These are 2 videos from 2 concerts (same program). What a fun program, including selections of music from the game Halo, Rossini's William Tell Overture (I got to play cello 2 in the opening cello quintet!), selections from Star Trek, and patriotic music. Unfortunately I was traveling and didn't get to play until the second concert, at the Ballard Locks in Seattle. It was surprisingly fun to play the music from Halo, which you can hear in this video:
Our principal trumpet player did a solo, "Trumpeter's Lullaby" and did an excellent job! Below is the video from the first concert, which I missed because of traveling for work....
My poor cello didn't fare very well with the outdoor concert. It has a 3" crack from the top of the f-hole to the purfling. Fortunately it isn't in a horrible spot, but still I was *not* very happy to see that crack. Next week I will take it to get fixed. I was happy that I brought my older cello, not my new Dungey cello.
Showing posts with label concert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label concert. Show all posts
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Sunday, April 4, 2010
it's been a while!
I haven't posted in a while...been very busy with work and travel. I'm still trying to keep up with practicing but it's much harder now that my travel has started picking up again. My favorite Hertz attendant at the San Jose airport told me that he believes that business is picking up because rental returns are up to 1/2 of their pre-downturn levels, after dropping to about 1/4 the rate at the worst.
I'm continuing to work on the same things, mainly on bowing. I think I've finally found a bow grip that doesn't hurt my thumb. I had to work on getting my pinky to be supple and to be an active part of bowing. It felt like it took forever. I spent lots of my practice time just bowing on open strings trying to get a feel for the string. Thank goodness my sound started to get better; it was getting very discouraging when I felt like I had started all the way back at the very beginning. Now I'm working on making my tone sound great while I'm changing bow speed. Also I'm trying to keep a steady vibrato when I'm changing bow speeds...once I get more comfortable with that I'll start trying to vary my vibrato speed too. But one thing at a time.
Orchestra had a concert a few weeks ago and I finally listened to part of the concert. I traveled the entire week prior to the concert and came home the day before - not optimal for getting back into playing. I practiced the morning of the concert and by concert time was feeling better about my playing. In one piece, Sibelius Spring Song, my stand partner and I opened up the piece with the melody, which we held for quite a while. The violins came in and doubled with us, but it took quite a while before the cello section was together. I thought we did a good job.
I'm continuing to work on the same things, mainly on bowing. I think I've finally found a bow grip that doesn't hurt my thumb. I had to work on getting my pinky to be supple and to be an active part of bowing. It felt like it took forever. I spent lots of my practice time just bowing on open strings trying to get a feel for the string. Thank goodness my sound started to get better; it was getting very discouraging when I felt like I had started all the way back at the very beginning. Now I'm working on making my tone sound great while I'm changing bow speed. Also I'm trying to keep a steady vibrato when I'm changing bow speeds...once I get more comfortable with that I'll start trying to vary my vibrato speed too. But one thing at a time.
Orchestra had a concert a few weeks ago and I finally listened to part of the concert. I traveled the entire week prior to the concert and came home the day before - not optimal for getting back into playing. I practiced the morning of the concert and by concert time was feeling better about my playing. In one piece, Sibelius Spring Song, my stand partner and I opened up the piece with the melody, which we held for quite a while. The violins came in and doubled with us, but it took quite a while before the cello section was together. I thought we did a good job.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Holiday concert report
we had 2 holiday concerts last week, playing the same program. The second concert was at the Seattle Center. We were supposed to play there last year but our concert was canceled because of the snow (how quickly we forget...last year at this time we were on our way to 3 feet of snow at our house)
We had 3 weeks of rehearsals prior to the concert. Most of the pieces we had played during previous seasons, so getting ready was pretty straightforward for most of us. I thought we played better during the second concert. It was an all-holiday music concert, including favorites like "Have Yourself a Merry Christmas" "Sleigh Ride" and other arrangements of holiday music. My husband's favorite was the arrangement of Channukah pieces we played, with a great viola solo played by our principal violist.
Now we're off until the new year! Happy holidays everyone!
