What Allan is playing

[karlhenning]

In all seriousness, best of luck.

Best of luck, whether of the serious variety or other!

[Cato]

Speaking of "classes" of musicians, I have wondered recently if world-class musicians, like athletes, do not possess that special type of muscle, which has been reported on recently.  Its called either fast-twitch or quick-twitch muscle, and apparently a very small percentage of the population has this, which is what makes "world-class" a rare group.

[karlhenning]

And this frightfully unearthed a long-buried memory . . . an Elvis-like character on The Flintstones whose dance specialty was The Twitch . . . .

[Cato]

And this frightfully unearthed a long-buried memory . . . an Elvis-like character on The Flintstones whose dance specialty was The Twitch . . . .

Nooooo   

Well, at least you didn't bring up The Great Gazoo!   


Anyway, to be more specific, everyone has "fast-twitch" muscle to some degree: the top athletes - and maybe musicians I would think - have more of it than ordinary mortals.

[Bogey]

And this frightfully unearthed a long-buried memory . . . an Elvis-like character on The Flintstones whose dance specialty was The Twitch . . . .

[M forever]

Beating M to the punch,  I play the wrong bow to be in that orchestra, Bogey (nevermind that I'm not that class of player either).

Allan

You are auditioning in Berlin? Which orchestra (there are 8 in total)? Seriously now, without picking on you, you have to be aware that if you walk onstage with the French bow in Germany, your audition is over, no matter what somebody may have told you. This is not to discourage you, it's just a cold hard fact of life. It is just not possible to make the kind of sound they want with the French bow. Plus you have to be aware that if you audition for any German orchestra, you *have* to play on a 5-string bass. Not during the audition, but it is generally required when you play in the orchestra and some may actually make you play orchestral excerpts on a 5-string bass during the last round in auditions. That doesn't happen too often, but sometimes they do that spontaneously, especially when there are several very good candidates and they can't make up their minds, they just give them a 5-string bass and have them play the usual suspects like Beethoven 9 - finale, Beethoven 5 - scherzo (this is where your audition with a French bow would end in any case even if they let you play because they typically want that martellato with the bow hammering on the string from 2-3 inches above the string), Mozart 40, Heldenleben, Zarathustra etcetc, if it's an opera orchestra they often like to hear some of the typical opera excerpts like Figaro, Zauberflöte, Bartered Bride, Otello, a lot from Wagner and Strauss operas (esp. some of those nasty high passages from Salomé), and you typically get no more than a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the instrument.
Again, all that just as information, not to discourage you!!!

[toledobass]

Don't worry M, I do know that, that's why I told Bogey I play the wrong bow to play in Berlin.  I think you'd have to be pretty clueless to show up for an audition in Berlin with a french bow. 

Allan       

[M forever]

Oh, I see. I didn't get that. A lot of Americans audition in Germany because the the pay and working conditions for musicians are much better than with most orchestras here, so that wouldn't be so unusual (although off the top of my head I can only think of one American bass player in the orchestras in Berlin). So, where are you auditioning, if you don't mind telling us. And what program and excerpts do you have to play?

[toledobass]

Pittsburgh....here's the audition repertoire list

Allan

[M forever]

What is the "solo piece of your own choice"?

[toledobass]

I think one of the most recent spots in Berlin is being filled by someone who did his training at Curtis.  I don't think he's an American though.  If I remember correctly, he's been serving as acting principal in Minnesota.

My other solo is the Koussevitzky first movement.

Allan

[Cato]

I think one of the most recent spots in Berlin is being filled by someone who did his training at Curtis.  I don't think he's an American though.  If I remember correctly, he's been serving as acting principal in Minnesota.

My other solo is the Koussevitzky first movement.

Allan

Aha!  I was wondering about that!  It remains dominant in the field?  (by default?)

[M forever]

I think one of the most recent spots in Berlin is being filled by someone who did his training at Curtis.  I don't think he's an American though.

Which orchestra in Berlin? I remember Slawomir Grenda, a very good Polish player who was principal in the Staatskapelle Berlin for a while and then took the same position with the Münchner Philharmoniker studied at the Peabody Conservatory (before that, in Warsaw), but I don't remember with whom.

My other solo is the Koussevitzky first movement.

Do people here also play Dittersdorf and Vanhal sometimes? Dittersdorf used to "the" classical standard piece for auditions in Germany, but more and more people now play Vanhal. More and more people also play Bottesini (b minor) instead of Koussevitzky now, mostly because it is technically more difficult, I guess. I personally like Koussevitzky much better though.

