Favorite Pieces You've Performed

[TheGSMoeller]

I play bass trombone and favorite performances for me include:

- Holst The Planets
- Moussorgky Pictures at an Exhibition
- Shostakovich symphony no. 5
- Hindemith Symphonic Metamorphosis
- Rimsky Korsakov Scheherazade
- Elgar enigma variations
- my own orchestral music I played in premieres ;-)

Hi, Relm. Where/who do you perform with?

That is a fun piece, and your post reminds me that I once conducted a wind ensemble in a transcription of the Marsch.

I remember playing that in Wind Ensemble myself, Karl. Fun indeed.

[kyjo]

I play bass trombone and favorite performances for me include:

- Holst The Planets
- Moussorgky Pictures at an Exhibition
- Shostakovich symphony no. 5
- Hindemith Symphonic Metamorphosis
- Rimsky Korsakov Scheherazade
- Elgar enigma variations
- my own orchestral music I played in premieres ;-)

Oh, how I'd kill to play those in my orchestra!

[North Star]

Oh, how I'd kill to play those in my orchestra!

with a knife? 

[Karl Henning]

(* chortle *)

[kyjo]

with a knife? 

No, with a gun!

[North Star]

No, with a gun!

Perhaps there are makings of a new thread here...

[relm1]

Hi, Relm. Where/who do you perform with?

I remember playing that in Wind Ensemble myself, Karl. Fun indeed.

I've played with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Southbay Philharmonic, Master Sinfonia.   Here I am belting it out on Wagner with Marin Alsop: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxqQOWvkgGI  (at 0:19 you totally hear me playing that G -> C plus all those low C's at the end.

[TheGSMoeller]

I've played with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Southbay Philharmonic, Master Sinfonia.   Here I am belting it out on Wagner with Marin Alsop: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxqQOWvkgGI  (at 0:19 you totally hear me playing that G -> C plus all those low C's at the end.

Very cool! Thanks for sharing. I come from a brass family, so I'm a big fan of the bass trombone. 

[relm1]

Very cool! Thanks for sharing. I come from a brass family, so I'm a big fan of the bass trombone. 

Thank you.  If you enjoyed that, you might also like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ic3by-HDUB8  - Scheherazade ending.  I have to say, it felt like my lips were going to fall off.  It was sooo loud but in a good way.  Though it might not look like it, its a tremendous thrill when Marin Alsop points to you to take the lead melody.  All trombones were in unison at fff playing the theme and it felt so loud.  In the video my friend took on his phone, it seems nice and powerful but my memory was of about to pass out.

[TheGSMoeller]

Thank you.  If you enjoyed that, you might also like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ic3by-HDUB8  - Scheherazade ending.  I have to say, it felt like my lips were going to fall off.  It was sooo loud but in a good way.  Though it might not look like it, its a tremendous thrill when Marin Alsop points to you to take the lead melody.  All trombones were in unison at fff playing the theme and it felt so loud.  In the video my friend took on his phone, it seems nice and powerful but my memory was of about to pass out.

Woah, I see 6 trombones and 3 tubas, brass overload! 

Again, thanks for sharing.

[jochanaan]

That is a fun piece, and your post reminds me that I once conducted a wind ensemble in a transcription of the Marsch.

I've played that one in band too!  Yes, very fun!

[jochanaan]

No, with a gun!

Naaaah; use the cannons from the 1812 Overture!

[jochanaan]

I've played with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Southbay Philharmonic, Master Sinfonia.   Here I am belting it out on Wagner with Marin Alsop: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxqQOWvkgGI  (at 0:19 you totally hear me playing that G -> C plus all those low C's at the end.

Now that's a great Wagner sound! But I expected nothing less from Maestra Alsop.  A singer friend of mine sang Alsop's "Too Hot to Handel" last Christmas here in Denver, and she says that Marin seemed to make contact with each individual performer as she led.  Is that your experience?

[jochanaan]

...Though it might not look like it, its a tremendous thrill when Marin Alsop points to you to take the lead melody...

Oh, I can just imagine!  But I'm familiar with Maestra Alsop from her Denver days.  She is one of the greats.

[relm1]

Now that's a great Wagner sound! But I expected nothing less from Maestra Alsop.  A singer friend of mine sang Alsop's "Too Hot to Handel" last Christmas here in Denver, and she says that Marin seemed to make contact with each individual performer as she led.  Is that your experience?