We had 3 weeks of rehearsals prior to the concert. Most of the pieces we had played during previous seasons, so getting ready was pretty straightforward for most of us. I thought we played better during the second concert. It was an all-holiday music concert, including favorites like "Have Yourself a Merry Christmas" "Sleigh Ride" and other arrangements of holiday music. My husband's favorite was the arrangement of Channukah pieces we played, with a great viola solo played by our principal violist.
Now we're off until the new year! Happy holidays everyone!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Concert report!
We played a concert last weekend, and immediately after it was over I left for the airport and have not had any free time since I returned yesterday. We leave again tomorrow and I'm taking a break from work now...
We played
Magnard Hymn a la Justice (about Dreyfus case)
Verdi Overture to Nabucco
Elgar Enigma Variations
I thought that the orchestra played very well. Even 2 weeks prior to the concert I wasn't sure that we would be ready. There were a few rough spots in the Elgar but we managed to play well.
This was a tough program. The Magnard and Elgar are very challenging pieces. The Magnard had some very high passages in B major where the cellos had the lead. The Elgar has such beautiful writing for the cellos with very challenging rhythms. One variation was all about the cellos and was apparently an inspiration for his cello concerto. It was lovely but not easy to play, one of the themes that repeats all the time is a set of descending seventh intervals, making getting the intonation right challenging. Then there was the finale with the ultra-fast passages, which I played as Note on the Downbeat - mush - Note on the Middle Beat - mush - Note on the Downbeat - all played really fast while accelerating to the final presto section. But all in all I was pretty happy with the way I played.
We played
Magnard Hymn a la Justice (about Dreyfus case)
Verdi Overture to Nabucco
Elgar Enigma Variations
I thought that the orchestra played very well. Even 2 weeks prior to the concert I wasn't sure that we would be ready. There were a few rough spots in the Elgar but we managed to play well.
This was a tough program. The Magnard and Elgar are very challenging pieces. The Magnard had some very high passages in B major where the cellos had the lead. The Elgar has such beautiful writing for the cellos with very challenging rhythms. One variation was all about the cellos and was apparently an inspiration for his cello concerto. It was lovely but not easy to play, one of the themes that repeats all the time is a set of descending seventh intervals, making getting the intonation right challenging. Then there was the finale with the ultra-fast passages, which I played as Note on the Downbeat - mush - Note on the Middle Beat - mush - Note on the Downbeat - all played really fast while accelerating to the final presto section. But all in all I was pretty happy with the way I played.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Concert Report!
Both the studio day and the orchestra concert were fabulous!
Yesterday was our concert. Here'a link to a video of excerpts from 3 selections - Jurassic Park, Hoedown from Rodeo, and the 1812 Overture:
I'm sitting in chair #2, so you can see me playing! I was amazed that the celli look really coordinated (also I was amazed that I look really synchronized with our principal, who is an excellent cellist)
We played:
Jurassic Park
Grondahl Trombone concerto (has the distinction of being 1 of 2 Romantic trombone concerti; think pirates and battles and love songs and you've got it)
American Salute (was an arrangement of "when Johnny comes marching home" written for radio broadcast)
Rodeo (Buckaroo Holiday, Saturday Night Waltz, Corral Nocturne, and Hoedown)
1812 Overture
Stars and Stripes Forever
I think our concert last week, on Monday, was better (with the exception of Hoedown), but the venue, outdoors at the Ballard Locks, is fabulous and we love playing there.
Saturday, the day I spent in the studio recording music written by students of the Pacific Northwest Film Scoring Program. The films are created by students, who get orchestral music composed for their film, a win for both the filmmaker and the composers.
It was a long and tiring day. We started at 10am, finished at 5:15pm, with a 10 minute break every hour and a 1 hour break for lunch. By the last hour it was really hard to play well. We rehearsed less and recorded right away. The day is run like it would be if we were professionals (although Hummie said that the food, provided by the students, was an exception). We didn't see the music until we showed up. We all had headphones so that we could hear the click track (a smart metronome, synchronized to the film so that we would play the required tempo perfectly, even when it varied during a piece). We rehearsed whatever it was that we were playing a few times (sometimes just once) and then recorded 2 good cuts. Then we moved on to the next section. Hummie could see the film while he was conducting, but we couldn't see anything. He did tell us what each film was about, so that we would play with the right sound. One movie had an exploding monster in it, so he asked the winds and brass to make an exploding sound at the end of one piece. I think we recorded music for 3 films on Saturday. Hummie said that students in the program have now scored 93 films, and that 34 students from the program have gone on to score feature films. Pretty impressive.
