On Saturday my orchestra performed its Spring Concert. I think it went reasonably well. We were playing in a lovely local church. It is quite small but very beautiful (and incidentally our local ABRSM music exam centre). I think the orchestra took up as much room as the audience but we had a reasonable number of attendees - there were very few empty seats.
Our programme was:
Rossini - The Thieving Magpie. This went better than I expected and I was very glad to get it out of the way first. Stamina and speed wise this was the most challenging piece of the evening for me. I am quite glad not to have to play this again.
Warlock - Capriol Suite. I quite liked this in the end, even with all the strange discords in it. It was fun to play.
Bizet - L'Arlessienne Suite. Possibly the most well known of the pieces we were playing. It always reminds me of my school orchestra, but it is not actually as easy as that may suggest. I think we got through it in tact though. Though the afternoon rehearsal was, in truth, much better than the performance.
INTERVAL
Schumann - Symphony no 1. I grew to actually quite like this - especially the first movement. We seemed to have settled down a little more in the second half and, I think, played much better. This was definitely the best we had ever played this piece. So it was a triumphant way to finish the programme. A couple of people said they thought it was the most difficult symphony we had ever played. I am not sure whether that is true or not. It is hard for me to judge when my playing and orchestral skills are improving. I found everything we played much more difficult a couple of years ago. But there were some tricky moments in this one - especially around tempo and time signature changes - some of these we got right for the first and only time on the night!
It was an enjoyable evening, my reed worked, I managed to get through the programme without my lip going and overall I was pleased with how I played.
But most of all I am REALLY looking forward to some new music at tomorrow's rehearsal!
Showing posts with label concert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label concert. Show all posts
Monday, 18 March 2013
Thursday, 24 January 2013
Russian music on a snowy night
A little belated report on the Shostakovich 4 concert.
The weather was not good. Snow came down late Friday afternoon leading to the usual chaos (snow? in Winter? Who would have thought it!). So it was a reduced orchestra that met that evening at the Town Hall. We had a good rehearsal though, worked through some of the tricky bits and it was great to hear the added harp, percussion and celeste.
On Saturday afternoon there was a better turn out and we had pretty much everybody there for a full run through of the piece. It felt more secure than the previous Sunday and it was great having all the parts present.
The concert itself was on Saturday evening. Sadly due to the weather the audience was much smaller than was expected but we still had about 150 people there so not too disastrous. I sat with Oboe 4 in the balcony for the first half and watched the UK premier of a Russian piece. It had some interesting percussion sounds and included whistling by the strings, key slaps from woodwind and blowing through the instrument (without sounding a note) by the brass. Not really sure it is something that I would choose to listen to but it was very evocative and atmospheric. The first half also included Britten's Sea Interludes which were much more my cup of tea and absolutely wonderful.
The Shostakovich was in the second half. I slightly messed up one of my more exposed entries which was very frustrating, but I also managed to get one of them absolutely spot on - which I'd never managed in rehearsal. Overall I think it was the best that I'd played my part and the most confident I'd been in counting the bars I wasn't playing and knowing exactly where to come in. The run through in the afternoon had definitely helped. It is quite a mammoth piece and there was some stunning playing from the orchestra as a whole - especially the principal wind players who had some fiendish solos. The percussion really lifted the whole piece and there were sections which were really quite sublime and spell binding. I loved the percussive, almost jazzy, end to movement 2. The brass chords with timps at the climax of movement 3 were also quite spine tingly!
I think this was the most challenging orchestral piece I've ever had to play, but I enjoy challenges and I feel privelegd to have the opportunity to tackle this one.
The weather was not good. Snow came down late Friday afternoon leading to the usual chaos (snow? in Winter? Who would have thought it!). So it was a reduced orchestra that met that evening at the Town Hall. We had a good rehearsal though, worked through some of the tricky bits and it was great to hear the added harp, percussion and celeste.
On Saturday afternoon there was a better turn out and we had pretty much everybody there for a full run through of the piece. It felt more secure than the previous Sunday and it was great having all the parts present.
The concert itself was on Saturday evening. Sadly due to the weather the audience was much smaller than was expected but we still had about 150 people there so not too disastrous. I sat with Oboe 4 in the balcony for the first half and watched the UK premier of a Russian piece. It had some interesting percussion sounds and included whistling by the strings, key slaps from woodwind and blowing through the instrument (without sounding a note) by the brass. Not really sure it is something that I would choose to listen to but it was very evocative and atmospheric. The first half also included Britten's Sea Interludes which were much more my cup of tea and absolutely wonderful.
The Shostakovich was in the second half. I slightly messed up one of my more exposed entries which was very frustrating, but I also managed to get one of them absolutely spot on - which I'd never managed in rehearsal. Overall I think it was the best that I'd played my part and the most confident I'd been in counting the bars I wasn't playing and knowing exactly where to come in. The run through in the afternoon had definitely helped. It is quite a mammoth piece and there was some stunning playing from the orchestra as a whole - especially the principal wind players who had some fiendish solos. The percussion really lifted the whole piece and there were sections which were really quite sublime and spell binding. I loved the percussive, almost jazzy, end to movement 2. The brass chords with timps at the climax of movement 3 were also quite spine tingly!
