(no subject)
SWE REHEARSAL NOTES 1/26/04
Adams, Kabalevsky, Lauridsen, Schoenberg
Adams
- woodblock, sorry, but it really IS too loud... I like the tone -
it just needs to sound a bit more distant. (it sounds like a
beautifully played woodblock concerto :-)
- m.13 more tbn 1 and 3 when you add new pitches
- m. 15 brass this doesn't sound as crisp as the previous bars. Hns
be sure to match tpts.
- m.17 brass on 4th quarter of bar we finally land on D major and
this needs to be a little more gratifying (stronger - really resonate
the harmony)
- m.23 brass cresc as a section - really listen.
- Brass make accented notes stronger 24 -26 and really strong on sfzs
- brass m.29 on dim we lose clarity of artic on dim. (it actually
sounds legato.)
- m.33 make accents STRONGER without changing their character or quality-
- wws with nasty stuff starting at 36: you may feel a bit helpless
in here, but the good news is that your highest notes are clear.
What I would say is to make sure your playing with really clar
articulation (at this speed you don't need to think about stacc -
just really articulate), whenever you start your figure again on a
beat accent that note, don't spend a lot of energy trying to get the
low notes to project (won't happen) , let high notes really pop out
like it's a xylophone.
- m37 brass in this rhythmic sequence (dottedquarter/eighth/quarter)
the last quarter is often not SHORT enough so the figure sounds
labored. the other issue with this "scherzo rhythm" is to allow the
dynamic to recede a bit after each dotted quarter.
- tbns 48 etc quarters are too long too match tpts.
- m52 melody people this rhythm has to be played with more dynamic
shading - it sounds labored since there's no decay. Last note of m.
52 is too long. All quarters that preced a dotted quarter are too
long. (almost all quarters are too long, esp in mid voices) All
notes that follow a dotted quarter are too LOUD.
- all at 71 - after we play the triplets we are slow on the
quarter/half rhythm. We'll deal with this together, but make sure
that you're ready to move. More on SFZs please.
- all - our time is pretty good until 70-71 (late off quarter rest)
and then late to first sfz.
- perc help keep us moving 74 - 79
- keyboards 79-80 is all about you! this sounds great.
- 82 bass line it sounds like the first note spreads and then we have
to recover from that and really begin our line with the second note.
In some voice it sounds like the first note of each pair is longer
than the second note. Probably it's just not quite together, but
listen and see what you think.
- added mallets it sounds like I really hear you a lot in 88-89 and
then you disappear. I'd like to hear you all the time, just with
less obtrusive mallets. (plenty of volume and clarity but more blend
with the ensemble.... since your part doesn't really exist )
- bass line pitch is pretty good - listen for G in 96
- bass line 101-115 keep kicking out the low notes.
- timp see what you think about the eighth note pairs in here and tell
me what you think will make it more clear.
- more tbn 3 and 4 124 etc on low cs.
101 etc people with shots more of: cornet 2, altos. especially more
cornet 2 in m.117 (support first)
- cornets (esp 2) m.120 think of the last quarter as an upbeat to
next bar and kick it (the tpts and first cornet don't play this beat)
right now the bottom drops out of the sound/energy there.
- all m.120 if you play last quarter of the bar it needs to be much
shorter, much louder, and played as an upbeat to next bar.
- wws with sixteenths 124- 130 when these are on (which is most of
the time) they are spectacular! Just hang in there and make sure
both notes speak when you have several pairs in close succession.
- brass, fls,obs eb, clars, saxes the sfz in 130 and following
accents need to be more of a contrast to the notes that DON'T have
the accents. (let unaccented notes be a touch less.)
- I totally love the tamtam in 132!
- whoa tpts! we had an allstate band accent m. 143 on the D concert!
- hns m.154 take a good breath before the G concert and play that G
like you mean business. I think that G is the predictor of this
whole big line (which goes to the f concert in 157; the highpoint is
the Eb, but it GOES to the f)
- bass line 155 dynamically leads all the way to 158.
