Rehearsal Notes, Sep 24

Happy Tuesday! From this point forward my rehearsal notes will be coming out to you on Tuesday mornings rather than Monday evenings. Thanks for your flexibility.

September 24 Rehearsal

What we did:

First half of rehearsal (with brass)

- Read Tchaik Mov 4 with full brass sections for the first time.

- Worked backwards on Mov 4, starting with the Presto, and going back as far as the Molto Vivace (m. 436)

- Started work on Mov 2: harmonic progression at the beginning, main melody (horn, cellos and everybody else).

Second half of rehearsal (no brass)

- Worked on all of Mov 3, including some slow work on the Trio

Notes:

Mov 4

- Trumpets, horns, m. 546: remember to play the dotted quarters on the short side, but with resonance. Please practice the high register passages. Ask your teachers for advice on those.

- Brass, cellos, bass, m. 539: Don't accent the second note more than the first. It should be two equal notes. If anything, accent the first one a little bit more.

- Brass, letter [dd]: accent each syncopation and release.

- Presto, for everybody: practice SLOW! and with metronome. Increase tempo very gradually as you get comfortable with the passage.

- Brass, letter [aa]: play with confidence and big, beautiful, round sound. Play as if you were standing up!

- Trumpet, m. 483: lots of character in these gestures.

- Tutti, m. 469: make a note (if you didn't in rehearsal) that I dictate each note. I mark this on my score by drawing one vertical arrow facing down on top of each of the dictated notes.

Mov 2

- Tutti, introduction: A very rewarding exercise is to do a harmonic analysis of the first 8th bars of this movement. The moment when the first major chord appears should be magical. Also, it's fun to transcribe this for piano and play the chords.

- Horn solo: very nicely done. Just remember: not too slow!

- Main melody, tutti: love and crave this mouth-watering melody. ALWAYS keep the subdivision going in your head, even through rubatos.

Mov 3

- Main theme, tutti: think long lines! Avoid a feeling of "each bar." A ballerina wouldn't jump on each downbeat, she would move horizontally across the space with occasional pirouettes and spins.

This ballerina stomped on too many downbeats and is now reconsidering her life decisions.

(Painting by Andrew Atroshenko)

- Trio, tutti: SLOW practicing please! Metronome in slow tempi, and gradually increase as you get extremely comfortable. Strings: start runs *from* the string. Tutti: also practice the rests, especially in the quick back-and-forths before and after letter [F].

NEXT WEEK!

Rehearsal Plan (subject to change*)

9:30am-11:00am (all brass and percussion with SO)

- Read and start work on Bernstein's Candide (pronounced "can-DEED")

- Tchaik 5, Mov 4 (starting from beginning of movement), Mov 2 (brass-heavy sections), Mov 1 (sections with brass)

11:00am-11:15am - break

11:15am-12:30pm (brass with CO /// SO percussionists work on MYSticks rep)

- Tchaik 5, Mov 2 (sections without brass)

- Mov 1 (sections without brass)

*I'll send another e-mail if we make any important changes.

Best,

Mr. Gómez