I think this was the most challenging orchestral piece I've ever had to play, but I enjoy challenges and I feel privelegd to have the opportunity to tackle this one.
Monday, 14 January 2013
What a difference a day makes....
I spent a good proportion of yesterday in rehearsal for Shostokovich Symphony 4 in preparation for a concert next Saturday. This local orchestra seem to be gaining a reputation for crazy programming and tend to go for pieces that most amateur orchestras shy away from, for example, The Rite of Spring and Mahler 3 which I played in last year.
I went to my first rehearsal on this before Christmas and came out a bit shell shocked. It was the first time I'd seen the music, the normal conductor wasn't there and they seemed to focus on all the most difficult bits. I was struggling with both counting the bars rests and playing the notes. It all sounded like noise rather than music. Fortunately over the holidays I had chance to listen to the piece and could do some practice on the notes.
Yesterday's rehearsal was significantly better. The sectional rehearsal in the morning helped me see how my part fitted with the other oboes and reassured me that there were large parts of it that I can play - fortunately. The main conductor took the wind sectional and we were lead by a recent post graduate who looked about 12 but is probably in his late twenties. He was very knowledgable, very clear, very detailed and most importantly very encouraging. His enthusiasm for the music was very contagious and it was helpful to hear what different parts of the music represented - the alarm calls, the Russian factories, the references to film music and fair ground pastiche. It was an incredibly useful and helpful rehearsal.
The afternoon was the whole orchestra together and after a look at some corners we made our first attempt at playing the whole thing through without stopping. We managed it - which is encouraging - and some of it even sounded quite good. I found it really useful to see my parts in context and to develop an overview of what I need to work on.
From my perspective:
Most of the time I am playing at the same time as the other oboists which is a nice safe place to be.
There are 2 or 3 bars when I am on my own and need to hold the note when the other oboes have finished. It is good to have identified those parts and be prepared for them. None of them are difficult but I need to hold my nerve and not panic when the others drop out!
There is a lot of counting to do - whole pages of rests with one or two short entries in the middle. But I've marked in some sign posts now so I don't need to count them all. So I am fairly confident about not coming in at the wrong time.
There are some sections that I am really struggling to play but most of those are in very loud tutti sections so will be lost within the noise. I will look at those but I am not overly concerned about them.
There are some more exposed woodwind bits which I need to make sure I can play well. My practice this week will make sure they are absolutely right.
Before the rehearsal I was quite worried that I wouldn't be able to do this at all, but it now feels manageable. It's amazing what can be achieved in just one day of focussed work. But I'm still not sure whether I like it or not though!
We have another rehearsal on Friday with a final run through on Saturday afternoon before the concert on Saturday night.
I went to my first rehearsal on this before Christmas and came out a bit shell shocked. It was the first time I'd seen the music, the normal conductor wasn't there and they seemed to focus on all the most difficult bits. I was struggling with both counting the bars rests and playing the notes. It all sounded like noise rather than music. Fortunately over the holidays I had chance to listen to the piece and could do some practice on the notes.
Yesterday's rehearsal was significantly better. The sectional rehearsal in the morning helped me see how my part fitted with the other oboes and reassured me that there were large parts of it that I can play - fortunately. The main conductor took the wind sectional and we were lead by a recent post graduate who looked about 12 but is probably in his late twenties. He was very knowledgable, very clear, very detailed and most importantly very encouraging. His enthusiasm for the music was very contagious and it was helpful to hear what different parts of the music represented - the alarm calls, the Russian factories, the references to film music and fair ground pastiche. It was an incredibly useful and helpful rehearsal.
The afternoon was the whole orchestra together and after a look at some corners we made our first attempt at playing the whole thing through without stopping. We managed it - which is encouraging - and some of it even sounded quite good. I found it really useful to see my parts in context and to develop an overview of what I need to work on.
From my perspective:
Most of the time I am playing at the same time as the other oboists which is a nice safe place to be.
There are 2 or 3 bars when I am on my own and need to hold the note when the other oboes have finished. It is good to have identified those parts and be prepared for them. None of them are difficult but I need to hold my nerve and not panic when the others drop out!
There is a lot of counting to do - whole pages of rests with one or two short entries in the middle. But I've marked in some sign posts now so I don't need to count them all. So I am fairly confident about not coming in at the wrong time.
There are some sections that I am really struggling to play but most of those are in very loud tutti sections so will be lost within the noise. I will look at those but I am not overly concerned about them.
There are some more exposed woodwind bits which I need to make sure I can play well. My practice this week will make sure they are absolutely right.