Yesterday was our concert. Here'a link to a video of excerpts from 3 selections - Jurassic Park, Hoedown from Rodeo, and the 1812 Overture:
I'm sitting in chair #2, so you can see me playing! I was amazed that the celli look really coordinated (also I was amazed that I look really synchronized with our principal, who is an excellent cellist)
We played:
Jurassic Park
Grondahl Trombone concerto (has the distinction of being 1 of 2 Romantic trombone concerti; think pirates and battles and love songs and you've got it)
American Salute (was an arrangement of "when Johnny comes marching home" written for radio broadcast)
Rodeo (Buckaroo Holiday, Saturday Night Waltz, Corral Nocturne, and Hoedown)
1812 Overture
Stars and Stripes Forever
I think our concert last week, on Monday, was better (with the exception of Hoedown), but the venue, outdoors at the Ballard Locks, is fabulous and we love playing there.
Saturday, the day I spent in the studio recording music written by students of the Pacific Northwest Film Scoring Program. The films are created by students, who get orchestral music composed for their film, a win for both the filmmaker and the composers.
It was a long and tiring day. We started at 10am, finished at 5:15pm, with a 10 minute break every hour and a 1 hour break for lunch. By the last hour it was really hard to play well. We rehearsed less and recorded right away. The day is run like it would be if we were professionals (although Hummie said that the food, provided by the students, was an exception). We didn't see the music until we showed up. We all had headphones so that we could hear the click track (a smart metronome, synchronized to the film so that we would play the required tempo perfectly, even when it varied during a piece). We rehearsed whatever it was that we were playing a few times (sometimes just once) and then recorded 2 good cuts. Then we moved on to the next section. Hummie could see the film while he was conducting, but we couldn't see anything. He did tell us what each film was about, so that we would play with the right sound. One movie had an exploding monster in it, so he asked the winds and brass to make an exploding sound at the end of one piece. I think we recorded music for 3 films on Saturday. Hummie said that students in the program have now scored 93 films, and that 34 students from the program have gone on to score feature films. Pretty impressive.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Concert report
This week we had our spring concerts. The first was on Monday, and the second was yesterday (Saturday)
I was happy on Monday that I didn't make any major gaffes. I missed the 2 rehearsals prior to the concert because I was traveling, so I was very nervous before Monday's concert.
We played
Butterworth - Shropshire Lad
Holst - Suite No. 2
Vaughn Williams - Pastoral Symphony
The music was beautiful. Our conductor gave a short talk about the Vaughn Williams piece and we played short excerpts from it prior to playing the entire symphony. He wanted the audience to listen for some of the sections, such as the horses and mules in the 3rd movement (love the donkey sounds!), the heroic theme from the winds, and the sound of the bugle...
I thought we played better on Monday, but our conductor thought that Saturday was better, with the exception of the last movement of the Vaughn Williams. The 2nd concert was in a different place than where we rehearse, so the sound balance was very different. I couldn't hear myself very well; couldn't hear my stand partner at all; could hear things I'd never heard before; and couldn't hear sections I was used to hearing in rehearsal. It really threw me off. There was one place where the cellos had a exposed note and I saw our conductor wince when I hit the wrong note (but quickly fixed it). Ouch. Still, it was fun!
I was happy on Monday that I didn't make any major gaffes. I missed the 2 rehearsals prior to the concert because I was traveling, so I was very nervous before Monday's concert.
We played
Butterworth - Shropshire Lad
Holst - Suite No. 2
Vaughn Williams - Pastoral Symphony
The music was beautiful. Our conductor gave a short talk about the Vaughn Williams piece and we played short excerpts from it prior to playing the entire symphony. He wanted the audience to listen for some of the sections, such as the horses and mules in the 3rd movement (love the donkey sounds!), the heroic theme from the winds, and the sound of the bugle...
