Archive for the 'Orchestral Playing' Category

Taking Charge

Published on May 30, 2009 in Orchestral Playing, Performances, classical music, columbus symphony orchestra, conductors and live music. 0 Comments Tags: beethoven fifth, betsy sturdevant, george manahan, orli shaham, Randy Hester.

When a capable leader takes charge, he/she doesn’t simply command, but instead leads with experience and integrity.

That’s what George Manahan did tonight with the Columbus Symphony. Neither ego nor excessive choreography were needed for him to impress or convince. He directed tonight’s concert with thoughtful leadership and detailed rendering of the music. And he had a blast while doing so! He’s not over the hill; he’s on top of it.

In the Leonora Overture Opus 72a (1806) of Beethoven, Manahan crafted the opening fragmented Adagio to highlight its neurotic parts rather than trying to mold it into a single mood. The ensuing Allegro emerged from pianissimo into a blinding crescendo using more than just dynamics. In Manahan’s hands, it began hesitantly and gained momentum as it grew in power.

Throughout the rest of the overture, Maestro Manahan encouraged the various and complex moods of Beethoven’s music to evolve, ending with one of the most unbridled Allegros I’ve ever played in that piece.

He then shifted to the role of accompanist with ease in Orli Shaham’s powerful and expressive performance of Beethoven’s 3rd Piano Concerto in C minor, Opus 37.

Ms. Shaham’s rendition of the heart-wrenchingly beautiful second movement Largo indulged its introspective and spiritual beauty. This music of Beethoven must have been created in the spirit of deep love and affection. At least that is the sweet emotion it inspires in me. At times it has the romantic Eastern European flavor of Chopin (which it preceded by decades).

One favorite part of mine in this movement is where the bassoon (Betsy Sturdevant) and flute (Randy Hester) pass off fragments of melody while the piano accompanies with rolling chords. Time seems to stop as the two wind instruments entwine their lines in some heavenly dream.

The rollicking Rondo Allegro last movement contains several potholes which often snag inexperienced conductors, where the orchestra must enter with a strong tutti passage following a blur of notes from the solo piano. Manahan caught them with a sharp eye and ear. (We had a less successful experience with another conductor recently, in a different piano concerto, but the same kind of dicey traps.)

Manahan conducted the Overture and the 5th Symphony from memory. I’m always impressed with this skill, even though these are “war horses” in the symphonic literature.

For the second half, Maestro Manahan drew a fresh and vigorous reading of the most recognizable symphony in the history of music, Beethoven’s Fifth (also in C minor, like the concerto). His confidence on the podium was never forced or strained. He conveyed excitement without tension, just the kind of energy which translates into good playing. After the orchestra relaxed into it, we all trusted his good energy.

In general, he kept the pedal to the metal, bringing out the maniacal rhythmical drive of the music. (Beethoven invented minimalist music WAY before Phillip Glass!) Some conductors will ride the brakes once in awhile to keep the performance civilized. Manahan wasn’t shy about guzzling gas. Nor was he a reckless driver. I suspect his considerable experience behind the wheel has sharpened his judgment for knowing the difference.

The Ohio Theater looked quite full from my view on stage. And they seemed thrilled with the concert.

On a side note- I am happy to say I was playing on a synthetic reed tonight. (a Legere reed, made in Canada) This is the first time I’ve ever done this. And I was quite happy with the result. I also found out that plastic reeds squeak just as well as cane ones! I’ll report more about these in another post.

  • Share/Save/Bookmark

Galactic Transmissions

Published on April 16, 2009 in Clarinet, Musician's Life, Orchestral Playing, classical music, columbus symphony orchestra and conductors. 0 Comments Tags: alondra de la parra, Clarinet, columbus symphony, concerto for orchestra, jennifer higdon, orchestral piece, solo instruments.

Jennifer Higdon’s Concerto for Orchestra, written in 2002, transmits a magical portrait of a large, modern orchestra in a rich variety of colors, textures, rhythms and harmonic density. It seems to hail from an exotic (but friendly) planet across the galaxy, presenting a world both familiar and completely new. During louder passages in our two rehearsals of it thus far, I felt my insides vibrating, happily receiving its fresh and often impish message. The Columbus Symphony will be performing this piece this Saturday and Sunday, April 18 and 19.

