What Allan is playing

[toledobass]

The subscription series in Toledo is starting back up this week and I thought I'd try and post about various rehearsals/series that I'm part of throughout the season. 

For those who don't know,  I split my time between 2 orchestras the Toledo Symphony Orchestra and the Akron Symphony Orchestra.  I also try and fit in anything I get called for in Cleveland,  mostly pit work for ballet.

Perhaps I'll also post about any audition experiences I take as well.

So there you have it.  This week in Toledo we will be playing this program:

Rogers Agatha Overture
Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations
Mahler Symphony No. 1

Stefan Sanderling, conductor
Julie Albers, cello

Rehearsals start tomorrow!!!!!!
Allan

[dtwilbanks]

Good luck and have fun, Allan.

[karlhenning]

Crack a frog, Allan! 

[knight66]

Do please blog us, sounds like you will have lots of interesting things to tell us.

Mike

[Cato]

The conductor in Toledo is Stefan Sanderling, and he has pushed to improve the orchestra in recent years, and one can hear the difference, especially with "big works" like a Bruckner symphony.

So, yes, tell us more about the Mahler rehearsals especially!

[toledobass]

I've always loved the start of the season.  It's always fun to see people after the summer vacation and catch up on how it was spent.  Of course the conversation will somewhere always include the seeming mandatory response of 'not practicing' followed by guilty laughter.   

We started rehearsals yesterday with a double service day all dedicated to Mahler.  It always takes me by surprise when I haven't played in the Peristyle for a while.  It's visually very appealing.  In that way it offers something unique to the concert going experience.  This picture is way too small but hopefully you get the idea:



The surprise is when we actually start playing.  The hall is so dead.  It takes a lot of adjustments to get the music supported and phrase endings sounding like they aren't being snapped off.   

We're a little rusty ensemble wise and I feel like we could have nailed this coming toward the end of last season.  Perfectly normal though,  these loose ends will be tied up with no problem.

About rehearsals:

Perhaps the only repertoire that I haven't found Stefan entirely convincing in is Mahler.  Generally, I've found it to be a mixed bag.  Sometimes intenestly emotional and musical (his 9th) and other times a tad stiff and forced (5th).  The 1st is going well and I like what is going on and what I'm hearing.  Some of his pacing and shaping of phrases is breathtaking.  He's continuing to work on intesity. 

Another double today,  more Mahler this afternoon.  Evening reahearsals will include our soloist Julie Albers in the Rococco Variations as well as rehearsal of the Toledo premier of Rogers' Agatha Overture.

Peace,

Allan

[bhodges]

So there you have it.  This week in Toledo we will be playing this program:

Rogers Agatha Overture
Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations
Mahler Symphony No. 1

Stefan Sanderling, conductor
Julie Albers, cello

Rehearsals start tomorrow!!!!!!
Allan

That's a really fun-sounding program, Allan!  I don't know the Rogers at all, and I'm impressed that Sanderling programmed it.  Just browsed the Toledo website and the next concert, with both Shostakovich Piano Concertos, also looks very interesting! 

--Bruce

[toledobass]

That's a really fun-sounding program, Allan!  I don't know the Rogers at all, and I'm impressed that Sanderling programmed it.  Just browsed the Toledo website and the next concert, with both Shostakovich Piano Concertos, also looks very interesting! 

--Bruce

Bruce,
It's a nice program to get back to work with.  I'll have more info on the Overture later tonight or tomorrow.  There is some info in the program booklet that I left at the hall. 

The next program should be fantastic.  It'll be interesting to hear Goodyear in that rep.  DSCH and Haydn are Sanderling's best stuff IMO.   In much of the DSCH we do, we play from Kurt Sanderling's parts.  I find the K. Sanderling recordings to be deeply thought out and intesely moving so it always adds weight to my experience seeing that name in the corner of the front page.
 