[toledobass]

Which orchestra in Berlin? I remember Slawomir Grenda, a very good Polish player who was principal in the Staatskapelle Berlin for a while and then took the same position with the Münchner Philharmoniker studied at the Peabody Conservatory (before that, in Warsaw), but I don't remember with whom.

Do people here also play Dittersdorf and Vanhal sometimes? Dittersdorf used to "the" classical standard piece for auditions in Germany, but more and more people now play Vanhal. More and more people also play Bottesini (b minor) instead of Koussevitzky now, mostly because it is technically more difficult, I guess. I personally like Koussevitzky much better though.

I thought it was Berliner Philharmoniker, but maybe I have my info wrong.  Fora Baltacigil is his name....does that ring a bell for you? 

I saw Slawomir Grenda play a monster recital many years ago.  He played Beethoven A major op 69 Cello Sonata and The Chopin Cello sonata and a few filler pieces that I can't recall.  I have the program in my storage unit.  His wife was his accompanists.  That was really something.  I've also heard a tape of his degree recital that he gave at Peabody and that was astounding as well.  He played the Bach D major Gamba sonata and I remember thinking how good it was then realizing it was also mostly being played at the original octave.  He studied with Hal Robinson at Peabody while Hal was still Principal of the National Symphony.  Hal's now teaching at Curtis and principal of Philly.

The same thing is happening with concerti choices here in the States.  Vanhal has taken the place of Dittersdorf and people basically are choosing between that, the Bottesini and the Koussevitzky.  While the Dittersdorf, and perhaps even 'Dragonetti', are still sometimes offered as choices, I can't remember the last time I heard anyone play those in an audition situation.

Allan 

[M forever]

No, I have no idea who that is. I have been out of the "scene" for quite a while now, and I don't really follow who is playing where and what anymore. I don't think there will be a position open in the BP for a number of years now (unless somebody leaves or something happens which we don't hope of course). But, like I said, there are 8 permanent orchestras in Berlin, one of them (Berliner Symphoniker) is kind of like a smaller "regional" orchestra which plays "popular" programs and gives a lot of concerts in the suburban areas, but the other 7 (4 concert or radio, 3 opera) are all fullsize (typically 10 bass players although the BP have 11 and 2 interns at any time) and most of them are also very high level (esp. the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester and the Staatskapelle, but the other ones can be very good, too). So he could also have landed in any of these.

[toledobass]

A'ight folks,

I'm getting a late start on writing about the season. Sorry 'bout that, if anyone actually reads this. We just finished our second subscription in Toledo.  Gunther Herbig was our guest conductor and it was an absolute pleasure to work with him.  He brought a lifetime of experience with him and some deeply thought ideas that led me to repect the man at the highest level.  It's not often I get to work with a conductor of his sort.  He's intensely musical with none of the over the top musical theatrics so often found in the halls these days. 

The program was Takamitsu's Requiem and Frank Martin's Concerto for 7 winds, percussion and strings on the first half and The Pathetique for the second half.

Here is a preview and review, both of which are very much in line with how I experienced the week.

Blade preview
Blade review

Allan

[toledobass]

I thought it was Berliner Philharmoniker, but maybe I have my info wrong.  Fora Baltacigil is his name....does that ring a bell for you? 


Allan 

Regarding my thinking that he was going to the BP, the info is in fact wrong. 

[M forever]

Googling that name reveals that he is in fact playing in the Minnesota Orchestra. You may have thought of Nabhil Shehata who has a similarly "exotic" name (he is from Kuwait) and who was principal of the Staatskapelle Berlin and then for three years one of the principals of the BP. He is now a professor in Munich. But he didn't study at Curtis or indeed anywhere in the US.

[toledobass]

Googling that name reveals that he is in fact playing in the Minnesota Orchestra. You may have thought of Nabhil Shehata who has a similarly "exotic" name (he is from Kuwait) and who was principal of the Staatskapelle Berlin and then for three years one of the principals of the BP. He is now a professor in Munich. But he didn't study at Curtis or indeed anywhere in the US.

M,

Did you ever get to work with or see Gunther Herbig while you were still in Germany?

Allan

[M forever]

No, never. I think he mostly worked in East Germany and then took off in the 70s or 80s. I know he studied at the same music school I did (Franz Liszt Academy Weimar) and he also worked at the German National Theater there and with the Staatskapelle Weimar in which I played for a while, but that was decades before my time.