Before the rehearsal I was quite worried that I wouldn't be able to do this at all, but it now feels manageable. It's amazing what can be achieved in just one day of focussed work. But I'm still not sure whether I like it or not though!
We have another rehearsal on Friday with a final run through on Saturday afternoon before the concert on Saturday night.
Sunday, 11 November 2012
Winter Concert
Yesterday was day one of a very Double Reedy Weekend as it was Orchestra Concert Day. We only do 3 main concerts a year so it is quite a big deal which takes up the whole day as there is a final rehearsal in the afternoon before the final performance in the evening.
As I've probably mentioned before we are an unauditioned, "all comers welcome", amateur community orchestra with a wide range of playing ability. So it is a challenge to bring it all together to make it sound good on the night. I think the standard of the orchestra as a whole has improved even in the 3 years I've been involved and every programme feels like "the hardest we've done yet". There was some very tricky woodwind sections in this one - especially for the flutes in the Vltava and for everybody in the Debussy. But I think we pulled it off again (flutes did brilliantly). I was rather worried on Tuesday as it was sounding quite ropey in places, but some determined practising seemed to have gone in over the last 3 days and it sounded rather good last night. I was very proud of how we played and feel lucky to have the opportunity to be part of it. There really is nothing like playing music with other people.
I absolutely loved this programme, there is usually at least one piece per concert that I've felt ambivalent about, but this time I wouldn't have dropped anything. I had some really lovely oboe bits to play, and I absolutely loved having the opportunity to play the Unfinished Symphony which is an amazing piece of music. Special mention must go to our cellists who played spine tinglingly well in the opening. Just beautiful.
Oh and I also won a box of chocolates in the raffle!
I actually feel quite sad that we are leaving these pieces behind and moving on to the next programme (yet to be announced)
Today I am off to a double reed day at the RNCM. More on that later in the week.
Programme for Winter Concert 2012:
Mozart - Magic Flute overture
Schubert - Unfinished Symphony
Rossini- Barber of Seville
Smetana - Vltava (arrangement)
Debussy - Petite Suite (arrangement)
As I've probably mentioned before we are an unauditioned, "all comers welcome", amateur community orchestra with a wide range of playing ability. So it is a challenge to bring it all together to make it sound good on the night. I think the standard of the orchestra as a whole has improved even in the 3 years I've been involved and every programme feels like "the hardest we've done yet". There was some very tricky woodwind sections in this one - especially for the flutes in the Vltava and for everybody in the Debussy. But I think we pulled it off again (flutes did brilliantly). I was rather worried on Tuesday as it was sounding quite ropey in places, but some determined practising seemed to have gone in over the last 3 days and it sounded rather good last night. I was very proud of how we played and feel lucky to have the opportunity to be part of it. There really is nothing like playing music with other people.
I absolutely loved this programme, there is usually at least one piece per concert that I've felt ambivalent about, but this time I wouldn't have dropped anything. I had some really lovely oboe bits to play, and I absolutely loved having the opportunity to play the Unfinished Symphony which is an amazing piece of music. Special mention must go to our cellists who played spine tinglingly well in the opening. Just beautiful.
Oh and I also won a box of chocolates in the raffle!
I actually feel quite sad that we are leaving these pieces behind and moving on to the next programme (yet to be announced)
Today I am off to a double reed day at the RNCM. More on that later in the week.
Programme for Winter Concert 2012:
Mozart - Magic Flute overture
Schubert - Unfinished Symphony
Rossini- Barber of Seville
Smetana - Vltava (arrangement)
Debussy - Petite Suite (arrangement)
Sunday, 4 November 2012
A reminder of Summer
Saturday, 21 July 2012
Room for improvement
So today was the garden party. This was really my first solo performance outside the safe haven of adult learner concerts - and I've only done 3 of those. In this case it wasn't to other musicians who were performing (and generally sympathetic) and not only were there "non performing" people there, but there were people there who I knew and who had never heard me play the oboe before - the pressure was on. I had a major panic last night when I was convinced that I couldn't play any of my pieces and I was going to fall flat on my face. But, when it came to it, I survived. I don't think I played brilliantly but I got through and kept going. It felt pretty terrible at the time, and I was very nervous but my boyfriend filmed it and, looking at the recording, it wasn't as bad as I thought - though still not great...
So let's stick with good, tricky, do differently:
2. While I'm playing my posture is not too bad and I do move a little bit to the music - more than I thought I was doing.
3. Most of the finger work sounds quite fluent even when it felt a little clunky,
4. There are times when my vibrato comes through and does sound quite natural.
5. There are occasional flashes of good phrasing and expression
2. My tone is really quite thin - I need to do some work on this over the summer. Some of this was nerves, but not all of it.
3. Intonation wasn't great - I knew this but couldn't quite seem to bring it in line. Need some work on control during the summer.
4. A few stumbles along the way - I think the Mozart was a little ambitious! I could just about play it but there were too many dodgy bits that didn't quite work.