- tpts 151-153 too accented. Make this smoother so when you really
have accents they make a nice contrast.
- sus cym the roll into 158 was terrific, the one into165 needs to be
as good. Is this the cymbal we'll be using now? (Mr. Burritt's
extra special sizzle cymbal?)
- tbn 1 and 2 let's put a little accent on your entrance at 166.
- xylo listen and see what you think about your dynamics. I like the
peaks, but don't want to completely lose you on the softer spots
(like m.174 I couldn't hear you at all).
Kabalevsky
- 4th of 1 clarinets with eighths start louder and with an accent on
the downbeat.
- tpts 2 before 6 more of lower voices.
- s.d. at 8 the first note spoke late. I REALLY NEED TO KNOW that
percussion will be ideal time-keepers on everything.
- 2 before 9 tpts, tbns, and timp start ff and cresc. (it sounds mp - mf)
- rehearsal 12 - rehearsal 13 less tbn 1, and flugels. SAME AT reh. 42!
- perc what is going on after 15???????? I'm hearing flams all over
the place in mallets. Tighten this up. (see note above about being
ideal time-keepers :-)
- hns on cresc before 18 don't arrive at your peak early and stay
there. Keep it coming until the downbeat of 18.
- 19 horns and tambourine we need more stability/solidity from you.
the figure almost sounds like it's drifting into a compoud feel with
the eighths starting late. Try putting a bit of accent on the first
eighth of each pair so you really ANNOY everyone else with your
excellent time.
- more harp 4 before 21 etc. (just go ahead and play forte)
- Timp I don't hear your rhythm as clearly as i'd like at reh. 22.
Listen and tell me what you think might help this.
- 4 before 23- 23 slows down. Jump in on your entrances here.
- reh.24 low brass SUPERB. now just help me a bit with the tempo by
driving through the halfnote bars a bit.
- 24-25 wws: are you really, truly, honestly play FFF here? If so,
never mind. You should play like you're a bit fed up with the brass.
- hn1, flugel, e hn. I'll take a few minutes with your line at 27 on
Wed, but you may need to huddle on this outside of rehearsal.
- clars and saxes - good news! no real need to sweat 4 before 29 -
do what you can, but this is never going to be real exposed.
- saxes at 30 - EXCELLENT!!!! you are carrying this transition - way to go!
- hns, tpt 2 and 3, euphs 31 we're losing the last note (sometimes
the last 2) of every bar. It might help to play this figure as if
the eighths are moving to a (make believe) quarternote on the next
downbeat.
- ALL at Presto before 35 -35 look at your dynamic contrasts! This
is all coming out mf.
- tpts when you enter at 35 join us in time. This is potentially
very dangerous (listen to runthrough recording.) Also at 36 keep an
ear on the xylo - it's really easy for you take off here.
- tpts second of 37 you are mp (melody is F) - stay underneath.
- reh.39 tpts, tbns, tuba, kb, bari sax and tambourine more
aggressive. Don't play like accompaniment play like time keepers.
- 2 before 39 tpts and tbns more - start F and cresc.
- ALL getting from 2 before 39 into 39 there is a time lag between
the brass cadence (which ends on the downbeat one before 39) and
wws/euphs/xylo playing upbeats to 39. We lost 10 beats a minute
right there!!!!!!! fix this easily with a friendly arrow pointing
forward.
- reh.43-44 more of hns, tpt 2 and 3 an tbn 3 and 4 on eighth notes.
- clar duo at reh.46 and oboe duo at 48 - play this together VERY
SLOWLY so you hear how the lines weave together and so it's all in
tune. Play these as beautiful solo duos together - I'll conduct the
accompaniment.
