Waterfront Concert Rehearsal Notes
Hi everybody! Great work this Saturday. A few notes below for your practicing before Thursday. These notes are especially thorough and specific because we only had one rehearsal.
Libertango
In general, dynamics and accents are super important. When you have the main rhythmic motivic cell of the piece AS ACCOMPANIMENT to the melody, take special care to hit the accents and play much less on the non-accented notes.
When you do have the singing lines, play out. Use free bowing on long notes. Some specific notes below:
M. 1: basses, forget about the pp here. Play out, at least mp.
M. 9: vlns: make sure to match bow stroke/placement with front stands.
M. 25: basses: LOTS of accents.
M. 41: violins: remember, you're the rose here. Violas, you are the thorns (and stay short even though you're piano!!)
M. 52: vlas, cellos: make sure to not be late of the slur from the previous bar (Usain Bolt!) and stay ON the string.
M. 65: violas, play out!!! (and everybody else play underneath violas)
M. 81 and 85: big accent each entrance.
M. 90, 91, 93: basses: violently!!
M. 105: everybody underneath violin solo
Last bar: fast bow, short notes!
Fig 01: basses in M. 90, 91, 93 of Libertango
Bizet
I. Ouverture
Beginning: remember to play quarter notes a bit shorter (and eight notes even shorter)
Letter A: piano cantabile. Listen to clarinet 1, who has the tune. This should be lyrical, but make sure that dotted figures don't sound tripletty.
Letter B: is marked "animato." It gets immediately a little faster. Be ready! Snare drum: start a little louder.
Letter C: bassoon 1: remember that cellos and horns have two quarter notes as pick-up. I will give you a very clear downbeat.
Letter E: violins: watch me for tempo!! But once saxophone comes in, he is the conductor. LISTEN to him!
6 before F: basses: super important G-flat. Make a big deal of it. Resonant pizz.
7 after F: Only forte. Save for cresc for fortissimo 4 bars later and WATCH for a very slight delay going into said ff. This should be a very big moment!
M. 130: very fast diminuendo!!!! Violin 1: A string!
II. Pastorale
Tempo!! Horns, sax: watch me at the beginning!
M. 3: Very legato in melody
Letter A: think "gentle."
Letter B: light and playful!!
Letter C: "Animato." Flute, English Horn, practice this at quarter=94. It's marked giocoso (playful). Think of shepherds dancing.
Letter E: think of a leaf falling gently. No crescendos on 2nd of E (take them out if you have them).
Letter F: everybody who plays, wait for my downbeat! Cellos, make sure you're covering all the divisi notes on the note that you hold.
Letter L: strict tempo. Strings: make sure to cover harp cues.
Letter M: horn 1: do not re-articulate the downbeat.
9 after M: no crescendos here. 10 and 11 after M: violins: minimal hairpins.
III. Intermezzo
Letter B: violins and violas: be ready to follow my tempo! Once it gets going, ALWAYS listen to sax and horn solo.
Letter D: sforzandi in piano-ish context. Save for a gigantic crescendo 3rd of D, and then be ready for a very fast dim. 5th of D.
2 before E: don't do the allargando on automatic pilot!
M. 50: piano in the woodwinds!
M. 61: flute: play harp cue with a diminuendo (even though it's an ascending line. It's hard, I know. Good luck!)
IV. Carillon
"Carillon" means "bells." Horns: actually imagine bells at the beginning!
4 before C: beautiful fff. Don't choke the sound. Everybody (including winds and brass!!) think "fast bow" and follow up!
Letter C: Flutes: you're the boss here but keep the motion forward!
M. 98: horns: bells! Play out, on top of the texture.
1 before E: remember I subdivide here.
E: oboe: keep motion forward. Tutti: help regain energy and momentum starting at 114.
Fig. 02: Carillon, Letter C.
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That's it. Thanks for your hard work and see you Thursday!
R.
