And then there were 4

Four regular rehearsals, plus a dress rehearsal before the concert. No time to get sick or mess around!

We're diving into our new friends, Arpad and Istvan. It's going to take a few more read throughs to really understand the scope of this work. It's also all totally going to change when we get to the dress rehearsal - because there's quite a bit of piano, string bass, percussion and harp we're not hearing right now. However, what we do have, I must say I mostly like. The melodies are beautiful, and there are interesting sectional juxtapositions. I think the audience is going to love it.

We're also working on polishing the other pieces. We all had a good laugh this week while running through John William's Olympic Fanfare. It started with such vigor - valiant engergy. After the fanfare, it started to drag. John cut us off and I was like, "Why are we slowing down?!" Regardless of whether John heard me, that was the reason we stopped and everyone was thinking it. He said "We're slower, because the band is getting older..." We had a nice chuckle and tried it again. It was better. But I'm still not positive it remained at the tempo it should have. I also might have had one too many cups of coffee that day.

Arpad and Istvan have arrived!

Well, it's been a while. I missed rehearsal on 1/30 due to a travel mishap. We all missed rehearsal on 2/6 because of the blizzard. The break might have been worth it, because we saved another week of waiting. That's right, when we returned this week, we part of what we'd been waiting for: two movements of Jan Van der Roost's Sinfonia Hungarica - 2. Arpad and 3. Istvan.

Before you get your hopes up, you should know due to unforeseen circumstances (that are too complex for this editor to get into), we will not be performing the first movement 1. Attila. It's slightly disappointing, but we're all going to have to get over it. Afterall, Arpad and Istvan have a lot to offer on their own. I can say that already, and we've only read them each once.

If you've ever been in a band, you know how sight reading goes. It's kind of like ice skating. You're unsteady at first, and although you're propelling yourself forward, there's no real ease or grace about it. You are generally tentative. After a few strides, you get a little more confident. But then, something comes in your path - a rough patch of ice, some kid that can skate circles around you, and you fall. With the music, instead of the rough patch of ice or kid that can skate circles around you, you encounter difficult technical passages, tempo changes, key changes, etc. Each one (potentially) throwing you off a little.

I have to say, it wasn't that bad. Yeah, we stopped along the way to regroup, make sure we were all in the same place, etc. We got a sense for each one - and in talking with my neighboring musicians, we think we're really going to like these pieces. I can't fully speak for the rest of the band, but I'm not sure these pieces are that technically challenging, but they are more what we like to call "lip busters". Lots of blowing. But again, I think we'll really enjoy them when they come together. And, almost more importantly, the audience is going to enjoy this concert.

The Wait Continues

The first-half of the concert still isn't here. John has had some serious dialogue with the higher-ups, and they've promised it will be here in a few days. After a series of promises, though, John thinks it won't be here until Thursday of next week (1/24) - i.e. the day AFTER we rehearse. Nice. So, there's that...

We spent the majority of the first half of rehearsal on The Man Who Invented Music. It's going to be fun, because it features narration! and he tells her how he invented music. The music is charming, and full of little inside jokes that most everyone should get. You can read an article about the piece from a 1949 issue of TIME by clicking here.

The challenge right now is working out the timing. Poor John is reading the musical score, and the dialogue, and trying to make sure they sync up. They probably do in his head, but they'll likely change with the real live narrator. So, we've got to get to know it well enough to be flexible when the time comes.

The other major focus for the week was William Tell. We were a little sparse in attendance this week, and we still don't have any bassoons - so no opening solo. We made our way through from start to finish again, and then John gave us a taste of some real tempos that we need to strive for. The thing about these orchestral transcriptions for band - they don't get performed very often, because they have to be great. The melodies and the real tempos are too well known to fake any of it. If you're not true to the original, you know every discriminating ear in the place is saying, "Well, they tried". Every non-discriminating ear is saying, "I think I know that song..." Bottom line is, we know we need to work hard, and we will.

I'd personally like to give a shout out to fellow clarinetist - Mary. She rocked the treetops during the Allegro - all by herself! I'm surprised there weren't sparks flying out from her mouthpiece. Nice, nice!