Odin Rathnam

Visit www.westbranchresort.com for press release and more information.

 Featuring Mendelsohn Octet and Sweet Remembrance on 9/13/09, and more…

Featuring Prokofiev Sonata for two violins with Romulo Benevides 9/20, and much more…

I love to flyfish!  In fact, the passion borders on a sickness.  When I’m not practicing feverishly for the next upcoming date, I’m either fishing or thinking about fishing.  I suppose there could be worse vices, although my wife may not agree!

 Over the years, I’ve cultivated a close friendship with the Batschelet family, who own and run the West Branch Resort (www.westbranchresort.com) near Deposit, NY.  A few years back, I started to give impromptu performances for some of the guests up there.  The response was overwhelming and Matt Batschelet and I began discussing the possibility of formal concerts and a music school at the resort.  This September’s festival is a result of months and months of planning and a considerable investment on both of our parts. 

Joining us for this year’s inaugural concerts are colleagues of mine from around the world, including America, South America, and Israel.  The theme for this year’s concerts honors the bicentennial of the birth of Mendelssohn, although there are some other works included for variety’s sake. 

But the real thing that sets this festival apart is the ambiance of one of the most beautiful parts of the Catskill Mountains and the one-of-a-kind accomodations, food, and wine that the resort offers.  Weekend packages include lodgings, the concert, heavy hors d’oevres and wine tasting as well as the option of adding guided flyfishing or sporting clays to your weekend.  What a way to stretch out summer for two more weekends! The prices are so low, you’d normally have to spend more for the rooms alone.  If you only want to go to the concert, heavy hors d’oevres and wine tasting, the price is $40 per person.  Reservations are required for the concert and for weekend packages.  Relaxation guaranteed!

The musicians are world-class, the wines are from legendary Finger Lakes vintner, Constantine Frank and the excellent food, courtesy of Executive Chef John Cox.  All that’s missing is you.

Dear Friends,

 It’s been months and months since I have been able to find time to write an update to this blog.  Between editing and producing the Four Seasons disc (more about that later) and 13 solo appearances since the beginning of May, this has been one of the busiest summers to date.  May started with four performances of Carmen Fantasy with Stuart Malina and the Harrisburg Symphony, as well as two performances of Beethoven’s Romance in F.  As always, Stuart was an incredible partner, anticipating rather than following.  The newly aquired Nicolaus Andreas Bartle violin from the 1730’s aquitted itself well in the Carmen, better in the Beethoven and best of all in a movement in solo Bach I performed as an encore.  When I returned a little over a month later to play Carmen five more times with the Symphony, I decided to use the Calvarola.  I think I like it more for romantic repertoire as the fiddle can take a much more powerful approach to playing. 

 Kimberly and I had a much needed vacation for a week in July.  We went to an all-inclusive resort in the Bahamas, something neither of us have ever done before.  What a restful, peaceful week!  After we returned, I had 10 days to re-learn Chausson Concerto for Violin, Piano, and String Quartet.  The Frye Street Quartet and Michael Sheppard are dear friends and it was a pleasure to tackle the work with them again.  Market Square’s summer concerts have become a regular calendar event for me, which I look forward to everytime.  I highly recommend supporting all of Market Square Concerts events, with your attendance.  A few days later, I was off to Wellsboro for the Endless Mountain Music Festival, collaborating as guest soloist with my dear friend and gifted conductor Stephen Gunzenhauser.  This year, we performed Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole and a Concerto Grosso by Peter Breiner based, if you can believe it, on Beatles tunes.  Then followed a week of sitting concertmaster for the Festival orchestra.  The highlight for me was the last performance of Brahms 1st Symphony in which Stephen gave a highly charged and personal interpretation.

I can’t wait to work with Stuart and the HSO again this season, which marks Stuart’s 10th anniversary as Music Director.  Since many of you have asked, this is my 19th season as concertmaster of this wonderful orchestra.  What tremendous artistic growth has happened over those years……