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.