I adore Marin.  I don't remember the piece but there was something where she made direct eye contact with me in the back row and oh wow, I was nervous.  She communicates a lot without a word.  In fact, some of the BSO players told me their previous conductor, Yuri Temirkanov, didn't speak English well AND DIDN'T NEED TO.  The point was that with a look he said everything he needed to.  For example, when the orchestra   failed to follow him, he would look at his baton as if it were broken...causing huge chuckles from the orchestra.  The point was extremely clear - follow me - I'm the leader.  though a single word hadn't been uttered.  It's so amazing how communicative pro-musicians are without speaking. 

I am thrilled that the Wagner sound is appreciated - I felt it was needed.  I spoke up and Marin seems to like low brass booming in this type of music.  I didn't get the hand though feared I might.  For those of you who play loud instruments, when you play fff, it sounds like you are alone and no one else is playing so you really have to trust the ensemble and conductor.  She heard everything and without a temper would keep us in line.  But in response to your question, I believe she is extremely communicative without saying much.  Some feel she doesn't give enough interpretive direction, but focuses too much on rhythm and dynamics and not enough on phrasing.  She cues a lot which is nice and I find her overall very encouraging and inviting.  For example, rather than saying "you sound like dirt" (which I've heard) she'll say "you can bring that out more...it's your moment" if that makes sense.  They mean the exact same thing but one is a million times kinder.

I have to confess - the extra loud bass trombone was because in a big hall with loud music, you don't know if you are being heard.  I was really playing it out feeling I was missed in this important Wagner role.  Then my friend's video showed me the exact opposite...in a professional hall you - project.  So I overdid it somewhat but found Maestra Alsop did not object causing me to believe she likes the low end .  The nicest complement I heard was the strings saying they loved the sound of the low brass in those pieces.  The moral of this story is everyone has their moment and you should back off when its not yours, speak up when it is...and all will be well.

[snyprrr]

Our band plays:

Orff- O Fortuna
Strauss- Thus Spake Zarathursta
LvB- 5th Symphony
Tchaikovsky- William Tell Overture
Oldfield- Tubular Bells (yea, I know)

I'd like to try to play Satie as a band. Has it been done?

[Karl Henning]

What's the scoring of the band?

[jochanaan]

...The moral of this story is everyone has their moment and you should back off when its not yours, speak up when it is...and all will be well.

That's something I learn very well as an oboist.  Of course, the oboe is another instrument that can't hide. But I think it's true of every instrument.  It's less obvious for the strings because there are usually so many of them, but it's true even for them.  I've heard conductors direct the strings to "play as if you were all soloists."

As for the "Marin sound," it was obvious when she was in Colorado that she likes big sounds. But she's equally compelling in soft pieces or sections.  I can't praise her Mahler enough.

[relm1]

That's something I learn very well as an oboist.  Of course, the oboe is another instrument that can't hide. But I think it's true of every instrument.  It's less obvious for the strings because there are usually so many of them, but it's true even for them.  I've heard conductors direct the strings to "play as if you were all soloists."

As for the "Marin sound," it was obvious when she was in Colorado that she likes big sounds. But she's equally compelling in soft pieces or sections.  I can't praise her Mahler enough.

I see your point about it being difficult for any instrument to hide but there are some instruments where it's hard to notice they were playing as hard as they were by the nature of their instrument and how it was composed.  For instance, I heard the violas complain about how hard their playing is with so much intensity in the last movement of Mahler 1 but unfortunately, the brass are really clobbering everyone there with the triumphant hero theme so they are somewhat hidden.  There just seems to be too much going on there.  We played Mahler 1 at that concert and I felt sorry for them because of the effort put in to what wasn't heard.  Percussion, 8 horns, 5 or so trumpets, trombones, etc., at the end just killed it.  I do believe you get a sense of "kinetic" energy of the strings here, but this is a very big triumphant moment for the brass because its the triumphant version of the opening mystery theme.   What is your thought?  I was surprised how fast Alsop took it and also a very prominent horn player in attendance mentioned being surprised at the tempo at the end of Mahler/Alsop Symphony No. 1 ending.  Exciting stuff for sure. 

[Karl Henning]

And, tell the truth and shame the devil, the brass are apt to clobber . . . .