I thought we played better on Monday, but our conductor thought that Saturday was better, with the exception of the last movement of the Vaughn Williams. The 2nd concert was in a different place than where we rehearse, so the sound balance was very different. I couldn't hear myself very well; couldn't hear my stand partner at all; could hear things I'd never heard before; and couldn't hear sections I was used to hearing in rehearsal. It really threw me off. There was one place where the cellos had a exposed note and I saw our conductor wince when I hit the wrong note (but quickly fixed it). Ouch. Still, it was fun!
Saturday, December 20, 2008
One Thing After Another
It's been a busy month since I last posted...Thanksgiving, travel, concerts, an unusual amount of snow for Seattle, and getting sick (while on a trip, ugh). I had a nasty bug -- sore throat and coughing (still coughing after 2 weeks) and haven't felt so sick in a long time. I managed to keep from coughing during the last concert (I managed to hold the coughing except during the loud parts from the brass...holding it in during some of the solo parts was really hard)
Where has practicing fit into all of this? It's been tough, especially having to stop to cough and drink hot liquids. But at my last lesson (we had to cancel this week because of snow and the previous week because I was sick) my teacher asked me to think about the weight of my bow hand/arm and to keep applying pressure while staying flexible. So among all of the other things I've been working on I've been thinking about that...and it is helping. I can hear more consistency in tone up and down the stick, and I am starting to feel the string as I move the bow across it. It sounds funny describing this feeling, but it is a good one!
Where has practicing fit into all of this? It's been tough, especially having to stop to cough and drink hot liquids. But at my last lesson (we had to cancel this week because of snow and the previous week because I was sick) my teacher asked me to think about the weight of my bow hand/arm and to keep applying pressure while staying flexible. So among all of the other things I've been working on I've been thinking about that...and it is helping. I can hear more consistency in tone up and down the stick, and I am starting to feel the string as I move the bow across it. It sounds funny describing this feeling, but it is a good one!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Hot Concerts
It was hot this weekend for Seattle - 90+ which for the Pacific Northwest qualifies as a heat wave. When we moved here from California we found it astounding to hear Pacific Northwest natives complain about the heat when the temperature rose above 80 degrees.
We played very well for both of the concerts, hot as it was, with all black (poor guys in their tuxes/suits!) on Saturday inside a church with no air conditioning and thankfully in the shade for the outdoor concert on Sunday (shorts of any color were allowed with our official black orchestra t-shirts!)
There is no rest for the weary! One of my groups is getting ready for a gig on the 11th and yesterday I got an email from our conductor asking if I would join in a chamber orchestra he is going to lead during the summer. Sounds like fun!
We played very well for both of the concerts, hot as it was, with all black (poor guys in their tuxes/suits!) on Saturday inside a church with no air conditioning and thankfully in the shade for the outdoor concert on Sunday (shorts of any color were allowed with our official black orchestra t-shirts!)
There is no rest for the weary! One of my groups is getting ready for a gig on the 11th and yesterday I got an email from our conductor asking if I would join in a chamber orchestra he is going to lead during the summer. Sounds like fun!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Concert!
Our orchestra played concert #1 of 3 last night. The theme was music from film. It is a fun program! I thought we played very well. The program was
Star Trek Through the Years - Custer
Prince Igor Overture - Borodin
Outdoor Overture - Copland
Fantasie Brillante - Borne
On the Beautiful Blue Danube - Strauss
Movie Suite from 'Year of the Comet' - Mann
Our Town - Copland
Raiders March - Williams
On Sunday we play an outdoor concert at the Ballard Locks, and we will add
The Colonel Bogey March
The Liberty Bell March
and Stars and Stripes Forever
I have been outed...sort of. When I arrived at the venue, our conductor stopped me and said, is cellogeek your blog? I said, why yes, it is. He said that he figured out it was me...someone who plays cello in the Microsoft Orchestra and who travels a lot (I miss a certain number of rehearsals because of travel)...had to be me. He was right!
