Our next show

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Sue U
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Re: Our next show

Post by Sue U »

On Sunday we opened the 2022-23 concert season of the Philharmonic with a strong program of Wagner (Prelude & Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde), Barber (Andromache's Farewell, with Makeda Hampton, soprano) and Rimsky-Korsakov (Scheherazade). We're auditioning new conductors this season, which each of the 3 finalists (out of 75 applicants) doing a concert. This program featured Jim Anderson, who is director of orchestral music at University of Delaware; he was awesome in both rehearsal and performance, and the music he chose had so many really interesting layers of connection in both structure and theme -- plus, it was a lot of fun to play. Also too I got to sit right in front of the harp; harps are magic.

My view before the concert:
20221016_145833.jpg
20221016_145822.jpg
GAH!

Big RR
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Re: Our next show

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Sounds like a nice concert--I love those Tristan pieces (indeed, Tristan is among my favorite operas). We've been a bit hobbled by covid and have sightly less ambitious concert schedule this year. Our first (in about a month) is an assembly of favorite opera choruses (which we hope will give us a bigger audience), the second (intended on being the more pops concert) is a collection of Irish folk songs around St Patrick's day. The third is still up in the air and will include Vaughan Williams 5 Mystical Songs (not a favorite of mine, but often a favorite of conductors--I've probably done it 5 or 6 times) an a few other pieces to be decided. At leas we're singing again.

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Sue U
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Re: Our next show

Post by Sue U »

Big RR wrote:
Mon Oct 17, 2022 5:37 pm
Sounds like a nice concert--I love those Tristan pieces (indeed, Tristan is among my favorite operas). We've been a bit hobbled by covid and have sightly less ambitious concert schedule this year. Our first (in about a month) is an assembly of favorite opera choruses (which we hope will give us a bigger audience), the second (intended on being the more pops concert) is a collection of Irish folk songs around St Patrick's day. The third is still up in the air and will include Vaughan Williams 5 Mystical Songs (not a favorite of mine, but often a favorite of conductors--I've probably done it 5 or 6 times) an a few other pieces to be decided. At leas we're singing again.
What, no Christmas concert???

Wagner was SUCH an asshole but he wrote some exquisitely beautiful music, and with the tonalities and chromaticism in Tristan helped pave the way for the "modern" composers of the early 20th Century -- like Barber, who employed a similarly lush and emotional style with forays into dissonance and serialism. I probably never would have made the connection between Wagner and Barber had it not been for this program.
GAH!

Big RR
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Re: Our next show

Post by Big RR »

No, no Christmas concert, but we usually host a Messiah sing--not sure if we'll have one this year.

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Joe Guy
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Re: Our next show

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Sue U wrote:
Mon Oct 17, 2022 4:59 pm
On Sunday we opened the 2022-23 concert season of the Philharmonic....
I think Sue and Big RR should record a video or at least an audio recording to share with all of us. Sue could accompany Big RR with her viola and sing back up. Big RR could sing and tap dance to the funky viola rhythm that Sue will produce.

Maybe they could start with something simple like, "Don't Worry Be Happy" and once they're well-rehearsed they could record "Free Bird" which I'm sure will become an instant classic and eventually get them into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

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Gob
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Re: Our next show

Post by Gob »

I'm happy to join in on synth!!
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”

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Sue U
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Re: Our next show

Post by Sue U »

From our final performance back in May, here 's a bit of Rachmaninoff's 2d Symphony:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2naNZljqRU&t=2s
Joe Guy wrote:
Tue Oct 18, 2022 3:19 am
I think Sue and Big RR should record a video or at least an audio recording to share with all of us. Sue could accompany Big RR with her viola and sing back up. Big RR could sing and tap dance to the funky viola rhythm that Sue will produce.

Maybe they could start with something simple like, "Don't Worry Be Happy" and once they're well-rehearsed they could record "Free Bird" which I'm sure will become an instant classic and eventually get them into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
I already had my shot at rock-and-roll stardom from the late 70s through the 80s. We could never make it happen. (Our band motto: "Where do we sign to sell out?")
GAH!

Big RR
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Re: Our next show

Post by Big RR »

I don't tap dance; it's cultural appropriation. :D

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Joe Guy
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Re: Our next show

Post by Joe Guy »

Big RR wrote:
Tue Oct 18, 2022 10:37 pm
I don't tap dance; it's cultural appropriation. :D

Good point. You gotta be extra careful nowadays. You don't want people to start comparing you to that evil cultural appropriator, Fred Astaire. :lol:

Big RR
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Re: Our next show

Post by Big RR »

Or Gene Kelly.

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Joe Guy
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Re: Our next show

Post by Joe Guy »

Big RR wrote:
Wed Oct 19, 2022 12:28 am
Or Gene Kelly.
Do you have any Irish blood? Maybe you could do some clogging instead to avoid the cultural appropriation accusations. If you've got no Irish ancestors, I guess you'll have to only sing but maybe you could learn a few Mick Jagger moves.

ETA:

Too bad you can't tap dance. The following video should be helpful for practicing your vocals though. The music begins at about :45. I've no doubt that Sue could play the music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5i_EY_-Vxw


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Sue U
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Re: Our next show

Post by Sue U »

That's kind of hilarious and also me in 1975.
GAH!

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TPFKA@W
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Re: Our next show

Post by TPFKA@W »

From our final performance back in May, here 's a bit of Rachmaninoff's 2d Symphony:[\quote]

Eric Carman led me to Rachmaninoff.

So Sue do you receive financial compensation for your musical talents or are your efforts all for the pure joy of it?