Concerto for Orchestra is deftly orchestrated, as it should be, with lots of idiomatic writing for solo instruments and sections, in a playful style and form strongly reminiscent of Bela Bartok’s iconic masterpiece of the same name.

Higdon’s harmonic language uses whole tone scales mixed with modes to create a French sounding effervescence, and also infusing a magical quality into the music. She uses this mercurial lightness to great extent in almost rapturous passages which sound inspired by the orchestral music of Olivier Messiaen, another other worldly composer. She even indicates “mystical” and (in rehearsal today) “magical” for the style of the third movement. Many of the themes are hauntingly alluring.

Dissonances are so richly textured that they become simply dense colors rather than “wrong” sounding notes. Tonal melody can be heard through this thick haze of notes, but often only vaguely. Yet, despite the density of sound, balance is not much of an issue, an indicator of effective orchestral writing. Also, though fairly difficult music to play, it does not come across as a struggle for anyone in the orchestra.

Though much of the five movement work uses strong, repeated rhythms, either alone or under melodies and counterpoint, many intimate ensemble passages convey a jazzy freedom. In such cases, each part seems to have a mind of its own, chatting with and around the others.

Technically, the first movement has one passage written into the stratosphere of the clarinet range. I’ve never played a double high C in an orchestral piece. (I have played Ginastera Danses Concertantes on C clarinet, which then goes up to a double high B)

But the writing is such that it’s not unnatural to go up that high. The fingerings came somewhat easily (we often have to invent fingerings that high), and the style of this particular lick, a sfumando run, up in smoke, lends itself to the vagueness of such high writing. (Tuning up there often involves some luck.) Yet, since the flutes are also playing in the same range, the passage is not damaged by playing it down an octave, which I think the Atlanta Symphony did in their recording.

Overall, I am enjoying getting to know this relatively new work for orchestra. It is a nice balance of challenge and reward.

The young and highly touted conductor from Mexico, Alondra de la Parra has done well putting this all together so far, rehearsing intricate spots and transitional passages enough to give them a comfortable feel. Maestra de la Parra seems to understand the effervescent requirements of Higdon’s music, and is choosing tempos to that effect, though there were occasions where her intentions did not translate into effective stick commands. Overall, this young conductor seems unhindered by the masculine tradition of conductors, and her dynamism and verve on the podium convey a natural excitement for the music.

  • Share/Save/Bookmark

Bragging Rights

Published on April 11, 2009 in Orchestral Playing, Performances, classical music, columbus symphony orchestra and conductors. 0 Comments Tags: debussy, harnoncourt, jennifer parker harley, musical interpretation, performance practices, rehearsals, tempos, woodwind player, woodwind section.

A few days ago I was thinking of writing a post on how difficult it is for a good orchestra to maintain its “chops” when performing “real” music only 8-10 weeks in a season. But I would have been wrong.

Tonight’s concert of Frank, Debussy and Ravel was a stunning performance. Last night was good, but tonight was 15% better.

Much of tonight’s success is due to Maestro Fischer’s vivid reading of the scores and his excellent preparation of the orchestra during rehearsals. Also, there was some “je ne sais quois”, perhaps a bit more trust of us, or of himself.

Whatever the reason, a great performance boils down to excellent players tuning themselves to the highest standards; to laser focus, to subtle cooperation and an almost clairvoyant sense of timing. None of this was lost on Maestro Fischer, who let us breathe together and taper note endings, sensing that our ability in those areas did not require over-control on his part.

I like Thierry Fischer’s tempos. As a woodwind player, he knows we (woodwind and brass players) only have so much breath. His airy tempos were a bit more organic tonight, flexing here and there to allow just a touch of whimsy.

Yet his overall interpretation stuck to the score with adamant focus. Fischer’s style follows the radical tradition of Nikolaus Harnoncourt, who re-invented classical musical interpretation by harking back to historical performance practices based on extensive research. (When I first heard Harnoncourt’s Beethoven 9 symphonies, it was like hearing them for the first time; the fresh vigor of the music had been restored from the creaky, wheezy, over-interpreted traditions of the 60-70’s.)