Star Trek Through the Years - Custer
Prince Igor Overture - Borodin
Outdoor Overture - Copland
Fantasie Brillante - Borne
On the Beautiful Blue Danube - Strauss
Movie Suite from 'Year of the Comet' - Mann
Our Town - Copland
Raiders March - Williams
On Sunday we play an outdoor concert at the Ballard Locks, and we will add
The Colonel Bogey March
The Liberty Bell March
and Stars and Stripes Forever
I have been outed...sort of. When I arrived at the venue, our conductor stopped me and said, is cellogeek your blog? I said, why yes, it is. He said that he figured out it was me...someone who plays cello in the Microsoft Orchestra and who travels a lot (I miss a certain number of rehearsals because of travel)...had to be me. He was right!
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Better the Second Time!
Today was the 2nd concert - same program as the previous concert on Monday night.
But this time, we played so much better! The acoustics in the venue were better, we fixed some of the problems from the first playing, and the Popper was way better! The whole program went very well - I think this concert was better than the previous one.
We could hear each other much better in this venue - that made a huge difference. I still had a few moments where my vibrato disappeared, but I felt so much more relaxed this time and had a lot more fun playing. It was sheer relief to finish and know that I won't have play the Popper again...for a long time.
My teacher came, with his family. He said that when his 6-year old daughter heard us start the Popper, she said, "I know that piece!" He said our ensemble playing sounded good - yay! My mother is visiting from California, and since she is 82 I'm not sure that she will want to travel here again any time soon. It was very special to have her listen (and I told her that it doesn't matter how old children get; moms have an obligation to attend their kid's performances). Some of my friends came to listen - I love that! I think having them in the audience made me relax more; I like playing for friends and family because they're already biased and will give me the benefit of the doubt!
I'm so glad we decided to peform the Popper with the orchestra - my teacher was commenting when I left my lesson last night that over the past months as I've been getting ready to perform that my playing has improved a lot - the nice thing about a goal and deadline!
Now for the next deadline, the concert for the Dalai Lama - in 11 days!
But this time, we played so much better! The acoustics in the venue were better, we fixed some of the problems from the first playing, and the Popper was way better! The whole program went very well - I think this concert was better than the previous one.
We could hear each other much better in this venue - that made a huge difference. I still had a few moments where my vibrato disappeared, but I felt so much more relaxed this time and had a lot more fun playing. It was sheer relief to finish and know that I won't have play the Popper again...for a long time.
My teacher came, with his family. He said that when his 6-year old daughter heard us start the Popper, she said, "I know that piece!" He said our ensemble playing sounded good - yay! My mother is visiting from California, and since she is 82 I'm not sure that she will want to travel here again any time soon. It was very special to have her listen (and I told her that it doesn't matter how old children get; moms have an obligation to attend their kid's performances
I'm so glad we decided to peform the Popper with the orchestra - my teacher was commenting when I left my lesson last night that over the past months as I've been getting ready to perform that my playing has improved a lot - the nice thing about a goal and deadline!
Now for the next deadline, the concert for the Dalai Lama - in 11 days!
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Concert! First Popper Performance!
We played the Popper last night - first performance!
I don't remember the last time I had sweaty palms or the shakes before a performance...but I had both last night. But by the middle of the piece I felt a little more relaxed, and was feeling less of that out-of-body experience. I'm glad I had all of the hours of practice as a background because there were moments when I was playing on autopilot.
I've played it better in practice; in fact we've played it better in practice. I lost some of my vibrato during my solo bits, but we managed to stay together most of the time. My husband said that he could hear me over the orchestra, that was good!
The rest of the concert went very well. We played 3 of Dvorak's Slavonic Dances (#2,#3, & #4); Vaughn Williams' Norfolk Rhapsody; the Popper Requiem for 3 cellos; and Kallinikov Symphony No. 1. I was exhausted at the end of it...the Kallinikov is a very tiring piece to play.
I want to play the Popper better for our second concert on Saturday! But what a relief...my debut with the orchestra is done!
I don't remember the last time I had sweaty palms or the shakes before a performance...but I had both last night. But by the middle of the piece I felt a little more relaxed, and was feeling less of that out-of-body experience. I'm glad I had all of the hours of practice as a background because there were moments when I was playing on autopilot.
