What Allan is playing

[Bogey]

I applaud the deed, Bill, but I must offer a slight emendation:

No thread is better than this  0:)

Heartiest felicitations, Allan!  ¡Andale!

Agreed....all posts back to home base starting now. 

[toledobass]

Basically a rehash of what is already known, but here is the Toledo Blade article.  One amazing bit of info: we pulled a Saturday night!!!!  This is gonna rock.

Allan

[toledobass]

Howdy folks!!!!

Been back to work for a few weeks now, but this weekend marks the opening of the Classics series with the Toledo Symphony.  We'll be performing Mahler 3!!!

We've had two double rehearsal days already and dress rehearsal is tomorrow.  I've had mixed feelings about Stefan's Mahler some of it is very engaging like the 9th we did a few years ago (which some of you have heard) and some of it just rather bland and flat.  His third is on the engaging side of the fence, VEERRY thankfully since it is the only thing we are rehearsing! I'm liking everything he's doing so far. His vision is making a lot of sense to me even if he hasn't provided any of those 'aha!' moments
of revalation. 

The orchestra doesn't sound to bad.....a little rusty here and there but that's to be expected. It's shaped up pretty well over these rehearsals. 

We see the chorus tomorrow and I'll be sure to report....

Allan

[Bogey]

Howdy folks!!!!

Been back to work for a few weeks now, but this weekend marks the opening of the Classics series with the Toledo Symphony.  We'll be performing Mahler 3!!!

We've had two double rehearsal days already and dress rehearsal is tomorrow.  I've had mixed feelings about Stefan's Mahler some of it is very engaging like the 9th we did a few years ago (which some of you have heard) and some of it just rather bland and flat.  His third is on the engaging side of the fence, VEERRY thankfully since it is the only thing we are rehearsing! I'm liking everything he's doing so far. His vision is making a lot of sense to me even if he hasn't provided any of those 'aha!' moments
of revalation. 

The orchestra doesn't sound to bad.....a little rusty here and there but that's to be expected. It's shaped up pretty well over these rehearsals. 

We see the chorus tomorrow and I'll be sure to report....

Allan

Welcome back, Allan.  What kind of eats have you been partaking in getting ready for the Mahler?

[karlhenning]

Welcome back, Allan.

What Bill said, Allan!

[toledobass]

Interesting rehearsal last night. It was the first we had seen of the chorus so we spent some time rehearsing with them,  they sounded good although there is a little difficulty getting the children to come in cleanly on their first entrance.  The soloist doesn't seem to know how to count and apparently enjoys using rehearsal time for a private coaching with orchestra...I'm quite nervous about that movement.  We haven't made it through without a botched soloist entrance.  We'll see what happens tonight!

I've complained in the past about how we don't actually get a good run through of the piece in dress rehearsal.  Such is the case again this week.  There is some scheduling difficulty given the duration of the piece, but it seems all the more important to feel what the pace of playing through all of that music is like.  I guess we find out tonight,  I just hope we can keep it together mentally and physically.

I do think it will be a good performance despite all of these complaints...in fact I can't wait to be on stage tonight!!!!

Allan

[SonicMan46]

Allan - good luck and hope that all goes better than expected! 

Our local symphony is quite good, but the Winston Salem Chorus is basically a volunteer group (Susan belonged for years) which of course is an issue - they just do not perform well in the combined choral works; however, usually pretty good! Dave 

[karlhenning]

. . . The soloist doesn't seem to know how to count and apparently enjoys using rehearsal time for a private coaching with orchestra...

Off with her head.

[Cato]

Hi Allan!

So who is this mysterious soloist?  Local girl?   0:)

And how did things sound last night?  Good crowd I hope?

[karlhenning]

Oh, and Allan: a singer who doesn't know how to count, eh?  Now there's a bulletin. 

[toledobass]

Good concerts Fridays and Saturday.  Friday was a little ragged, but I never felt like things were out of control or wondering what was going on.  Saturday was just a more settled and IMO better performance.

Toledo Blade review

The comment about the orchestra growing more artistically got me thinking.  While it's hard to say what we're going to sound like from our first performance, I think we are on a good path.  The fact that we put together a decent performance as our first concert back speaks of how far we have made it under Sanderling.  A few years ago this concert in this placement in the season probably wouldn't have fared as well. 

Allan

[secondwind]

Good review--and that was for the first night!  Congratulations.

[karlhenning]

Bravi, Allan!

[Sergeant Rock]

Makes me weep that I wasn't in Ohio to hear this. Mahler 3 as the opening concert of the season! Amazing!

Sarge

[Cato]

Yay Team Toledo!

Practice makes perfect!

Sarge: you should be in the Toledo cathedral when the Toledo Symphnoy plays Bruckner symphonies!  This is one of Sanderling's best ideas ever (I assume it was his idea, at least.)

I know people who can tell you about concerts back in the bad old days, when conductor Yuval Zaliouk, who now runs a cookie company (?), stopped a Beethoven Third Symphony performance because there were so many wrong notes and missed entries, and just restarted the orchestra after a slight and apparently very withering pause!   

See:

http://naturalproductsbuyersguide.com/company.php?id=443915&company=ALMONDINA+/+YZ+Enterprises,+Inc

http://www.zaliouk.com/experience.htm

[toledobass]

I've had those cookies!  They're pretty darned good!

Allan

[toledobass]

Yesterday began a Citymusic Cleveland week.  We've got a hellish schedule but a great program and some great musicians with us. 

HATZIS Redemption [world premiere]
MOZART Serenade in D (Serenata Notturna), K239
MENDELSSOHN A Midsummer Night's Dream: Suite

David Alan Miller is conducting and The Pacifica Quartet is here with us as soloists in the Hatzis and Mozart.

The schedule:

Moday:  rehearsal 3-6  7-10
Tues:  reahearsal 1-3  6:30-9:30
Wed:  dress 10-1   concert in Youngstown (1.5 hours away) 7
Thursday:  concert 7
Friday: concert 7
Sat: Recording session 9:15-12:15   concert 7
Sunday: concert 2   concert 7

The Hatzis piece is a Citymusic Cleveland commission and more can be read about it here.  The Pacifica Quartet are really something else to play with and witness.  Excellent musicians and a great thing to be able to share the stage with them

More as the concerts begin,

Allan

[karlhenning]

Splendid, Allan!  (You've met Peter C-L, I think? He's been working with Citymusic, IIRC.)

[toledobass]

Indeed I've met Pete, although he doesn't seems to be working with us this week.

Allan

[karlhenning]

Last I spoke with him, one of his jobs had become full-time, so perhaps that's meant that he's less involved with Citymusic at present . . . .