5. Too much frightened rabbit and not enough expression in the music as a whole!
2. Pick pieces that I can play well - or at least make sure I have time to practice enough to bring them up to standard. Do not be unprepared!
3. If playing outside - make sure the music is securely fastened! Mine didn't entirely blow away but my biggest stumble was due to it threatening to!
4. Relax and think about expression more - focus on the music.
5. Blow more air - will bring pitch up, louder would be good and will give scope for more dynamics overall.
Overall verdict - not disastrous but definitely room for improvement.
So let's stick with good, tricky, do differently:
GOOD
1. I got through all three pieces without falling apart or needing to stop - this is more than I thought I would manage last night. Oh and I guess actually turning up and doing it despite being really scared.2. While I'm playing my posture is not too bad and I do move a little bit to the music - more than I thought I was doing.
3. Most of the finger work sounds quite fluent even when it felt a little clunky,
4. There are times when my vibrato comes through and does sound quite natural.
5. There are occasional flashes of good phrasing and expression
TRICKY
1. I sound terrified when introducing the pieces - which I was!2. My tone is really quite thin - I need to do some work on this over the summer. Some of this was nerves, but not all of it.
3. Intonation wasn't great - I knew this but couldn't quite seem to bring it in line. Need some work on control during the summer.
4. A few stumbles along the way - I think the Mozart was a little ambitious! I could just about play it but there were too many dodgy bits that didn't quite work.
5. Too much frightened rabbit and not enough expression in the music as a whole!
DO DIFFERENTLY
1. Make sure I know exactly what the set up is - there were too many surprises on the day. I thought it would just be background music rather than having people sitting and watching as the main event. I was also thrown by having to introduce the songs and there were more people there that I knew than expected.2. Pick pieces that I can play well - or at least make sure I have time to practice enough to bring them up to standard. Do not be unprepared!
3. If playing outside - make sure the music is securely fastened! Mine didn't entirely blow away but my biggest stumble was due to it threatening to!
4. Relax and think about expression more - focus on the music.
5. Blow more air - will bring pitch up, louder would be good and will give scope for more dynamics overall.
Overall verdict - not disastrous but definitely room for improvement.
Monday, 18 June 2012
The point of it all...
After all the stress of Friday, I am glad to say that Saturday turned out to be a wonderful day.
It was an early start - we left the house at 7:30am, which is quite painful for a Saturday and the doors opened at 9am. After registration and general introduction, we were straight into the sectional rehearsals - done with just the amateur participants. I was rather alarmed to find that I was the only one on first oboe so it was definitely straight in at the deepend. It wasn't too scary in the end though as the general atmosphere was very encouraging and supportive, everyone was finding the music hard. The 90 minutes rehearsal flew by and is was soon lunch time.
After lunch it was full orchestral rehearsal for nearly 3 hours (with a tea break fortunately). The professional players joined us for this which made it a bit less scary - they covered the hardest bits, made sure we came in at the right time, but also took a little bit of back seat when it came to the solos to let the participants have a go. It was really great to hear the whole piece come together and the sound was amazing.
Just time for a cup of tea and a piece of cake before the final performance. The concert was great fun, the sound was fab and, despite my misgivings about the difficulty of the music, we pulled it off. I think the professionals were definitely covering a lot of the Stravinsky bits but I still managed the (very short) exposed oboe bits in the Beceuse. The Gershwin was definitley my highlight though - a really, really fun piece to play that I don't think I would ever have had the opportunity to play!
So overall, a fantastic day which I enjoyed more than I ever expected to. I managed to play more of the music than I thought I would and both my reed and lip lasted to the end despite about 5-6 hours playing. I really enjoyed joining with other people and playing beautiful music in a fabulous concert hall. This really is the point of all the lessons and practice after all.
We played:
Walton - Crown Imperial (a good warm up opener)
Gershwin - An American in Paris (some amazing solos from the brass and clarinets, great fun!)
Stravinsky - Firebird extract, Infernal Dance to the end (challenging but we pulled it off)
It was an early start - we left the house at 7:30am, which is quite painful for a Saturday and the doors opened at 9am. After registration and general introduction, we were straight into the sectional rehearsals - done with just the amateur participants. I was rather alarmed to find that I was the only one on first oboe so it was definitely straight in at the deepend. It wasn't too scary in the end though as the general atmosphere was very encouraging and supportive, everyone was finding the music hard. The 90 minutes rehearsal flew by and is was soon lunch time.
After lunch it was full orchestral rehearsal for nearly 3 hours (with a tea break fortunately). The professional players joined us for this which made it a bit less scary - they covered the hardest bits, made sure we came in at the right time, but also took a little bit of back seat when it came to the solos to let the participants have a go. It was really great to hear the whole piece come together and the sound was amazing.
Just time for a cup of tea and a piece of cake before the final performance. The concert was great fun, the sound was fab and, despite my misgivings about the difficulty of the music, we pulled it off. I think the professionals were definitely covering a lot of the Stravinsky bits but I still managed the (very short) exposed oboe bits in the Beceuse. The Gershwin was definitley my highlight though - a really, really fun piece to play that I don't think I would ever have had the opportunity to play!
