Hands Off Report

Congratulations to Gordon, JD, and everyone for Hands Off 2007. What a tremendous event!
[i]-- Kevin[/i]

So what pieces/titles did everybody play in the Concert?

With such a line up, it must have been incredibly diverse!
Did you have a program listing them you can paste in here?

Thanks again everyone for helping the rest of us live vicariously through your reports. I'll be envious-green for the rest of the Summer at least.

Gordon, Maya and JD I cannot put into words the enjoyment of meeting so many like minded people.The chance to play and learn from the very best in the world.and making new friends.
As for you Gordon with Two theremins !! the best bit of the weekend. What goes round comes round,may it come to you in droves.....Terry

I'm going to admit to my dirty secret now - I'm a Theremin newbie.

After many years of trying to break into the Theremin scene (I wanted to design my own from scratch, but never got a round tuit), I ordered and built a Theremax kit.

Part-way through the construction, I happened to do a random google search for Theremin, and came across details of Hands Off 2007. I emailed Gordon to say "I don't even know if I'll have an instrument in time", but he reassured me and told me I would be welcome.

Some welcome! I have never met such a wonderful, friendly, funny, interesting and *genuine* group of people in my life.

In the days leading up to the event, I started to get a little nervous, as I do. The Theramax was finally complete, but there were, I felt, some issues - a little hetrodyning noise up-top, maybe it sounded a little "clicky" at the bottom-end. I'd packaged it in a small briefcase, which fitted inside another briefcase, which fitted... you get the Russian doll idea. I had had precious little practice, and could play nothing.

I knew there would be people there with E-pro's. What would they think of my effort?

I have a photo of Carolina Eyck playing my set of briefcases, and she is smiling! People commented on the nice sound, they were interested in the kit, they were interested in what I had done with it.

Some welcome!

The talks, the workshops, the concert were fantastic, the atmosphere electric (literally!)

Hands Off 2007 was a truly magical event. Everyone, and I mean everyone and include the world's top Thereminnists in that, was immediately friends. There is definitely something special about the Theremin and the people whom it attracts.

I only wish I had the energy to survive the Survivors party!

I know Gordon is of the opinion that there should not be another Hands Off until 2 years time, and I cannot fault him for that, given the mammoth effort which must have gone into the organisation of the event - but if there was another Hands Off next week it could not come quickly enough for me!

Well done Gordon, Maya, J_D and everyone!



Stuart.

The survivors party was hillarious. I'd never have thought two years ago that I'd end up doing so-called 'insect-dancing' with Carolina Eyck and Barbara Buchholz. It was so silly. Mind you, I don't imagine I'd have done it without having been so heavily deprived of relaxation time. Adrenaline does mad things to you.

[i]So what pieces/titles did everybody play in the Concert?[/i]

I'm still waiting to hear from the various performers what they played, but this is what I recall and have had replies for so far.

Jon Bernhardt
. . . I Wanna Be Sedated - The Ramones
. . . Blitzkrieg Bop - The Ramones
. . . Video Killed The Radio Star - The Buggles
. . . Should I Stay Or Should I Go? - The Clash

Wilco Botermans
. . . Percy - Botermans

Beatrix Ward Fernandez Trio
. . . Suite:
. . . . . . . Theremin in Trio
. . . . . . . Theremin and Waterphone
. . . . . . . Trio Improvisation
. . . . . . . Sixteen
. . . Hullabaloo - all Ward-Fernandez/Saw/Collins

Spacedog UK (Sarah Angliss)
. . . (a piece I do not recall the name of)
. . . I Feel Love - Donna Summer

Chris Conway
. . . Out of the Grass - improvisation
. . . What Might've Happened - improvisation

Bruce Woolley and the Radio Science Quartet
. . . Doctor Who Theme - Grainger
. . . Over The Rainbow - Arlen/Harburg

Lydia Kavina, Barbara Buchholz, Carolina Eyck, Charlie Draper
. . . Melody - Schillinger
. . . Improvisation - Achron

Lydia Kavina
. . . The Swan - Sean-Saens
. . . Vocalise - Rachmaninoff

Lydia Kavina, Barbara Buchholz, Carolina Eyck, Charlie Draper
. . . Silence - Haden

Barbara Buchholz
. . . Lonely Woman - Coleman
. . . Moonstruck - arr. Buchholz (based on The Ballad Of The Sad Young Men - Wolf)

Carolina Eyck, Charlie Draper
. . . Stabat Mater - Todi

Lydia Kavina, Barbara Buchholz, Carolina Eyck, Charlie Draper
. . . Russian Bells - Rostovskaya
. . . Landscape - Lydia Kavina

Carolina Eyck, Charlie Draper
. . . The Surprise - Eyck/Draper - medley, consisting of:
. . . . . . . The Swan - Saint-Saens
. . . . . . . Vocalise - Rachmaninoff
. . . . . . . Over the Rainbow - Arlen/Harburg
. . . . . . . The Spellbound Concerto - Rosza
. . . . . . . Smoke Gets in Your Eyes - Kern/Harbach
. . . . . . . Good Vibrations - Wilson/Love
. . . . . . . Theme from Star Trek - Courage

UK League Of Thereminists
. . . Veil Nebula - Charlton arr. u-lot
. . . T T Races - u-lot
. . . Frère Jacques - trad. arr. u-lot
. . . Prelock - u-lot
. . . Bushey By Night u-lot
. . . The Plummeting Man - Charlton arr. u-lot

[b]Please offer any corrections and additions if you are aware of any errors or omissions.[/b]

Jon also played a Blondie number (which one?) and, of course, "Video killed the radio star".

I can't really add anything much more except to echo the praise for Gordon and Maya, as well as thanking all those generous souls who brought extra cables, theremins and amps so that travellers and beginners without theremins could join in.

I missed out on some of the more sociable aspects due to sound checks and practices, which meant that I didn't get to chat with everyone, but on the other hand, I did get to work with Lydia et al, which was a pretty splendid silver lining to an insignificant cloud!

Phil, thank you for that - I'll update the list as we go along.

No Blondie. Here's what I played:

The Ramones - "I Wanna Be Sedated" & "Blitzkrieg Bop"
The Buggles - "Video Killed the Radio Star"
The Clash - "Should I Stay or Should I Go?"

I've got 120 photos almost ready on flickr. I'll be posting a link shortly...