Allan

[Cato]

And thanks to Allan, Toledobass, for the picture of the Peristyle at the Toledo Museum of Art.  The Peristyle is designed to resemble an ancient Greek theater, complete with a ceiling that resembles an open sky.

I believe Leopold Stokowski conducted the first concert there in the 1930's.

[toledobass]

Some some info on the Agatha overture by David Rodgers:  It was written for the Florida Orchestra,  where Stefan is also Music Director.  From what I understood from him telling us before rehearsing the piece, it was written as part of a Florida Orchestra's program called Strings Attatched.  Pieces were written as companion pieces to more famous overtures and had to have the same orchestration.  Agatha is the companion piece to the Der Freishutz overture.   

Talking about Mahler's struggles in life, Stefan recounted some things from growing up in East Berlin.   


Allan 

[karlhenning]

So who's Agatha? (Not, I am guessing, the "pre-cog" in Minority Report?) 

[toledobass]

So who's Agatha? (Not, I am guessing, the "pre-cog" in Minority Report?) 

Everyone knows what happens to Max.  This piece is what happens to Agatha - from Stefan last night.

Agatha is Max's love interest.

Allan

[toledobass]

Rehearsed Higdon's Blue Cathedral tonight with the Akron Symphony.  Interesting piece.  I've been wanting to look into her music for a while now and this is intriguing me even more.


Allan

[toledobass]

This weekend with Stefan conducting in Toledo:

Beethoven      Overture to Egmont   

Shostakovich   Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Minor   
                                                 
Intermission


Shostakovich    Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Major   
Haydn             Symphony No. 104 in D Major "London"   

I'm excited for this concert.  Shostakovich and Haydn are my favorite things to play with Stefan and it's been a few years since I last heard Stuart Goodyear.

Rehearsals start tomorrow.
Allan
                                                 

[karlhenning]

Wonderful, Allan!  The First Concerto is tricky, doesn't seem particularly demanding of the trumpeter, and yet not exactly an easy part to play well.

[toledobass]

Wonderful, Allan!  The First Concerto is tricky, doesn't seem particularly demanding of the trumpeter, and yet not exactly an easy part to play well.

Even a little more difficult if you have to play the Haydn Trumpet Concerto the week before!!!!!!!!!!!!


Allan

[Cato]

Hi Allan!

I was wondering...a couple years ago the Toledo Symphony played Respighi's Pines of Rome with the local drum and bugle corps called the Glassmen as the ghostly Roman army marching in at the end, complete with massive deep brass the size of howitzers.

Were you playing in that concert? Chelsea Tipton conducted.  If so, how much fun was that? 

[toledobass]

Hi Allan!

I was wondering...a couple years ago the Toledo Symphony played Respighi's Pines of Rome with the local drum and bugle corps called the Glassmen as the ghostly Roman army marching in at the end, complete with massive deep brass the size of howitzers.

Were you playing in that concert? Chelsea Tipton conducted.  If so, how much fun was that? 

Indeed I did play that concert.  I thought the idea was a little gimmicky but I have to say I thought the effect really worked.  I remember getting goosebumps but being a little emberassed by it at the same time.   One of the other joyous things about that concert was seeing all of the Glassmen post concert.  They were in that post concert high that reminded me of playing in orchestra the first time.


Allan

[Cato]

Indeed I did play that concert.  I thought the idea was a little gimmicky but I have to say I thought the effect really worked.  I remember getting goosebumps but being a little emberassed by it at the same time.   One of the other joyous things about that concert was seeing all of the Glassmen post concert.  They were in that post concert high that reminded me of playing in orchestra the first time.


Allan

Sure, it was a gimmick, but it worked!  Will the symphony be doing anything similar in the future?

[toledobass]

Sure, it was a gimmick, but it worked!  Will the symphony be doing anything similar in the future?

I'm not really sure, Cato.  Though,  Chelsea is always trying to find new things to bring to the concert experience.


Allan