This year’s Gergiev Festival on 10 to 12 September in Rotterdam was made all the more interesting by the inclusion of a performance of Rachmaninov’s 2nd Symphony played by students from Codarts Rotterdam and KC Den Haag and conducted by Valery Gergiev himself. This was another vintage collaboration between the two conservatoires which produced a most impressive reading of the symphony. There were some beautiful wind and brass solos but perhaps the stars of the show were the first violins who brought such intensity to the work. The festival was given over almost entirely to works of Rachmaninov with fine playing from the Rotterdam Philharmonic in the 3rd Symphony and Paganini Variations (soloist, Behzod Abduraimov) and from the Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre in the 1st Symphony and Symphonic Dances. The RPhO finished with amazing performances of the four piano concerti with Alexei Volodin (No 1), Dmitry Masleev (No 2), Alexander Gavrylyuk (No 3) and Sergei Babayan (No 4) – a true feast. Thanks go to Valery Gergiev for including the students in this amazing festival.

After a hectic June with concerts to play (including a most enjoyable return to the Adrian Boult Hall on 13 June for chamber music with Naoko Senda, Robin Ireland, Jane Salmon and Guy Murgatroyd), exams and end-of-term activities at Codarts Rotterdam, we came to a close today with the Graduation Ceremony for Classical Music. It was a great year and some wonderful musicians have graduated including Ineke Hellingman who played a wonderful Rachmaninov First Piano Concerto this week, Kristie Su whose violin playing goes from strength to strength, violinist Hayato Ishibashi completing his masters and playing with great authority, Kathelijne Wagner who will go to her first opera appointment in Germany, outstanding composer Meriç Artaç, percussionists Renato Dias Peneda, Antonio Gutiérrez Rubio and Yves Popov, bass clarinetist Mayuko Takeda, choral conductor Maarten van der Bijl, organist Anna Karpenko, violinist Titia Bouwman and many more.

This moment brings me to the end of an era that began when I was asked to lead the Classical Music Academy in Codarts Rotterdam in January 2011. Always intended as an interim appointment, I am delighted to be handing over to Okke Westdorp on 1 September. Okke is a former principal horn of the Hague Philharmonic and brings much experience and energy to the job. I will work with Okke through the autumn to ensure a smooth handover and will continue to do some projects for Codarts. With a Rachmaninov 2nd Symphony being played in a collaborative performance with KC Den Hague with Valery Gergiev conducting on 11 September and with the Fifty Fiddles Festival co-promoted by Codarts and de Doelen under the direction of violinist, Tim Kliphuis on 26 and 27 September, there will be plenty to do in the autumn.

For now, Jane and I will be heading for Santa Fe at the end of July for the Kammermusik Workshops and another chance to play some great chamber music in a beautiful place.

I spent a most pleasurable 90 minutes last night in the small recital hall at Codarts Rotterdam listening to seven young flute players in the class of Juliette Hurel, Julie Moulin and Wim Steinmann all playing piccolo solos. The small audience of flute players, friends and partners of flute players and family of flute players witnessed a remarkable show. In turn, André Portela, Constance Sannier, Federico Dalprá, Bénédicte Zeitoun, Maxime Naël, Violeta Gil García and Wendy Vo Cong Tri with accompanists Annette Rogers, piano and Constance sannier, harpsichord,  performed their solos by Bach, Telemann, Dorff, Rachmaninov, John Cox and Kohler with poised musicianship, most from memory and well-founded techniques. The piccolo sang and dazzled in equal proportion and the time flew by.

The teaching of Rotterdam Philharmonic piccolo player, Wim Steinmann, is surely to commended here but I also thought that to have a flute class that nurtures the related instrument in such a way is rare. Juliette Hurel and Julie Moulin were both there to support this event. This is a class to be proud of!

Wim Steinmann, flautist, piccolo player and conductor

March has begun with some really interesting chamber music in Rotterdam in the form of a visit to Codarts by the Schubert Ensemble of London on Monday 2nd and a concert by the Rotterdam Chamber Music Society in the Bergsingelkerk on Wednsday 4th. Both concerts featured experienced professionals playing with talented students in very engaging performances.

The Schubert Ensemble’s planned concert on Monday changed radically through mishap after Simon Blendis’ unfortunate broken arm on Sunday (all best wishes to him for a speedy recovery). Consequently some hours of rapid rethinking resulted in a lunchtime concert in which the Schubert Ensemble (Douglas Paterson, Jane Salmon, Peter Buckoke and William Howard) were joined by violinist Hayato Ishibashi, Master student of Igor and Vesna Gruppman, in performances of movements from the Hummel Quintet Op 87 and Schubert’s Trout. After a fine Chopin Scherzo No 2 from William Howard played at barely any notice, Hayato’s own Codarts Virtuoso Trio with Eva Otero (cello) and Justyna Jarzab (piano) played the first movement of Brahms’ B major trio. This was an inspiring concert for everyone followed by an afternoon of masterclasses and student ensemble play-throughs.

The Rotterdam Chamber Music Society followed the same principle of combining experience with youth. A double wind quintet led by Julien Hervé (clarinet), Karel Schoofs (oboe) and Martin van de Merwe (horn), all from the Rotterdam Philharmonic played with excellent students from Codarts Rotterdam, KC Den Haag and the Paris Conservatoire in a really impressive account of works by Florent Schmitt, Malcolm Forsyth and Mozart. Julien Hervé and Clément Bonnay (bassoon) began the concert with a brilliant rendition of the Poulenc Duo.

The interesting point here is that teaching does a very great deal but there is also a case for learning by osmosis from role models. What better way to develop than just simply to play with outstanding and experienced players? We should do this more often…….

Chamber Music activity will continue with the Grote Kamermuziekprijs at 20.15 on 17 March in the Juriaanse Zaal of De Doelen, Rotterdam. Run in partnership with KC Den Haag and sponsored by the Vrienden van Codarts, the final will feature ensembles from both conservatoires in what promises to be a very exciting evening. The finalists comprise the Lip Stick Marimba Duo,  Babylon Quartet and Les Cinq Wind Quintet.