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Sue U
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Re: Our next show

Post by Sue U »

TPFKA@W wrote:
Fri Oct 28, 2022 2:21 pm

So Sue do you receive financial compensation for your musical talents or are your efforts all for the pure joy of it?
I am strictly an amateur in every sense of the word.

When I was young I had hoped for a career as a pro, but it turned out that at that time I simply didn't have the single-minded drive necessary to be a serious classical musician. Also, I couldn't pass piano to save my life (and when I was in music school you had to successfully take 2 yrs of piano). I have always loved music -- sound just really gets to me like no other sensory experience -- but now that I have the self-discipline to truly learn and understand the craft I've lost too many years of development and practice to get to the level of performance I'd like. (I had stopped playing entirely for more than 30 years.) I planned out what it would take and it's possible I could get there by about 80, if I could keep up with the physical demands. That was frankly a lot to come to terms with. So now I just try to content myself with doing something better each day without a goal beyond that. It's a whole different mindset, finding joy in the work rather than the reward, but I think it's keeping me alive. Figuring out my relationship with music, both as consumer and producer, appears to be a lifelong journey.
GAH!

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Sue U
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Re: Our next show

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Next concert coming up in just under four weeks and it's an all-French program, including one of my all-time favorite pieces since childhood, Symphonie Fantastique by Hector Berlioz. Never had a chance to play it before and I've got to say that hearing it from the "inside" really makes my head spin. Tonight I've been working on the execution scene ("March to the Scaffold") and it is freakin' wild!! The whole symphony is colossally cinematic which is also crazy because it was written like 70 years before movies were even invented, let alone film scores, but it makes moving pictures in your head as if you were at the cinema (well it does for me, anyway). I think I'm going to be sitting by the harp again for the performance which will be terrific, she has such an incredible part in this piece and I just love to listen to it!

ETA:

Sir Simon Rattle, conducting as little as humanly possible lol:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=598i8b3HGrw
GAH!

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Sue U
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Re: Our next show

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Well the harps (!!!) (2 of them!!!) came to rehearsal last night but they are sitting on the other side of the stage, between the violins and the woodwinds. The violist on the stand next to me said, "Damn! I loved sitting next to the harp." I said, "You too?" Is it just me, just violists or does everyone love harps?

They were playing harp games during the breaks and it was just so beautiful.
GAH!

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Sue U
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Re: Our next show

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We closed out our concert season yesterday with Brahms (Tragic Overture), Rachmaninoff (Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini), a piece by the conductor himself (Voyager, by Glen Cortese) and Stravinsky (Firebird Suite). I got to sit next to the harp. I think of the Rachmaninoff as a kind of jokey piece; it's based on Caprice 24, itself a virtuosic theme-and-variations set for violin, but Rach gets wacky with it on the piano, setting it in some cute rhythms, traditional dance styles, an over-the-top romantic interlude (I think he's poking a little fun at himself on that one, but still with a gorgeous tune) and even a blasting Dies Irae. But our soloist, Philip Edward Fisher, played it with such sensitivity he made it truly beautiful throughout.

This season has been an audition for our next conductor/music director, with each of the three finalist candidates doing one concert cycle (7 rehearsals and a performance). It's a tough choice. While I particularly liked this last conductor for his knowledge and skills in rehearsals, I think he may be a little too low-key for our organization, which seems to be rather fond of bigger personalities on the podium. The winner will be announced May 6 (party at a local craft brewery).
GAH!

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Sue U
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Re: Our next show

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Well the votes are in and we have selected as our next conductor/music director the first candidate in the auditions, James Allen Anderson. It was pretty much love at first sight since everybody was raving about him during his tryout; he seems to be a really good fit for the Philharmonic, and I haven't heard that anyone is unhappy with the decision. All the candidates were excellent and highly accomplished but I think the most important quality is how well a conductor "clicks" with the orchestra, and Jim had that in spades.

Image

Our departing conductor will be coming back to do the winter Holiday Pops concerts for (he says now) the next 10 years. He may be having trouble cutting the apron strings, since this orchestra literally raised him from a baby conductor. But that's fine, holidays are for family.
GAH!

Big RR
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Re: Our next show

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I think of the Rachmaninoff as a kind of jokey piece
I'd bet it is popular though. It was popularized through the film Somewhere in Time (starring Christopher Reeve) and is on many a music Box under the name Somewhere in Time). I've never heard the Paganini piece, but it does seem that Rachmaninoff had a lot of fun with it.

And congratulations on your new conductor; when had to replace our accompanist (piano and organ) last year, and hired an exceptional Julliard graduate; she is taking some time off to raise her young child, but she's obviously meant for bigger and better things, and I doubt we'll keep her for very long. It's always tough to go through these changes, and how they interact with the group is at least as important as their musical talent. Having sung under Talented, but arrogant, conductors, it's often not worth the effort (especially when it is not a paid position); I have accepted much more shit in pad gigs (and can see why those who support themselves this way put up wit even more).

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Sue U
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Re: Our next show

Post by Sue U »

Big RR wrote:
Wed May 10, 2023 3:25 pm
I think of the Rachmaninoff as a kind of jokey piece
I'd bet it is popular though. It was popularized through the film Somewhere in Time (starring Christopher Reeve) and is on many a music Box under the name Somewhere in Time). I've never heard the Paganini piece, but it does seem that Rachmaninoff had a lot of fun with it.
Paganini was himself quite the showman and Caprice 24 is an exhibition of virtuosity. But being a virtuoso means you get to have fun with the music. So if you've never heard Caprice 24, or if you have, a terrific way to experience it is with the world's greatest violinist (Hilary Hahn, in case of any doubt) and a couple of pals (TwoSet Violin) making it a game, with hula hoops:

GAH!

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