So overall, a fantastic day which I enjoyed more than I ever expected to. I managed to play more of the music than I thought I would and both my reed and lip lasted to the end despite about 5-6 hours playing. I really enjoyed joining with other people and playing beautiful music in a fabulous concert hall. This really is the point of all the lessons and practice after all.
We played:
Walton - Crown Imperial (a good warm up opener)
Gershwin - An American in Paris (some amazing solos from the brass and clarinets, great fun!)
Stravinsky - Firebird extract, Infernal Dance to the end (challenging but we pulled it off)
Monday, 28 May 2012
It's warm...
It's been very warm this week - practice has happened in the evening's when it has been marginally cooler. I've been continuing with articulation exercises though not really seeing a huge increase in speed yet. I need to keep going though. My study this week (Luft no 18) is in F#minor and is also good articulation practice. I need to focus on stamina, breathing and tuning for the rest of the week.
Telemann Fantastia No 8: I've been working on articulation in the second movement nad trying to get accuracy and dynamics too. The last movement is getting there.
Hindemith movement 1: Still working on the basics - notes, rhythm, articulation. I still need to work through the second half of this. First half dynamics, phrasing is improving.
Mozart Oboe Quartet Movement 3: Bits are OK, other bits are very ropey. There is some ornamentation I'm struggling to get the rhythm to - it doesn't help that it comes very soon after a change from 6/8 to cut common time. Articulation speed is also slowing me down - but that is something that I'm working on.
Extras: I'm working on the tricky bits for Gershwin. I'll have another You tube run through next week to see if it's any better.
I had a play through Rendez vous and Causerie from French Suite yesterday. Total time was 5 mins and 17 seconds which is slightly longer than my time slot for the play day so may need to only do one. I've sent music to my accompanist - the first one is quite tricky so it maybe that I have to change my piece anyway. Hopefully he can simplify it a bit to let me play it as it is a really fun piece.
I'm waiting for a piano exam date - 15th June would be my ideal date, so let's wait and see.
Telemann Fantastia No 8: I've been working on articulation in the second movement nad trying to get accuracy and dynamics too. The last movement is getting there.
Hindemith movement 1: Still working on the basics - notes, rhythm, articulation. I still need to work through the second half of this. First half dynamics, phrasing is improving.
Mozart Oboe Quartet Movement 3: Bits are OK, other bits are very ropey. There is some ornamentation I'm struggling to get the rhythm to - it doesn't help that it comes very soon after a change from 6/8 to cut common time. Articulation speed is also slowing me down - but that is something that I'm working on.
Extras: I'm working on the tricky bits for Gershwin. I'll have another You tube run through next week to see if it's any better.
I had a play through Rendez vous and Causerie from French Suite yesterday. Total time was 5 mins and 17 seconds which is slightly longer than my time slot for the play day so may need to only do one. I've sent music to my accompanist - the first one is quite tricky so it maybe that I have to change my piece anyway. Hopefully he can simplify it a bit to let me play it as it is a really fun piece.
I'm waiting for a piano exam date - 15th June would be my ideal date, so let's wait and see.
Thursday, 24 May 2012
Run up to holidays
Well Summer seems to have arrived - for this week anyway. My lesson last night was rather warm, to say the least. I thought it went OK though - Luft, Telemann Fantasia and a start on the Hindemith Sonata. I need to add in my own articulation and some ornamentation for the Telemann. I'm also still working on the Mozart - so more than enough to keep me busy at the moment.
There seems to be a lot of things coming up over the next couple of months - leading into the summer holidays. I am trying to take them one at a time.
This week was my final orchestra rehearsal till September. We just had a bash through some things for fun. I nice way to finish off the term. I really appreciate the summer break from orchestra. By the time the first September rehearsal comes round I will be raring to go again.
I am still waiting for a date for my piano exam, which could be any time from 11 June.
On 16 June I am doing a play day with a professional orchestra - those pieces need LOTS of practice!
On both 17th and 24th June I am playing piano in the morning sevice at church.
14th July I am playing in an Adult Learner's Concert - I think I am going to play a couple of movements from French Suite. I'd like to be able to have a go at them with an accompanist - and it is Bastille Day so it feels appropriate. I'll also be accompanying another performer though don't know who that will be, or what they will be playing yet.
18 July - last lesson before summer holidays
21 July I've been asked to play a couple of pieces at a Garden party in aid of a local charity. Still trying to sort out accompanist for this - I may do the French Suite pieces again, or may give the first movement of the Mozart Quartet a go. I may also do Italian Dance by Dring. Depends very much on how things go with the accompanist and what they can manage.
Then it will be summer holidays and hopefully a chance to take things slightly easy. Having said that, there has been talk of chamber music sessions with Orchestra colleagues...