On a side note, it was a pleasure to have the woodwind section “whole” again after so many months of lacking several key players. Notably, Jennifer Parker-Harley was back in town this week to play second flute. It was good to have the team together to play again, even if only for one program.

  • Share/Save/Bookmark

Jahja Ling and Ax promise depth

Published on March 19, 2009 in Orchestral Playing, columbus symphony orchestra, conductors and live music. 1 Comment Tags: brahms, cleveland orchestra, concerts, dvorak, emmanuel ax, jahja ling, melodies, orchestras, rehearsals.

Our rehearsals with Jahja Ling this week have been very satisfying. He brings with him a wealth of experience from working with one of the world’s great orchestras, the Cleveland Orchestra.

Under Ling’s steady wings, we should be able to fly as a stable flock while piloting Dvorak 8th in G Major and Brahms 2nd Piano Concert in Bb.

Ling has an uncanny system for creating a natural interpretation of the music: He takes the piece apart and shows us how it fits together and why. With the details in place, the music begins to breathe and flow and our awareness as performers is highly tuned.

I don’t mean the larger abstract shape of the music as much as the mechanics, the nuts and bolts of the score, critical transitional or pivotal points to keep the music flowing such as balance between sections to let inner melodies shine, rhythmic patterns which reach across the orchestra’s sections and need to be consistent, and melodic shapes which affect all sections at different times.

Emanuel Ax is his usual self: incredibly accomplished and genuinely modest, also famous for not wanting to over-rehearse! He likes to keep the freedom in the performance. Of course, with him at the keyboard, live is usually better than any rehearsal. (He has also donated his fees back to the orchestra to support us)

Concerts Friday and Saturday, March 20 and 21st at 8PM in the Ohio Theater. Click HERE for tickets.

  • Share/Save/Bookmark

Alive with Music

Published on July 27, 2008 in Musician's Life, Orchestral Playing, Performances and The Music. 0 Comments Tags: clarinetist, columbus symphony, jazz and rib fest, live classical music, live music, live performance, metronome, mozart clarinet concerto, music director, music performances, music recordings, orchestras, robert marcellus, siciliani.

OK, so I go for the corny, million dollar phrases, but the title Alive with Music captures so much of what we strive for as musicians. Over the past half century, recordings have both stimulated and undermined the popularity of live classical music. On the one hand, recorded music allows ready access and exposure to music by those who might not have had the opportunity to hear much. I could ask myself, “Would I have become a clarinetist if I hadn’t fatefully heard that recording of Robert Marcellus playing the Mozart Clarinet Concerto?”

However, recordings also create a false standard for live music performances. Current technology allows for recordings to be edited down to the level of single notes, so it is possible for all flaws to be removed from almost any recording before it is released. Granted, the music is still performed by live orchestras, but the drama of the moment, with close calls, near misses, and belly flops, has been removed to be replaced by the security of artificial perfection by correction. (I wrote an article about this subject saeveral years ago, called Music Recordings Byte Reality.)

What I am trying to say is this. Though the music may be the same, the difference between a live performance and a recording is as apples are to oranges.

Tonight, the musicians of the Columbus Symphony had a triumphant performance in Vets Memorial Auditorium. The crowd of at least 2000 swarmed in late, with many people caught in the snarled traffic jam involving the Jazz and Rib Fest., which shared parking lots with our event. Even our conductor’s arrival at the hall was delayed by the traffic. One supporter friend emailed me after the performance telling me they were turned away for parking and missed the concert.

The conductor for tonight’s concert was Alessandro Siciliani, who was Music Director of the Columbus Symphony for 12 years. He certainly has an avid following, and the electricity of a live performance is most definitely enhanced by the audience in attendance. Tonight, the repeated standing ovations signaled their adoration for him, and for us through him. Maestro Alessandro had no trouble living up to his reputation in his performance, both with the orchestra and his adoring fans.

