On October 4, Jane Glover joined CCM members for a rare live chat. This is an edited transcript of that conversation.
John Ryan: Hi, I'm John Ryan from Music of the Baroque. I'll be moderating our chat with our Music Director, Jane Glover. She's joining us from Berkeley where she is working with Philharmonia Baroque and the Mark Morris Dance Group in a production of Purcell's King Arthur. How did this collabaoration on King Arthur come about?
Jane Glover: This is a co-production between English National Opera, MMDG and PBO. I did the production in London this summer, and am doing it now in Berkeley. It's glorious!
Jim Palermo (Grant Park Music Festival): Welcome Maestra! We all kow you as an early music conductor. What big rep do you love doing? What would a dream concert hold for you?
Jane Glover: Well - almost everything! (I don't really do Wagner..) As I think you know, my main loves are Mozart and Britten. And I have a great affection for the big choral stuff too.
Jim Palermo: Can you tell us about the German production you were just in?
Jane Glover: I was just at the Staatsoper in Berlin, doing Cosi fan tutte, in a crazy fun production by Doris Dorrie.
Jim Palermo: What was so crazy?
Jane Glover: It was set in the 1970s, and full of hippie references, with dope-smoking and so on. And the singers were great, and the orchestra out of this world! Perhaps I mean hippy...
Jim Hirsch (Chicago Sinfonietta): What will you be doing this season in Chicago that excites you?
Jane Glover: Well, everything with MOB! I am looking forward to the concerts at the end of this month, though with bittersweetness as our beloved Elliott Golub will retire. And then I am really excited about doing Monteverdi's ULISSE with COT [Chicago Opera Theater], and my great colleague Diane Paulus. I have spent much of the summer working on my new edition of the Monteverdi
Jim Palermo: Getting back to a few lines ago, what big choral rep would you like to do that you haven't already explored?
Jane Glover: I have done most of it actually, but there are a couple of the big Elgars still to come my way. And I have to confess I haven't done Gurrelieder.
Eli Maor: Dear Ms. Glover I was wondering if J.S. Bach or Handel ever used trombones in theirr scoring? I'm not aware of any work by them using trombones, and I was wondering why they shunned it? After all, it was a readily available instrument.
Jane Glover: Hi Eli - are you a trombonist?
Eli Maor: No, I am a mathematician!
Jane Glover: I can't think of any use either. They came into their own (after the Renaissance) in church music in the early 18th century - largely to keep the choir in tune. You will notice in that in Haydn and Mozart masses, the trombones double the choral lines.
Eli Maor: Thanks a lot - I appreciate your patience with my rather narrow question.
Jane Glover: Can anyone else out there think of trombones in Bach or Handel?
Jim Palermo: Weren't they used to conjure religious connotations through the classical era?
Jane Glover: Yes yes yes. See Don Giovanni!
Tony Macaluso: Since joining MOB, have you had any particular surprises in terms of the perception Chicago audiences have of Baroque music? Especially audiences that might be new to the repertoire?
Jane Glover: Hi Tony actually I think our audience has been quite receptive to "new" repertory ideas. But I am very very aware that our core rep is the Baroque (whatever that is...)
ropamod: Fern, I can't believe that you haven't asked Jane about Jane's plans to run!
Jane Glover: I haven't been running yet this morning in California (2 hours behind you) but will sooooon!
Fern: I was going to save us all the embarrassment but here goes Jane, shall I schedule a 5K run on October 29th? A fun Halloween run!
Jane Glover: Fern - hi! Are you serious?
Fern: Of course. I keep up with my running only so I can keep up with you. Let's do it.
Jim Palermo: Count me in. I am a runner, too. I'll buy breakfast afterwards!
Jim Hirsch: Me too, especially if Jim P is buying!
Jane Glover: Fern - isn't 29th the day of the concert But, well, why not! Let's do it! Any other takers?? JOHN????
susan712: haha! how I wish I ran...
Jane Glover: Fern, at this rate you are going to have to get us all matching t-shirts...
Fern: I'll start working on it right now.
DonnaW: this is my first time in this chat; it appears all of you know one another; is the 5K run open to any of us out here?
John Ryan: Donna, definitely, as a matter of fact I'd appreciate some company at the back of the pack!