- timp easy at 47
- OKAY, hns and tpts 46 - 52 is a new adventure every time. The
harsh truth is this: If we're playing the percentages that means
you'll miss this in the performance. Please convince yourself (and
me) that this is going to be a part of the piece to look forward to
because, the style, harmony, articulation, and intonation will be
really great. Have high expectations.
- If you play an isolated quarter note at Reh. 52 or reh.53 or the
next few bars you need to match the sound/attack of the xylo who
plays one bar before 52 and again 1 bar before 53.
- euphs after 53 - FANTASTIC!!!! (sadly we were under tempo, but I'm
sure you'll be equally good a bit faster!)
- reh.54 tbn 3 and 4 did you play? if you did, it'll need to be
more. If you didn't, it'll need to be more. (sorry, punchy)
- tbns/euphs be sure to join us after 54.
- hns at reh.55 let eighthnote upbeats lead more to the downbeat
that follows. (more direction will help the rest of the group feel
the pulse.)
- bass folks at reh.56 - WOW, VERY scary half-steps here......
- 57 halfnote people need hotter accents/faster decay
- 57 more harp.
Lauridsen
- hn 1 it's great when you're a little stronger at beginning. Then
do a dim in 3 (so we can hear melody0 and back up for quarters in 4.
- more hn1 on quarters in 5, tenor a little less.
- hn1 make sure we hear your third quarter clearly in 9.
- m.9 bari sax,tbn2, 3 and euphs are all scored together starting on
Ab halfnote. play softer.
- clar 2 and alto 2 m.16 warm tone on b.4 when you make tiny
dissonance with melody. also be sure you're a little softer than the
melody.
- 14 - 16 everyone WITHOUT melody needs to be softer.
- m. 18 all - we need to clearly speak the rhythm of these two halfnotes.
- m. 18 people play the Eb concert be sure to shape decay on fermata
with melody voice who is a wholestep above you.
- tpt 1 m19 - this line belongs to you. forget the p marking and own the line.
- tpt 1 smooth slur in 26 to Eb
- alto 1 a bit more in 23
- alto 2 a bit more (responding to alto 1 the bar before) in 24.
- 32-34 everyone withOUT melody needs to be softer.
- clar 1 in 41 you're playing a halfnote followed by a quarter rest
now. I know you need to breathe, but do it in an eighth. (You guys
were having a rough day intonation-wise. I am optimistic for next
time!)
- m.45fl1, ob 1, tpt 1 please be sure not to go sharp on slur from Eb to F.
- here's an aside: it is 10:10 pm and I am truly moved by 46! Wow,
lower group sustaining the long note is gorgeous, rich, amazing.
Beautiful descant, Horns beautiful. What a highlight.
meanwhile.....
- we all need to navigate getting back into the a tempo on b. 4 of 51
more effectively.
- m.55 anyone with a half to quarter must move together and more
smoothly. There's a lot of clunking going on here.
- tpt 1 at 56 - SWEET!
- Fl1, ob 1, clar 1 and tpt 1 here's the picky truth: when we're F
the balance/blend is different than when we do the dim (i.e. 56-58) -
listen for this on the recording. I love the blend when the tpt is
dominant. If everyone could do more dim and tpt 1 could do a little
less dim, I think we can maintain the color consistency here. (does
this make sense? If it doesn''t, please ask me!)
- hn 1,2, alto 1, clar 3 more air between notes 56-57.
- upbeat to 59 Hn 1 should dominate melody (on the recording alto
dominated, all saxes were too loud here.)
- hn 1 smooth slur down in 62.
- hn 1 m. 71 it sounds like your F is a tiny bit sharp for
voiceleading to next Eb
- euphs need to be MUCH softer at 71 - if you listen to the recording
you'll hear that you're dominating and you don't have the lead
melodic voice. If we need to do one only here, you decide.
- hn1 after your solo 69-70 you're still the lead melodic voice. In
71, be the voice that the rest of the brass listen for.
- tbn 2,3, and tuba as smooth as possible from second to last note to
last fermata.