There seems to be a lot of things coming up over the next couple of months - leading into the summer holidays. I am trying to take them one at a time.
This week was my final orchestra rehearsal till September. We just had a bash through some things for fun. I nice way to finish off the term. I really appreciate the summer break from orchestra. By the time the first September rehearsal comes round I will be raring to go again.
I am still waiting for a date for my piano exam, which could be any time from 11 June.
On 16 June I am doing a play day with a professional orchestra - those pieces need LOTS of practice!
On both 17th and 24th June I am playing piano in the morning sevice at church.
14th July I am playing in an Adult Learner's Concert - I think I am going to play a couple of movements from French Suite. I'd like to be able to have a go at them with an accompanist - and it is Bastille Day so it feels appropriate. I'll also be accompanying another performer though don't know who that will be, or what they will be playing yet.
18 July - last lesson before summer holidays
21 July I've been asked to play a couple of pieces at a Garden party in aid of a local charity. Still trying to sort out accompanist for this - I may do the French Suite pieces again, or may give the first movement of the Mozart Quartet a go. I may also do Italian Dance by Dring. Depends very much on how things go with the accompanist and what they can manage.
Then it will be summer holidays and hopefully a chance to take things slightly easy. Having said that, there has been talk of chamber music sessions with Orchestra colleagues...
Monday, 21 May 2012
Concert, Gershwin, Reeds
The concert on Saturday went well I think. The venue was lovely, my reed worked and we had a good turn out. One of my friend's came to see me and she really enjoyed it, which was lovely. I quite enjoyed it in the end but I didn't really engage with the pieces in the same way I had at other concerts and it did feel as if we hadn't really had enough weeks to practice. Some of the pieces still felt slightly unfamiliar, which was rather disconcerting. I think - aside from the Elgar - my favourite bits were the second movement of the Arnold Suite and the Britten dances. We have two more rehearsals before summer break, though I can only make the first one. I am looking forward to seeing what we do.
On Sunday I felt a bit overplayed so I didn't do a proper practice session. But I did have a look at Gershwin's American in Paris which I am playing in an Orchestral playday in June. I have been looking at bits of it but I had a go playing it with a You Tube recording for the first time. It really is very difficult. It actually made me feel rather stressed about the whole event because I know that there are bits that are just beyond me. I think I need to make this a priority for practice over the next few weeks. But one of the biggest problems is the speed of articulation required - which I have been working on but is not a quick fix.
I also picked up my reed making again. I had a go at sharpening my reed knives - reasonably successfully I think. I began scraping the three reeds I tied on a couple of weeks ago and very soon had 3 cracked reeds. I'm not sure if it was a problem with tying on, not soaking enough before trying to scrape or just a bad batch of cane. I probably need to do the initial scrape immediately after tying on though when I know that the cane is well and truly soaked through. I will do some more tying on later this week.
On Sunday I felt a bit overplayed so I didn't do a proper practice session. But I did have a look at Gershwin's American in Paris which I am playing in an Orchestral playday in June. I have been looking at bits of it but I had a go playing it with a You Tube recording for the first time. It really is very difficult. It actually made me feel rather stressed about the whole event because I know that there are bits that are just beyond me. I think I need to make this a priority for practice over the next few weeks. But one of the biggest problems is the speed of articulation required - which I have been working on but is not a quick fix.
I also picked up my reed making again. I had a go at sharpening my reed knives - reasonably successfully I think. I began scraping the three reeds I tied on a couple of weeks ago and very soon had 3 cracked reeds. I'm not sure if it was a problem with tying on, not soaking enough before trying to scrape or just a bad batch of cane. I probably need to do the initial scrape immediately after tying on though when I know that the cane is well and truly soaked through. I will do some more tying on later this week.
Friday, 18 May 2012
Summer concert
Tomorrow my orchestra has it's summer concert - not that it is particularly summery at the moment. This is our last concert before the summer break and we will start meeting again in September. The actual concert seems to have come round so quickly that I've not blogged anything about this program so far. So this is what we are playing:
Suite In E flat - Holst
Suite of Dances from Gloriana - Britten
The Merry Wives of Windsor - Nicolai
Little Suite for Orchestra - Arnold
Sea Pictures - Elgar (with guest soloist)
Crown Imperial - Walton
It is a very British program - presumably due to the Jubilee. It is also a program I am struggling to get excited about. There is nothing I particularly dislike....well, maybe the Walton...but there is also nothing that I particularly love either. There are no pieces that I am really looking forward to playing - which is a first for me. But sometimes it is like that, and many people in our orchestra really didn't enjoy the Russian pieces we played last time. I am sure the concert will be fun. The Elgar sounds very good with our solo singer - I have very little to play in that so I will enjoy listening to her! But I am also very much looking forward to finding out what we are playing next!