Fern: I have to leave but I have all your names and I'll be planning the 1029 run. Keep up the training. Jane, can't wait to see you in a few weeks.
Jane Glover: Fern - keep at John! He owes me...
Jim Palermo: I loved the Tippet a few seasons ago and the baroque tie in was cool. Why were people so reactionary?
Jane Glover: Were they reactionary? Maybe I am shielded from the bad reactions.
Jim Palermo: I thought people complained that the Tippet wasn't Baroque....
Jane Glover: I do believe that both audiences and indeed musicians benefit hugely from the juxtaposition of old and new it's an extremely satisfying diet.
Jim Palermo: Jane. shallow question!! Is buying concert black difficult for women conductors?
Jane Glover: Nice question Jim! Actually, I rather enjoy that aspect of retail therapy. And, to be honest, will be heading into San Francisco this morning to do just that!
Rebecca Levy (Grant Park Music Festival): Has MOB performed works by Zelenka?
Jane Glover: Hi Rebecca no Zelenka in my time, I confess. Any particular requests?
John Ryan: Rebecca, I just checked our performance history. It appears we've never performed Zelenka.
Rebecca Levy: I know that I've played one of his masses, but I can't remember exactly which one. He was my favorite baroque composer to play, as a bassoonist.
Jane Glover: I will look again at Zelenka thanks for the suggestion.
Jim Hirsch: I have to leave Jane. Thanks for joining us this morning and participating in this chat. Fun to meet you, virtually.
Jane Glover: Bye Jim. Thanks for being here too.
susan712: I should know this, but I'll ask anyway is the MOB orchestra going to perform on period instruments for King Arthur, or will you get other musicians to play it?
Jane Glover: Hi Susan. We will be using period instruments, and will largely therefore be difefrent players from our regulars, though you will recognise some (like David Schrader, of course).
susan712: Ahh yes. Cool.
Jane Glover: The period players will be those who played our Monteverdi programme two years ago, plus others of course. And the concertmaster will be the great Elizabeth Blumenstock.
susan712: Excellent - thanks for the info.
Ashley G: Ms. Glover, do you feel the early music scene has changed since you first started conducting?
Jane Glover: Hallo Ashley well yes. (I am so old!) The period playing has become absolutely wonderful. In the 70s when I started it was not so great, and got a bad reputation. But there has been so much activity in the last 30 years, and the repertory has been rediscovered, really. And we have all learned so much.
And then of course there has been the rise and rise of the countertenor. When I started there was just James Bowman, really. And now look... Good countertenors are growing on trees. And as a result, Handel operas are now in the rep of every opera house on the planet. Hooray!
And the result of all this period playing is that the modern instruments bands, like us at MOB, have changed our sounds significantly.
Jim Palermo: So true...
Jim Palermo: I think it has also forced "modern" orchestras to learn how to play with much more flexibility and range of expression.
Jane Glover: Same point, yes, Jim! Articulation, texture, line, colour....
Jim Palermo: Also weight of sound, transparency and forward motion
John Ryan: Okay, we've got about 5 minutes left to wrap, any final questions?
Jane Glover: Are you running then, John??
John Ryan: Arrrgh, yes, only if someone will keep me compnay back there!
Jim Palermo: John, we'll tow you along....
Jim Palermo: Jane, any aspirations for the future we should know about? Any more formal associations or lots of guest conducting?
Jane Glover: Jim - lots of guesting. Big aspirations Peter Grimes! And the one Mozart opera I have never done, La Clemenza di Tito.
Jim Palermo: Grimes, Grimes, Grimes.... Love to hear both of those....Brian [Dickie of COT]......????
Jane Glover: Indeed! I have been trying to get BD to do Tito!
Jim Palermo: BRIAN - TITUS, PER FAVORE
Jim Palermo: Thanks, Jane, for a most entertaining session. And to you John for organizing the event.
John Ryan: Thank you Jane. We're looking forward to seeing you in Chicago in just a couple weeks. And thank you to everyone who's participated. Please stop backstage and say hi.
Jane Glover: Bye all. I'm off to train for John's Big Run.
Jim Palermo: Bye, bye....Get those running shoes warmed up.
John Ryan: Forgive the marketing plug, but concerts are at 7:30 on Oct 29th (Evanston) & 30th (Harris Theater). For ticket information, please visit http://www.baroque.org/ or call (312) 551-1414.
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