I've played it better in practice; in fact we've played it better in practice. I lost some of my vibrato during my solo bits, but we managed to stay together most of the time. My husband said that he could hear me over the orchestra, that was good!
The rest of the concert went very well. We played 3 of Dvorak's Slavonic Dances (#2,#3, & #4); Vaughn Williams' Norfolk Rhapsody; the Popper Requiem for 3 cellos; and Kallinikov Symphony No. 1. I was exhausted at the end of it...the Kallinikov is a very tiring piece to play.
I want to play the Popper better for our second concert on Saturday! But what a relief...my debut with the orchestra is done!
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Happy New Year
After a week's break from music it was sure nice to get home and pick up my cello. No lesson this week, so I've been having fun reading through music and playing mostly for fun (isn't that why I took up the cello in the first place?). Although I still am working on those interminable shifting exercises...
It's hard to play the piano after a few glasses of champagne.
We have concert dates set for the Popper Requiem...guess I need to step up practicing it.
We learned how to make tamales from a Mexican-American grandmother - wow they were good. She taught me how to make "red sauce" - here I was thinking that it was some secret recipe that took hours to make, and it took all of 5 minutes to make and was incredibly delicious...
Chinese New Year, the Year of the Rat, begins February 8th.
I'm on page 810 of 1474 pages of Vikram Seth's A Suitable Boy and am trying to finish it before I have to return it to the library.
Happy New Year!
It's hard to play the piano after a few glasses of champagne.
We have concert dates set for the Popper Requiem...guess I need to step up practicing it.
We learned how to make tamales from a Mexican-American grandmother - wow they were good. She taught me how to make "red sauce" - here I was thinking that it was some secret recipe that took hours to make, and it took all of 5 minutes to make and was incredibly delicious...
Chinese New Year, the Year of the Rat, begins February 8th.
I'm on page 810 of 1474 pages of Vikram Seth's A Suitable Boy and am trying to finish it before I have to return it to the library.
Happy New Year!
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Holiday Concert #3
Our orchestra had its third and final holiday concert yesterday. The venue was new for us and we will be using it for 2 more concerts this season. We should have gotten there earlier and played a little bit before the concert. The sound balance was so different (but much better!) than where we practice but it took us a while to adjust to the difference. The woodwinds and brass sounded so much louder from where we were sitting. My husband said that the balance sounded good and that we sounded better in the church. I thought we didn't play as well as we did on Monday night. Our ensemble playing suffered a bit during the first piece (Warlock's Capriol Suite) and got a little better when we played the Karelia Suite. After intermission we were fine.
There was some confusion with times with our harpist, so she wasn't able to be at the concert. The harp is a crucial part of The Waltz of the Flowers, especially the gorgeous harp solo at the beginning of the piece. So, here we are at a concert where we're playing the Nutcracker Suite and we don't have a harp. We were all wondering what was going to happen. She started coming to rehearsals a few weeks before the first concert, so up until she came, we'd listen to our conductor say, "Harp, harp, harp, harp, harp..." and then cue us in. It got to be a joke; however, quasi-singing "harp, harp, harp" wasn't really going to be the right thing to do in a concert. Well, thank goodness for technology. We already had an electronic celesta, so our conductor programmed the harp part in, and cued in our keyboard player to "play" the harp parts. He did this with no rehearsal, and we didn't even know what he was going to do. Our "harpist" got a nice round of applause at the end.
Now we're on break until the new year.
There was some confusion with times with our harpist, so she wasn't able to be at the concert. The harp is a crucial part of The Waltz of the Flowers, especially the gorgeous harp solo at the beginning of the piece. So, here we are at a concert where we're playing the Nutcracker Suite and we don't have a harp. We were all wondering what was going to happen. She started coming to rehearsals a few weeks before the first concert, so up until she came, we'd listen to our conductor say, "Harp, harp, harp, harp, harp..." and then cue us in. It got to be a joke; however, quasi-singing "harp, harp, harp" wasn't really going to be the right thing to do in a concert. Well, thank goodness for technology. We already had an electronic celesta, so our conductor programmed the harp part in, and cued in our keyboard player to "play" the harp parts. He did this with no rehearsal, and we didn't even know what he was going to do. Our "harpist" got a nice round of applause at the end.