Suite In E flat - Holst
Suite of Dances from Gloriana - Britten
The Merry Wives of Windsor - Nicolai
Little Suite for Orchestra - Arnold
Sea Pictures - Elgar (with guest soloist)
Crown Imperial - Walton
It is a very British program - presumably due to the Jubilee. It is also a program I am struggling to get excited about. There is nothing I particularly dislike....well, maybe the Walton...but there is also nothing that I particularly love either. There are no pieces that I am really looking forward to playing - which is a first for me. But sometimes it is like that, and many people in our orchestra really didn't enjoy the Russian pieces we played last time. I am sure the concert will be fun. The Elgar sounds very good with our solo singer - I have very little to play in that so I will enjoy listening to her! But I am also very much looking forward to finding out what we are playing next!
Monday, 19 March 2012
A night of Russian Music
Saturday was our orchestra concert, our programme was:
Borodin - Steppes of Central Asia
Borodin - Petite Suite
Glinka - Ruslan and Ludmilla
~ interval ~
Mussorgsky - Gopak
Mussorgsky - Night on Bare Mountain
Tchaikovsy - excerpts from Sleeping Beauty
It generally went a lot better than I expected it to. The afternoon rehearsal was really rather ropey in parts and I was a bit worried that it would all fall to pieces a bit. I should have known that my fear was unfounded. There were some challenging moments on the night, a few entries in the Glinka were not quite where they should be, we were not quite together for parts of Bare Mountain. But, overall, I think it was the best we had ever played the programme as a whole and, from my perspective at least, there were a few spine tingling moments that made me (once again) proud to be part of this orchestra. The shimmering violins in the Steppes of Central Asia sounded just magical, our 80+ year old Cor player who has been struggling with the solo part really pulled it out of the bag on the night and really did herself, and us, proud. The sound of the full orchestra really going for it at the beginning of the Glinka made my heart sing. In Bare mountain we all nailed the sudden stop before it begins winding up with the bassoon chromatic scale....you could have heard a pin drop. The solos at the end of the piece with flute and clarinet were just beautifully played. I really enjoyed my duet with the flute in the Sleeping Beauty waltz and I managed to get the scale right in the middle of it.
I hope that the audience enjoyed it as much as we did. We had a modest but respectable number of people there. I do wonder sometimes if amateur orchestras at our level are actually more fun to be in than to listen to - certainly our audience could have heard better performances elsewhere. But I think an amateur concert is about more than just playing music.
I loved this article about amateur orchestras - which can be summed up by the following quote:
“A typical effort will be littered with a continuum of faults. The problem is that audiences, weaned on the synthetic perfection of commercial recordings, tend to be unthinkingly intolerant of faults in even live professional performances, let alone amateur ones. I argue (long and hard) that audiences must tailor their expectations, just as do those who tolerate the sound of ancient recordings, to 'listen through' the surface imperfections to the music that lies beneath. The tolerant are richly rewarded. Enthusiastic amateurs, perpetually striving against their limitations, restore to Music what is lost to the prosaic professional: the elements of risk and danger; the familiar becomes new, challenging, exciting!”
On Saturday we certainly stepped out of our comfort zone, it was risky for us but exhilerating to feel like we succeeded in pulling it off. Now on to the next one, continuing to strive against our limitiations...
Borodin - Steppes of Central Asia
Borodin - Petite Suite
Glinka - Ruslan and Ludmilla
~ interval ~
Mussorgsky - Gopak
Mussorgsky - Night on Bare Mountain
Tchaikovsy - excerpts from Sleeping Beauty
It generally went a lot better than I expected it to. The afternoon rehearsal was really rather ropey in parts and I was a bit worried that it would all fall to pieces a bit. I should have known that my fear was unfounded. There were some challenging moments on the night, a few entries in the Glinka were not quite where they should be, we were not quite together for parts of Bare Mountain. But, overall, I think it was the best we had ever played the programme as a whole and, from my perspective at least, there were a few spine tingling moments that made me (once again) proud to be part of this orchestra. The shimmering violins in the Steppes of Central Asia sounded just magical, our 80+ year old Cor player who has been struggling with the solo part really pulled it out of the bag on the night and really did herself, and us, proud. The sound of the full orchestra really going for it at the beginning of the Glinka made my heart sing. In Bare mountain we all nailed the sudden stop before it begins winding up with the bassoon chromatic scale....you could have heard a pin drop. The solos at the end of the piece with flute and clarinet were just beautifully played. I really enjoyed my duet with the flute in the Sleeping Beauty waltz and I managed to get the scale right in the middle of it.
I hope that the audience enjoyed it as much as we did. We had a modest but respectable number of people there. I do wonder sometimes if amateur orchestras at our level are actually more fun to be in than to listen to - certainly our audience could have heard better performances elsewhere. But I think an amateur concert is about more than just playing music.
