In honor of all who celebrate Rosh Hashanah – the beautiful prayer, the Avinu Malkeinu, translated as “Our Father, Our King” (Richard on Viola, Violin, MIDI)

Very proud of the performance of Richard Strauss‘ Epic ALPINE SYMPHONY at the Mondavi Center by the Auburn Symphony, Conductor Peter Jaffe (I am Concertmaster).

SELECTIONS FROM Eine Alpensinfonie (An Alpine Symphony) featuring violin solos from Concertmaster Richard Altenbach – FROM “Eintritt in den Wald” THRU “auf blumige Wiesen”:

Here are some YouTube videos of the concert performance (highlights):
Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Wiederschauen !!!

Congratulations, Leaf!

Paint Me in the Opera House, a stylish, dark and atmospheric horror short, has received many accolades and has screened at the venerable Aero Theatre in Santa Monica!  Richard scored the film.

Written & Directed by Leaf Lieber.

OFFICIAL SELECTION LIFT-OFF NEW YORK ONLINE FILM FESTIVAL 2018
WINNER BEST OF FEST SCREEN FILM FESTIVAL 2018
WINNER BEST DIRECTOR SCREEN FILM FESTIVAL 2018
WINNER BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT SEVEN HILLS FILM FEST 2017
WINNER BEST PRODUCING MOONDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2017

Click here to hear cues scored by Richard for the film. Reminds me of Poe’s quietly shrieking horror story, the Oval Portrait. (Could be described as Black Swan meets Psycho!)

Richard teaches violin to intermediate and advanced students, as well as offers coaching to chamber ensembles.  

Having experienced 6-hour studio sessions followed by evening rehearsals/performances daily for many years, Richard has had to manage practicing and playing efficiently, safely and effectively. He has great empathy for players who have suffered through physical issues such as tendonitis and stress due to their avid, passionate love of music and desire to strive towards technical and musical excellence (Been there!).

Richard believes in approaching the instrument in the most natural, comfortable and logically intelligent manner possible.  Physics & Psychology are the two “(silent) P” -word concepts at the key to good playing.  He likens his philosophy to the principles espoused in W. Timothy Gallwey’s great book, the Inner Game of Tennis, emphasizing preference of balance, leverage and gravity over the use of force and pressure.

Richard is known for imparting his ideas on “balance & leverage” vs. “force” in a calm and patient manner.  He is deeply passionate about music, and has a talent for conveying concepts and facts in a compelling, convincing way.  A good sense of humor is another main quality he has found invaluable to the task; stay tuned for “Hickey-free” Blogs

My son Bren, age 10, sings On Your Way Home in this studio recording of the most beautiful song in the musical. He is performing as “James”, the Lead in Sierra Stages production of “James & the Giant Peach” July – August 2018 at the venerable Nevada Theater in Nevada City, CA.

https://soundcloud.com/richard-altenbach/on-your-way-home-from-james-the-giant-peach-bren-altenbach-vox-ken-getz-piano

His mom, Dawn, sings the part of “Ladybug” and also has a heart-rending song. I am very proud of them…

I’m in the (peach) pit scraping away on the violin!

I’ve been thinking about Easter, and thinking is dangerous…

Reflections on Easter… “THE 3 DAYS” – Good Friday through Easter (“Father… Why Hast Thou?” – “is novus dies” [“This New Day”]

Music composed and performed by Richard Altenbach, ASCAP ©2018

I am so glad you asked.  I frankly think it is a fitting question for Bachiosaurus Studios.

Firstly, may I mention that the beautiful artwork to this Blog is from Kasia Severaid, artist extraordinaire.  The featured abstract image reminds me of a pterodactyl in flight (although I happen to know it is meant to represent something quite different!).  She has graciously allowed me to utilize some of her artwork as part of the design scheme for my website.

So, the other night, my wife and I decided our young son was ready to see the the movie, Jurassic World.  He loved it, of course, and since then he has been watching the YouTube video I made of a song I composed & performed, Chicxulub – Dinosaur Musings on the Meaning of Life OR Trouble at the K/T Boundary!  It is a family video game adventure THEME.  My son said it should get about a million likes, so what are you waiting for?!  Here’s the video link:

On Mothers’ Day 2017, Concertmaster Richard Altenbach and the Auburn Symphony presented Richard Strauss‘s monumental An Alpine Symphony at the Mondavi Center, Davis CA, one of Northern California’s greatest concert halls.  I use the term “monumental” quite intentionally.  The term in the obvious sense well connotes the shear scale of technical difficulty as well as the gigantic instrumental forces required (125-piece orchestra including heckelphone, organ, wind-machine and a “Samuel’s Aerophon” – some kind of monstrous perpetual pre-circular breathing flute!)  The “-mental” in the adjective “monumental” could also apply to the fact that Strauss had originally entitled the opus “Der Antichrist “.  But that discussion is for another BlogSpot…

When young, Strauss had experienced an Alpine adventure similar to the one described in his An Alpine Symphony: he and a group of climbers lost their way heading up a mountain and were caught in a storm and soaked on the way down.

Solos for the Concertmaster are alternately gratifyingly beautiful and downright horrifying…

Ok, any publicity is GOOD publicity, right?

So, that photo of me conducting a Hollywood Studio Orchestra in the recording of my movie cue In the Winners’ Circle is from 20th Century Fox’s Newman Scoring Stage – Endre Granat, Concertmaster; the inimitable Armin Steiner Engineer/Mixer (and one-time violin protégé of Jascha Heifetz!)

From the local Sacramento’s Fox40 Community Calendar:

Community Calendar

First violinist Richard Altenbach also is concertmaster for InConcert Sierra, in Grass Valley. He calls Strauss’ pinnacle work “cinematic… a herculean effort” that ranges from musically depicting “shards of light coming out into the valley at dawn” to the “disciplined chaos” of dissonant chords evoking the anxiety of being lost in the brush.

From the Grass Valley The Union Newspaper:

Alpine musical performance set with assist from performer with Grass Valley ties