Today in Calaveras county, the Frogs have stopped jumping….

It was with a great deal of sadness to learn of the passing of Lukas Foss, an icon of 20th century American music.  Whilst as a student in London in the late 80’s I attended the European premiere (it may have been the world premiere) of his Renaissance Concerto with James Galway and the London Symphony, and  in 2003 I actually got to work with him….

For his 80th birthday the Buffalo Philharmonic in 2003 put on a festival of his music which also marked the 40th anniversary of his appointment as Music Director (he left in 1970).  JoAnn Falletta had been his assistant conductor in Milwaukee, and there were still many members of the BPO that he directed, that were still members.  There were a lot of warm feelings, and a lot of challenging concerts!  Soloists who performed included Sharon Isbin, Carol Wincenc, and John Nakamatsu.

For the festival I had the distinct honor of conducting a performance of his brilliant short Opera The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County. It’s an early work but it seemed to hold a special place for him, as he was so animated and in such a great mood during the rehearsals.  Also on the program, his  Salomon Rossi Suite and Lukas himself played and directed the Bach Concerto No.1 in D minor, he was extraordinary.  It was also particularly exciting that the concert was recorded andl broadcast internationally on the NPR show Symphonycast.  Here is a review of the festival

That whole experience is a treasured memory for me but there was one humorous moment I will never forget.  Lukas wasn’t good at remembering names of people he had just met. In the Opera, Bass  Eric Jordan sang the part of the Stranger, which is the leading role.  After a rehearsal Lukas wanted to do some practice on the stage at Kleinhans but all the stagehands had already left, so he needed help with moving the Piano.  Eric obliged and Lukas turned to thank him by name but was struggling to remember it, however instead of giving up, a wry grin appeared on his face  as he said …..thank you… Stranger!

Thank you Lukas

Two little known facts about Lukas Foss:

It was Lukas Foss who on Feb 13 1961 that conducted the world premiere of Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story with the New York Philharmonic.

In an historic event Lukas, the BPO and The Grateful Dead performed together on March 17 1970 at Kleinhans.  This site reports on what must have been an amazing concert complete with Dead members joining in the performance of the Bach F minor Piano concerto!

(I will update when I find and scan the photo I have backstage with Lukas and the cast)