Internatial SWISS PANFLUTE Seminar

The Panflute students have fun together playing their favorite music in a friendly and familiar atmosphere. Learn from Masters like Damian Luca, Simion Radu, Vasile Iovu or Cornel Pana.

5th International Swiss Panflute Seminar - Anniversary Edition

November 2005 with the master of panflute Vasile IOVU, Dan Herford, the SKYLARK-Ensemble and Michael Dinner

How can someone spend a whole weekend with music? The attendees of the 5th international panflute seminar know the answer to this question. With a few impression of the seminar I would like to share the uniqueness of this wonderful weekend.

The seminar started on a really cold and foggy Friday. The attendees did not feel like making music. Again this year the attendees had very different backgrounds, age, interests and experience. There were some new ones and some veterans ... We were offered 9 group lesson per person with the great masters. To achieve a grouping we were allowed/forced to play some tones. Looking back I must confess that the first tones were of no quality in contrast to the final concert on Sunday only two days later!

Already after the first few tones we saw the gigantic talents of the Romanian virtuosos Vasile Iovu (panflute, "nai") and Vasile Luca ( Zambal). They had the incredible talent to accompany every piece of music at any speed, in every key, of course without sheet music.

After the first sounds of the Zambal we felt like being in Romania and with some wine the evening grew better and better. At some time this evening the members of the Ensemble Skylark from the Netherlands joined us. They grabbed their instruments and showed us their "Rumanian side". The great evening ended with the closing time of the restaurant …

Dan Herford, Vasile Iovu and Vasile Luca

Saturday morning came after a short night and we all met at the school of Hochfelden and the workshops started. Michael Dinner sent sheet music to every attendee a few weeks ago to allow everyone to be prepared for the masters to get out even more from the Romanian virtuosos.
Vasile Iovu shared his tremendous knowledge and competence about the panflute and fully supported the students at any time. Dan Herford extended and optimized our musical languange skills. Dan gave us insights about the panflute language. That's why everyone now understands and speaks fluently the "limba naiul": too-choo-too-hoo-koo? In addition Dan Herford explained with the piece "clarinet muggl", how to split up a complicated looking piece in simpler parts that is easiest to practice. At or better with Vasile Luce we offered the unique opportunity to play pieces an enjoy having ones own "Rumanian orchestra". Vasile was very open minded to all musical styles such as classic, popular or Jazz! Beside of the official lessons it was always possible to play with Vasile Luca who sat most of the time at the ?ambal. Whoever wanted to go for more could always practice on his or her own!

Sunday night there was a concert in the church of Oberglatt with the Ensemble Skylark. The audience was offered a beautiful potpourri of different folk songs of the Balkan. Dan Herford created really impressive arrangements. The Ensemble Skylark wore authentic folk costumestrat (see advertisment) and was also great to hear and see. With a Hungarian piece of music (composed by the Italian Monti ...) Caroline showed how virtuosic folk can be interpreted on the violin. Michael Dinner, accompanied by Kiyomi Higaki played two Romanian pieces and was enchanting the audience.

The climax of the evening was a doina that Vasile Iovu played. He playing moved the audience to tears and was acknowledged by applause. Within Romanian culture joy and agony is closely coupled - that is why after a doina you will often hear a bright piece of dance music. The two "Vasiles"boosted the speed and ended up in the culminant Finale. Vasile Iovu showed his talent to play incredibly fast but all the same precise and accurate!

From time to time Dan Herford replaced his guitar with the panflute and showed the audience that he is also a very talented panflute player. Especially the panflute playing trio Vasile Iovu, Dan Herford and Michael Dinner was great to see on stage!

The master Vasile IOVU

In the audience was by the way Jöri Murk. The pioneer of panflutes in Switzerland borrowed his ?ambal for the concert and the seminar!

After the concert the musicians had a drink in the restaurant nearby. What do you think did Vasile Luca do without his zambal mare (big Zambal)? Of course he unpacked his zambal mic (small Zambal) and started to play with Vasile Iovu a few songs! It is quite unusual in Switzerland to play songs in restaurants in Switzerland but the innkeeper seemed to like it!

Dan Herford, Michael Dinner, Vasile Iovu

Sunday morning again came fast and the lessons started again. At any time the professors were in full activity. Sunday afternoon was dedicated to choir rehearsal. In contrast to last year the rehearsal was very successful although Dan required a lot of discipline during the playing.

Even the more complicated pieces (like the clarinet-muggl) worked fine during the live performance. The spontaneity of Romanian musicians is overwhelming! They tend to exchange chords, tone arrangements change during playing a piece. So it was important to look to maestru Dan in order not to miss the ends of the pieces …

Dinner learns from the Master Iovu

Michael Dinner and Kiyomi Higaki, this time on piano, presented a very fast Sirba that Dan Herford arranged for Michael. The audience liked the piece very much!

The Skylarks played some of their beautiful pieces of their big repertoire and spread a lot of Romanian spirit in the concert hall. Also Vasile Iovu enchanted the audience with some of his greatest hit!

Prior to the definitive ending of the seminar we gathered to a cozy last evening with our Rumanian and Netherlands friends. We were dancing and making a lot of music ...

The 5th international panflute seminar was, like always, much to short! We had some really beautiful and extraordinary days. I would like to explicitly thank to:

" Michael Dinner who organized the 5th seminar. Driven by a strong love for Romanian folk and the panflute he helps panflute enthusiasts every year to spend some great days dedicated to the panflute.
" Dan Herford for his cheerful mind (Esti foarte amabil si simpatic!), his arrangements, his dedication to music, his patience, his hints, his idea to bring along the Skylarks and much more … Multumesc, multumesc!
" Vasile Iovu and Vasile Luca, the Romanians virtuosos, who brought along and shared with us the folk of their home.
" The Skylarks Caroline, Joke, Maria und Adriana, who from the Netherlands just for this weekend
" Clarinet player and interpreter Ninel
" Kiyomi Higaki who is educated in classic music and plays Romanian pieces perfectly well
" Giorgio Hofer, head of the school in Hochfelden and panflute player for the class rooms Hochfelden
" Bernhard Grayer who does not only play the panflute but also knows/learned/used the art of carrying a Zambal ...
" The staff of the Mamma Mia restaurant in Oberglatt to allow the "Vasiles"to start making music in their restaurant spontaneous!
" The restaurant Löwen in Dielsdorf for offering the opportunity to whistle the panflutes till closing time
" The audience that loved the Romanian folk
" The partners that had to spend a weekend on their own ...
" And last but not least the fully motivated attendees of the seminars!

I am already looking forward to the 6th international panflute seminar and to course to meet again with everyone and especially Dan Herford and Michael Dinner!

Pa-pa! (Romanian for "bye bye")

Ciril

Lieber Ciril
Herzlichen Dank für deinen Einsatz und die tollen Worte!

Dan & Michae

 

 

last update 1. November 2008