- ALL: there are a lot of random, very irritating noises in this
recording which I can't identify. Listen for them in 28, 36,37,
42,43, 54, 55,61, 68 - could have been folks in the hall, but we need
to be sure that we don't accidentally ruin a good take with some foot
shifting!
Schoenberg
- 3 oboes and clars make sure we can hear the end of the bar resolving to the A
- 6 softer tuba, much softer euphs
- 6 firm attack halfnote on b.2. In 7 when you have eighths make
them very firm!
- 7 and 8 all with eighths - think of them as being deliberate and important.
- more b clar in 10.
- bsns m.11 don't sneak into that C# octave!
- wws we need to be in tune in 11 on beginning of b.3, not sliding
into the pitch just before you release. that bar is f# minor going
to C# minor.
- timp m.13 start a little softer.
- fls, picc, oboes m. 16-17 you're supposed to start f and cresc. 17
need to be stronger and firmly articulated.
- All: 18 is mf, 19 is p. This should be a pretty good contrast!
- 19 basset too much. be sure to blend with other clars.
- 20 more bsn 2!!!!
- cornets m 24 MORE dolce, espressivo.
- 24 tubas softer.
- 26 all with eighthnote on downbeat give it a bit more emphasis,
it's getting swallowed up.
- 28 hns and tpts start forte.
- tbn 2 and 3 m. 30: start louder, play faster, and be more
articulate - it's too legato. You played this really well when we
rehearsed it before.....
- cornet and tpt 2 more cresc 34-35. You HAVE to get to forte.
- clars and oboes 37 is quite good, but you're not projecting the
last note (downbeat of 38)
- tpt 1 in this variation when you have the main motive ( m. 22 and
m.35) that articulation IS NOT:
"ta-DA, ta-dut, ta-dut" all t's please.
- 39 wws with triplets cresc a touch.
- 42 euph/baritone: it doesn't seem like you're really playing your
rhythms so they fit with each other. Euph moves ON b.2 and baritone
moves off of a tie on b.2 - right now it sounds like you're sort of
playing the same rhythm, but not together. Make the independent
rhythms intentional and play your parts precisely a la chamber music.
- tpts 43 it sounds like you're getting to the second note late.
- 43 etc. bsns and b clar start soft, cresc, but make sure the note
speaks on time and provides help to the pulse of the variation.
- 44 glock too loud. We need a gentler sounding mallet. This is a
bit too bright.
- 46 clar 1 and 2 - please play this the way we've rehearsed it!!!!
it needs more personality.
- tpts intonation m. 55 b.3
- tuba gentler upbeat to 64
- 67 tpts less.
- clars at 63 and 67 it seems like you're "testing" for intonation
before you commit to the dynamic. This needs to be strong from the
beginning.
- tubas more contrast from p in 69 to mf in 71
- clars in 88, you need to match the energy of the saxes at the
beginning of this variation. p sounds timid.
- 89 bari sax espressivo to b.3. (you're the only one that plays all
the beats in this bar and you need to connect us.)
- m.92 tubas and euph gentler attack, smoother descending slur and softer.
- 95 clars and basset don't let timbre change on cresc.
- 97 flutes longer downbeat.
- 97 tubas write cue in your part for what euph has.
- 96 clars a little more on eighths.
- 98 baritone it seems like you're a little late off of b.2 on
entrance. Cue in your part what cornets have in 98 so you respond to
them.
- 104 euph a little more from you on this octave slur will help the
tubas to sound less obtrusive in the next bar.
- 105 tubas a smoother octave slur.
- clar 1 in 104 smoother slur from Eb to C concert.
- All: Waltz was a disaster. Since it is so fragmented at start
it's really tricky to get the tempo going. Please get this in your
ears at quarter= 176-180.
- glock we'll need different mallets in 151 also.
- baritone in 153 your C# is really rhythmically important to the
accompaniment. play it a bit more aggressively (pushing forward a
tiny bit).
