I’m putting the final touches on this week’s Contrabass Conversations interview episode with Robert Meyer.  I’ve been an avid follower of Robert’s blog Musical Reminiscences since he launched it in late 2006, and I was thrilled that he was interested in doing an interview for the podcast!

At age 87, Robert looks back on a life filled with musical riches, yet he remains active on the double bass and in his musical pursuits, recently completing both an album and a book. 

About Robert Meyer

Robert has had a long and illustrious career on the double bass, working for over 50 years in most of the major orchestras in London (including the London Symphony, London Philharmonic, and BBC Symphony), as Principal Bass of the Vancouver Symphony, and has taught at the Universities of British Columbia and Victoria. He has also worked under conductors such as Furtwangler, de Sabata, von Karajan, Klemperer, Giulini, Bruno Walter, Koussevitsky, Stokowski, Rhozdesdensvky, Stravinsky, and Khatchaturian, and he was close friends with Benjamin Britten, having actually premiered several of Britten’s chamber operas.

Robert’s Reminiscences on Past Musical Luminaries

Over the years, Robert has worked closely with a wide variety of classical music household names, and he shares his experiences and recollections of these musical figures in his blog.  I have whiled away many enjoyable hours reading Robert’s stories–he has written about Stokowski, Oistrakh, Heifetz, Klemperer… the list goes on and on.  Check out his blog sidebar for more information–I’m sure you’ll be captivated just like me.

Here are a few stories and recollections from Robert that I particularly enjoy:

You can also view several videos of Robert sharing his stories and experiences on YouTube here.

Blogging is a Powerful Tool for Sharing

I can’t help but be struck by how effectively Robert has harnessed Web 2.0 tools like blogging and video sharing to share his experiences.  It is really amazing how these tools allow us all to learn from one other and share our own personal experiences to…well, to the entire world!  By being able to write something, film something, or record something and then *POOF* allow the whole world to have access to it, we get immediate feedback and the knowledge that people really are listening to our story.

I feel the power of this medium all the time, and if a bum like me feels empowered by it, imagine what it does for Robert and his wealth of experience!  This medium is perfect for Robert’s reminiscences, and I really look forward to putting out this episode over the weekend.

Stay tuned, and in the meantime be sure to check out Robert at his blog Musical Reminiscences.

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