His tempos were characteristically exciting and very, very flexible; something akin to riding fast on a rubber roller coaster, most assuredly an exhilarating ride. Yet, despite the musician’s occasional discomfort, something exudes from a performance with “Big Al” which could never happen again, ever. Each moment is unique, and something to be cherished as it passes forever into oblivion. And the audiences of Columbus tune into that energy, as if it’s something they have needed to feel for a long time, to be reminded of the preciousness (and excitement) of the moment.

The musicians of the Symphony were proud to have members of the Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati orchestra in our midst tonight, creating a new level of attention and freshness to our playing. Those orchestras in turn are showing their respect for us as a world class musical group by their willingness to play music with us. Again, the unique spirit of this performance will never be recreated.

As an encore, Alessandro wanted to play the entire last movement of the Dvorak 8th symphony we had just played. We tried to start a murmuring revolt, repeating a rehearsal number near the end, which would allow us all to play just the last page. After all, we were tired! But Al persisted, and we played the whole last movement again. And, much as I hate to admit it, I ENJOYED doing it a second time. It gave me a chance to squeeze a little more emotion out of every note. The orchestra sounded fantastic both times, but even more free and spirited the second. That’s something a recording can’t do.

One inside story needs to be shared. During Rossini’s Overture to the Italian Girl in Algiers, someone’s metronome (a clicking device to assist with rhythm practice) somehow clicked on in their case, during the middle of the performance. We were all very busy with lots of notes, and no one had time to search nearby bags and cases to locate the rogue metronome. The thing is, the beat of the clicking device was much, much slower than the piece we were playing. There was something comical about this lazy, summer-night-rhythm ticking away blandly in contrast with the flurry of hurried activity going on the woodwinds (where the metronome was centered). The little thing just happily clicked it’s laid back tempo until the end of the piece. I offer commendations to those woodwind players who had to play difficult, rhythmic solos to play while this lazy beat persisted in the background.

Ah, there’s nothing quite like a live performance of music, or I should say a performance “alive with music”.

  • Share/Save/Bookmark

Saturday’s Spectacular Concert

Published on July 14, 2008 in Behind the Scenes, Musician's Life, Orchestral Playing, Our Supporters and Performances. 0 Comments Tags: applause, columbus symphony, concerts committee, conductors, david edge, lima company, memorial auditorium, morales.


It’s amazing what a group of people can do in a short time when they put their collective mind to it. In the past two weeks the musicians, shut out by their own board and management, went into action and self-produced two concerts, a family concert Friday and a tour de force Saturday in Vets Memorial Auditorium.

Ten days ago we didn’t even know who the conductors would be. Nor did we know where we would get stands and chairs, or who would be generous enough to let us borrow the music we needed. We didn’t have a way to sell tickets, or a box office of any sort. We had no stage crew, and no insurance for the concerts in case someone got injured. Boy, did we learn fast!

With the untiring focus of our “concerts committee”, formed of a dozen or so musicians from the orchestra, the concerts seemed to take shape out of thin air. As I read the email reports, I offered to help, and became involved with centralizing the coordination of volunteers. When Donna Gerhold of the Women’s Association of the CSO, emailed me offering to help, I seized on the opportunity. A few days later, I phoned my friend Jayne Gocken to ask if she would volunteer. Jayne used to run the Granville Symphony, and so has a lot experience working the front of the auditorium as the audience arrives. She jumped on it and shot off a list of questions to me which lead to some very useful outcomes, such as passing clipboards around to gather contact information from supporters so we can notify them of future events.

After one orchestra meeting, David Edge, a violinist in the orchestra, offered to go to Staples to buy the clipboards and lined paper for the signup lists. That was the day before the first concert. Things seemed to fall into place.

The concert itself went very smoothly, with E.J. Thomas as MC introducing each piece from the podium, with Jaime Morales-Matos leading the orchestra through vigorous and exciting tempos, with the heart-felt ceremonial presentation of a plaque from the Musicians of the Columbus Symphony to Marines from the Lima Company for proud service to their country, down to the excited applause between each piece and at the end.