Now we're on break until the new year.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
4 Inches of Rain Couldn't Stop This Concert!
It was a wet and wild day in the state of Washington yesterday. After the 4 inches of snow at our house on Saturday it warmed up and a warm tropical front dumped 4 inches of rain in Seattle. Even a section of Interstate 5 between Seattle and Portland shut down last night, with the expectation of the river cresting today, covering the highway with 5 feet of water...
But snow didn't stop us on Sunday, and the rain didn't stop our show last night. Quite a few brave souls came out to listen to us play and we had a great concert! I love playing for a crowd! A very good friend of mine was in the audience. It really means a lot to me when my friends come to listen.
The program was:
Sibelius Karelia Suite
Warlock Capriol Suite
Traditional Slavic Christmas
Tchaikovsky Nutcracker Suite
Carol of the Bells
Canadian Brass Christmas (arrangement for full orchestra)
We were very tight through the Nutcracker, even during the mind-numbing cello parts of the Arabian piece...we managed to hang together during the carpal-tunnel parts of the Karelia Suite, and played one of the fast dances in the Capriol suite faster than we've ever played it in rehearsal, but it was together, light, and felt like a dance! When we finished you could hear a collective gasp of pleasure from the audience, then a smattering of applause (who came up with that rule that audiences aren't supposed to applaud between movements of a piece, anyway?) The orchestra has been getting better and better with each concert over the years...it's nice to hear us getting better.
But snow didn't stop us on Sunday, and the rain didn't stop our show last night. Quite a few brave souls came out to listen to us play and we had a great concert! I love playing for a crowd! A very good friend of mine was in the audience. It really means a lot to me when my friends come to listen.
The program was:
Sibelius Karelia Suite
Warlock Capriol Suite
Traditional Slavic Christmas
Tchaikovsky Nutcracker Suite
Carol of the Bells
Canadian Brass Christmas (arrangement for full orchestra)
We were very tight through the Nutcracker, even during the mind-numbing cello parts of the Arabian piece...we managed to hang together during the carpal-tunnel parts of the Karelia Suite, and played one of the fast dances in the Capriol suite faster than we've ever played it in rehearsal, but it was together, light, and felt like a dance! When we finished you could hear a collective gasp of pleasure from the audience, then a smattering of applause (who came up with that rule that audiences aren't supposed to applaud between movements of a piece, anyway?) The orchestra has been getting better and better with each concert over the years...it's nice to hear us getting better.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
concert report
Our orchestra performed the first of 3 holiday concerts today, for the city of Redmond Festival of Lights. I was surprised at the number of people who turned out to listen as the weather was terrible - windy and rainy, after snowing yesterday and today. Seattle doesn't get much snow and so the area tends to shut down when it snows. Combine that with not much snow-clearing equipment, lots of hills, and temperatures that swing above and below freezing to produce a lot of ice, and you get...either gridlock or people who are smart enough to stay off the roads. I grew up in California and am not at all used to driving in snow, so I try to stay off the roads when it snows. I'm not afraid to say that I'm wimpy when it comes to driving in snow.
But back to the concert...it went really well. It was a short one; we only had an hour to play and we played together really well. The Nutcracker Suite was lovely, the holiday music was fun to play (with the exception of Sleigh Ride, which we all detest playing but is such a crowd pleaser!), and the audience clearly enjoyed it. Our orchestra has really improved over the past few years. We played the Nutcracker Suite a few years ago but nowhere near as well as we are playing now.
Tomorrow night is concert #2, when we add in the Karelia and Capriol Suites which we skipped today.
But back to the concert...it went really well. It was a short one; we only had an hour to play and we played together really well. The Nutcracker Suite was lovely, the holiday music was fun to play (with the exception of Sleigh Ride, which we all detest playing but is such a crowd pleaser!), and the audience clearly enjoyed it. Our orchestra has really improved over the past few years. We played the Nutcracker Suite a few years ago but nowhere near as well as we are playing now.
Tomorrow night is concert #2, when we add in the Karelia and Capriol Suites which we skipped today.
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