Word: flaksman
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Among the Kirkland House musicians playing at the convocation was cellist Michael A. Flaksman '66, who snapped a string on his first note. Master Taylor commented in expressing his final thanks: "If I were a cello, all my strings would be broken...
...extremely predictable music hardly demands enough of the soloist for virtuoso display. Flaksman won the concerto auditions playing the Saint-Saens concerto, which is at least pretty, flashy, and, according to cellists, a good piece of cello writing. Why diddle around with warmed-over Vivaldi...
...Flaksman also played Faure's Elegie Op. 24, the structure of which is as follows: theme, theme, episode, theme, episode, theme (the last time with one note altered). It is a pity Faure does no more than repeat a nice tune a few times...
...Flaksman's performance suggested a Jaguar sports car confined to Boston traffic: though it was obvious that he was good, it was hard to tell what he could do, because of what he had to play. Conforming with the Romantic arrangement of the Vivaldi, he obviously tried for as rich an effect as possible; he used heavy vibrato and full bows. Yet, curiously, he played a lot of notes on the open strings without any false vibrato an octave above or below. He made no attempt to shape whole phrases. His tone had a thin, strained sound...
...that Flaksman has been introduced to Harvard, he, Tison Street and Ursala Oppens ought to give some trio recitals to let us see what kind of musician he really...