Several musicians commented that the acoustics were not as bad as we remembered it, having rehearsed there for some Picnic with the Pops events. If we could move forward on the stage, toward the audience, the hall would fill with our music even better. The reverb (sound feedback from the hall) was not bad, a bit harsh, but better than the Ohio Theater. The stage of Vets Memorial is also suitably wide to allow the orchestra to spread out, which is the normal configuration for orchestras allowing more of the sound to get off the stage. (Unlike the box shape of the Ohio Theater stage, which bounces much of the sound back into the orchestra, rather than out to the audience. In other words, the Ohio Theater doesn’t give the patron their money’s worth.)

Considering the cavernous size of the auditorium (3600 seats) and a week’s notice for publicity, we had a good crowd, over 1500. Just think what will happen when we REALLY plan it ahead and have learned from this experience. I hope you are able to join us for our next thrilling concert!

  • Share/Save/Bookmark

Junich Hirokami’s Gift to Columbus

Published on May 28, 2008 in Behind the Scenes, Musician's Life, Orchestral Playing and Personal. 0 Comments Tags: alessandro siciliani, badea, chamber orchestra, columbus symphony, evan whallon, great spirit, junichi hirokami, music director, music directors, orchestras, saito, seiji ozawa, szell.

Ken Matsuda (CSO viola) sent this notice from Japanese news about Junichi.

Junichi Hirokami will be conducting the Mito Chamber Orchestra in Japan this week, May 28, 29, and 30 as a last minute replacement for the ailing Seiji Ozawa. Ozawa (72) has been suffering from a herniated disk and has been told it will take a month to recover.

Hirokami (50) was personally asked by Seiji to replace him. Since Hirokami’s success at the Saito Kinen Festival last year, Seiji Ozawa has complete trust in Junichi.

In all the hullabaloo over whether the Columbus Symphony will survive, we have all but forgotten the great spirit which unites us musically and in politic: Junichi Hirokami. I don’t know if Columbus realizes (yet) what a gift we have. I hope it’s not too late.

This very subject came up last night in a phone conversation with a close colleague, who mentioned Junichi’s vital importance to us as an orchestra.

Orchestras do not become truly great until they have a unifying direction, either from a music director, or in some cases with older orchestras, a unifying tradition. Examples of the latter include Cleveland, whose tradition was formed by Szell, and Berlin, by Karajan.

The Columbus Symphony has been built over several generations by 4 music directors; Evan Whallon, Christian Badea, Alessandro Siciliani and now Junichi Hirokami.

Junichi is the perfect match for the abilities and experience of the Columbus Symphony. From past music directors we gained such skills as discipline and flexibility. Now we are poised for the next step, gelling into the cohesive power of one instrument.

Junichi’s temperament is particularly suited in our case, since discipline and flexibility alone do not make a great orchestra. We need a musical “light” to direct all our various (and individually valid) intentions toward a common goal of one voice. His gentle and charismatic character coaxes us to higher planes of musical detail, with greater coordination and cooperation among our different personalities. This kind of unifying direction is not only Junichi’s gift; it is also a result of our match with him.

As he has said more times than I can remember, he “chose” us because he saw what we could do, and knew he could do it for us. I am only just beginning to believe him. Musicians learn to expect less, being perfectionists disillusioned by an all too imperfect world. Our ideals are not snobbery, but reflect our desire to over-achieve and exceed expectations. We are our own worst enemies at times. But with the right spirit to guide us, we will gladly reach far beyond our normal capabilities. That’s when a simple performance can become a revelation for all present.

Are you curious as to how we might sound after a few more years with Junichi? After all, many of you heard us with Maestro Hirokami in the past few months, and I believe most of you heard a difference. Already, in two years, we have grown immeasurably as an orchestra.

I am eternally optimistic that the “body politic” will hold sway when the intentions of all individuals are focused on the same goal. This not only applies to orchestras, but to cities as well.

Don’t settle for less. Demand what is rightly yours: an orchestra led to greatness by a perfect match with the gifted and beloved Junichi Hirokami.

  • Share/Save/Bookmark
SEO Powered by Platinum SEO from Techblissonline