15 minute walk from the Conservatoire and maybe 20 from Arpegio.  The community known as San Andres,  which has the a large hypermarket a one extreme and the up-market supermarket Wong very central, there are also lots of open areas, quiet and well kept.   

I am/we are looking for what is called here a mini-departamiento, which is basically a one or two bedroom flat.  The norm is for three or four bedroom, so these smaller places are at a premium.  The second difficulty is that I need somewhere semi-amublado  (part furnished), I also need internet, cable TV, some form of hot water , an independent entrance and security.

I have managed to save enough money to buy a cooker, fridge/freezer, TV and have sufficient funds for bedding, crockery, kitchen stuff etc.  but the budget will be tight. Although great savings are going to be made by simply cooking at home and not eating out as I do currently two times a day every day!

Nick plans to join me around the end of November, which is going to be just great.  So another criteria is that we need an area of town convenient for Nick to get to work.

After almost three months with Arpegio I am still minus a contract and the promised visa is also stalled because of the lack of a contract, this is now my number one priority and need it to be sorted within the next 4 - 6 weeks.

At the moment I am in the midst of rehearsals for four concerts happening in the next four weeks, two with te Symphony and Two with Arpegio. Now, the most pressing of which is my  Trujillo Symphony Concert next Friday.  Entitled “Sonoridades” the blurb for it reads

Sonorities

300 years of orchestral sounds and textures

British conductor Michael Glenn Mott directs Trujillo  symphony orchestra in an exceptional concert of music spanning from baroque masters Vivaldi and Handel, through the 19^th and 20^th centuries to the ultra contemporary with works by three Peruvian composers..

With works by Handel, Vivaldi, Dvorak, Sibelius and Shostakovich are contrasted with first performances of works by Elizabeth Gil Diaz, Alberto Quispe Cardenas, and Teofilo Alvarez Alvarez this concert aims to show the breadth of musical expression capable as the orchestra developed in range and size over the past 300 years. 

Also featured for the first time in Peru is the charming Cello Concerto in g minor by Monn, played by Francis Alarcon.

All these selected works explore the possibilities of using the orchestra to paint pictures in sound, through, melody, textures and infinitely changing sonorities.

Michael Mott said “This is my third concert with the Trujillo Symphony Orchestra and it is an honour and a pleasure to be invited to lead them in this diverse programme especially as almost all the works are new for the orchestra.  The opportunity to give three first performances in one night is both exciting and challenging.”

It has been a bit frustrating for me as the rehearsals suffer from Peruvian time keeping and in one a two cases a seemingly lackadaisical approach to professionalism.  Somehow they have a got into a bit of a habit of only playing “good enough”  although when I can fire them up they do appreciate working hard and producing better results.  I really want them to achieve the very best, for themselves, for their audience, for me and for the music! On the night they always play better, but I so need that higher standard to apply at the rehearsals so that the concert can be EVEN better!

But I am so lucky in that their resident conductor and my good friend Maestro Alvarez is happy to provide me every opportunity to work with the orchestra and introduce them to new music, new standards and “new ways of doing”. So poco-a-poco (little by little).

At Arpegio things are slowly taking shape, I have made a couple of enemies, deflating egos, and again trying to get the orchestra on an even keel. But you cannot make an omlette without breaking eggs! It will only be in the new year that I shall start to make my presence felt so that by next April and the start of a new Academic Year we will have structures in place…….

So tomorrow is my anniversary of being in Trujillo, and on Tuesday Nick and I go out for dinner to celebrate our relationship’s first year of discovery and growth. 

So it’s been a year of some successes some failures, some frustration, some confusion but I would say that overall I am very happy and content and you can’t ask for more than that.

And now more local news:

Last weekend I was a juror for the IV National Singing Competition and spend three nights listening to 21 participants from all over Peru sing a Peruvian song and then an aria from an oratorio or opera. Great fun but very taxing especially as my fellow juror and I were listening for very different things, despite have a common marking pattern, so we had some very interesting discussions when we retired to consider our verdicts.   

However, in the end, we arrived a some very satisfactory winners and hope that this competition will aid the finalists in their future careers.  The tenors especially all wanting to emulate their fellow countryman Juan Diego Florez.

Yesterday night Nick and I made two impulse purchases for the new flat  (there was a sale on in Wong)and are now the proud owners of a very nice “Ships decanter” and a cocktail shaker. Two slightly frivolous purchases, but items we hope will get much use!  :-)

OK, and now I am off to buy a copy of La Industria and a good study of the flats for rent classified adverts.

More soon.