- tbns the beginning of Var 5 is good. When you start playing more
melodic material 153-156 it would be helpful for you play out more.
- 156 flutes are the only people that start this bar f. more flutes,
less of everyone else to start.
- clar 2,3, hns 1 and 2 in 157 really play the first note mf.
(you're starting too soft so we don't feel the rhythm of your
entrance.)
- 158 clar 2,3, b clar, bsns, altos, tenor, hn 1,2, tbn3, tubas -
this is a stress release with a very gentle second eighth note (not
short, soft and coming away from the downbeat). same in 160.
- 160 clar 1 tutti part intonation and tone/blend are issues here.
- 161 b clar a lot less, bsn a little less.
- baritone in 160 let's not pull back until b.3. You can play the
sixteenths off of b.2 as an upbeat to your D with a bit of a tenuto.
Let's see how that flows. I feel like the rit in the runthrough was
too much.
- 162 saxes and clars be sure to play your diminuendo.
- tubas in 163 I feel like you are consistently early on sixteenths
off of b.2. Make downbeat a little longer and cue euph rhythm in
your part.
- 165 tbn3 and tuba make eighth note longer to make rest less obvious.
- 168 fl 1, picc, solo clar put a little tenuto on first note - intonation!
- 168 ALL dim in last 2 beats.
Schoenberg Part Deux
Variation 6
- 183 tbns, euph, and tubas quarter note needs to be shorter. You're
just an inversion of the tune.
- 179 more cymbals.
- 181 glock and xylo what mallets can we use to best match artic on
the two instruments? xylo sounds a little brittle to me.
- ALL 187 don't anticipate/telegraph the allarg that's coming in 188.
- all 189 b.4 decay/release should be in the assertive character of
this variation so that the silence that follows is a bit of an
intrusion.
- 190 clar, bclar, tenor practice this at quarternote = 84 so you're
really ready. If I have to force you to play the right tempo it'll
be rough/bumpy/and accented. You need to make the tempo go (make
notes speak on time.)
- clar 3 you are incredibly important on eighths in 193!!!!!
- 207 more b.d. and cym.
- 209 tubas more of the low octave; upper octave ride gently above.
keep after intonation. Also, smooth slur into 213.
- 208 all play last quarter as if you're going to resolve it to the
next downbeat so the barline isn't emphasized.
- 214 tenor you need to imitate what the alto did the bar before.
- 216- 218 wws, cornets, tpts it's almost irresistable to play b. 2
too soon. DON'T pull ahead.
- 221 no early horns please.
- 227 oboes softer. be sneaky.
- 231 clars you played "tee ta-duh -ta" all ts please.
- 227 more bari sax.
- 234 clars find your octave on b.4.
- ALL 241 p, 242 f, 243 p.
- 256 all except flut softer on first 3 beats.
- ALL once we've accelled to m. 261 we stay at that tempo until the next accel.
- 255 tutti first clars no oozing into this D. Start mf - you're the
primary line.
- 258 Steve Menard lay down the style for this please - we're not
matching at all. Especially I don't want anyone to accent the Fb!
- ALL 265- 268 dotted eighths are LONG even though we're speeding
up. NONE of them are "tut".
- 271 more tpts, hns tenor and bari sax.
- 273 flugels, baritone and euph you're the only ones with eighths
one b. 1 - listen for the octave with each other and project.
- 266-267 hns and baritone watch intonation/accuracy on that Cb concert
- 273 b.4 is all about tbn 3. bsns, tenor, bari sax, b clar tbn 2,
tuba and KB listen for him.
- 274 glock this needs to sound molto legato. Maybe the issue isn't
that you need to be softer, but that the attack needs to be gentler
along with this legato deal.
- 276 more hns. We need to keep working on this note shape.
- more s.d. cresc in last two beats of 277
- 275 more of sixteenths on b.2 and b.4