I loved this article about amateur orchestras - which can be summed up by the following quote:
“A typical effort will be littered with a continuum of faults. The problem is that audiences, weaned on the synthetic perfection of commercial recordings, tend to be unthinkingly intolerant of faults in even live professional performances, let alone amateur ones. I argue (long and hard) that audiences must tailor their expectations, just as do those who tolerate the sound of ancient recordings, to 'listen through' the surface imperfections to the music that lies beneath. The tolerant are richly rewarded. Enthusiastic amateurs, perpetually striving against their limitations, restore to Music what is lost to the prosaic professional: the elements of risk and danger; the familiar becomes new, challenging, exciting!”
On Saturday we certainly stepped out of our comfort zone, it was risky for us but exhilerating to feel like we succeeded in pulling it off. Now on to the next one, continuing to strive against our limitiations...
Friday, 24 February 2012
"Non-lesson" practice piling up!
I've suddenly realised that I have an awful lot of orchestral pieces to practice - in addition to normal lesson work and that maybe I need to be a bit more organised about it. So I spent last night doing a review to see where I am up to with everything and which pieces need some personal practice, in the hope that it will then seem more manageable. This is what I came up with:
Regular Orchestra (concert 17th March, 4 orchestral rehearsals to go)
Borodin- Steppes of Central Asia - no issues
Tchaikowsky - Sleeping Beauty - think I've sorted the scalic runs now so should be fine.
Glinka - Russlan and Ludmilla - again, although fast, the notes are fairly straightforward.
Borodin - Petit Suite - small sections in the final movement that I need to look at - I need to process all the double sharps!
Mussorgsky - Night on Bare Mountain - most of this is OK but I think I need to go through a couple of times on my own to tidy up bits.
Overall pretty good shape with a little bit of tidying up to do.
Teacher's orchestra (concert 21 April, 7 orchestral rehearsals to go)
Stravinsky - Rite of Spring - lots of issues!
Actually part 1 is in pretty good shape. I need to keep working on part 2, mainly slow work with metronome to try and get the rhythm right and then keep speeding up. Quite a long way to go on this with a good number of rehearsals so hopefully it will come together.
Regular Orchestra (concert 19 May)
We will start work on this after the March concert - have no idea what the programme will be yet!
Playday "Superorchestra" - (concert 16 June, rehearsals on the day only!)
Gershwin - American in Paris
Stravinsky - Firebird (extract)
Walton - Crown Imperial
I need to keep plugging away at these, a little every day. I will get some recordings of them to help, in the absence of rehearsals. The Walton seems reasonably straight forward apart from the speed! So I am just clicking up the metronome bit by bit.
Firebird is more straight fowrard than Rite of Spring and we are only doing an extract. I've worked through about a quarter of it so far.
Gershwin I've not really look yet, it looks rhythmically complicated and it is quite long so I need to get stuck into this.
I'd liked to have at least played my way through all of these by the end of March so then it will just be a case of getting the speed up and working on the trickiest bits.
Conclusion
It's kind of in hand - I need a bit of a push this week for March concert and can then focus on Rite of Spring while still doing 5 minutes a day on the stuff for June. And yes it does feel more manageable now.
Regular Orchestra (concert 17th March, 4 orchestral rehearsals to go)
Borodin- Steppes of Central Asia - no issues
Tchaikowsky - Sleeping Beauty - think I've sorted the scalic runs now so should be fine.
Glinka - Russlan and Ludmilla - again, although fast, the notes are fairly straightforward.
Borodin - Petit Suite - small sections in the final movement that I need to look at - I need to process all the double sharps!
Mussorgsky - Night on Bare Mountain - most of this is OK but I think I need to go through a couple of times on my own to tidy up bits.
Overall pretty good shape with a little bit of tidying up to do.
Teacher's orchestra (concert 21 April, 7 orchestral rehearsals to go)
Stravinsky - Rite of Spring - lots of issues!
Actually part 1 is in pretty good shape. I need to keep working on part 2, mainly slow work with metronome to try and get the rhythm right and then keep speeding up. Quite a long way to go on this with a good number of rehearsals so hopefully it will come together.
Regular Orchestra (concert 19 May)
We will start work on this after the March concert - have no idea what the programme will be yet!
Playday "Superorchestra" - (concert 16 June, rehearsals on the day only!)
Gershwin - American in Paris
Stravinsky - Firebird (extract)
Walton - Crown Imperial
I need to keep plugging away at these, a little every day. I will get some recordings of them to help, in the absence of rehearsals. The Walton seems reasonably straight forward apart from the speed! So I am just clicking up the metronome bit by bit.
Firebird is more straight fowrard than Rite of Spring and we are only doing an extract. I've worked through about a quarter of it so far.
Gershwin I've not really look yet, it looks rhythmically complicated and it is quite long so I need to get stuck into this.
I'd liked to have at least played my way through all of these by the end of March so then it will just be a case of getting the speed up and working on the trickiest bits.
Conclusion
It's kind of in hand - I need a bit of a push this week for March concert and can then focus on Rite of Spring while still doing 5 minutes a day on the stuff for June. And yes it does feel more manageable now.
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