Matériel : DVD
SKU: PR.11641373S
UPC: 680160680344.
The concerto has always seemed an especially attractive medium to me, not necessarily because of its expectations of virtuosity (although flaunting it when you've got it certainly has its place), and emphatically not because of the perception of a concerto as a contest, but because so much of what I write feels song-like; I'm very much at home with the age-old texture of melody and accompaniment. I hope, before I move on, to have the opportunity to write concertos for all the major instruments, and perhaps some of the rarer ones as well. The oboe is not only one of the major instruments, it is one of my favorite instruments. I've always loved its sound, but since moving to New York I have gotten to hear and, in some cases, know some extremely fine oboists who broadened my appreciation of the instrument's possibilities. I especially remember a concert, probably in the late 1960's, in which Humbert Lucarelli played a Handel concerto, filling out large melodic leaps with cascading scale passages in a way that raised the hair on the back of your neck, somewhat in the way that John Coltrane's sheets of sound did. The sweeping scales in the second movement of my concerto were definitely inspired by Bert Lucarelli's performance. The first, third and fifth movements of the Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra are song-like, whereas the second and fourth have strong scherzo and dance qualities, including a couple of sections that sound like out-and-out pirate dances to me. The hymn-like tune at the beginning of the middle movement was originally begun as a vocal piece to be sung by my wife, son and daughter at my brother's wedding, but I couldn't come up with good works for it, so it ended up as an instrumental chant. The opening and closing of the concerto make use of the oboe's uniquely soulful singing. I had not heard Pamela Woods Pecha's solo playing in person when she approached me about writing a concerto, but I had heard her fine recording of chamber music for oboe and strings by the three B's (English, that is: Bliss, Bax and Britten) with the Audubon Quartet. I actually already had some oboe concerto ideas in my sketchbooks; although I didn't end up using any of those earlier ideas, it's interesting that most of them tended to share the general feeling and tonality of the eventual opening of the concerto. The work was completed on October 13, 1994. I hate the compromises involved in making piano reductions -- perhaps I would feel differently if I were a more accomplished pianist -- so I often decide to make piano reductions for four hands rather than two. My good friend Jon Kimura Parker is a terrific sight-reader, and I roped him into coming over to my place on February 17, 1995, to help me accompany Pamela on the first read-through of the piece. The first performance of the work took place on July 21, 1995, at the American Music Festival in Duncan, Oklahoma, with Mark Parker conducting the Festival Orchestra.
SKU: PR.11641373L
UPC: 680160680337.
SKU: GI.G-10229
ISBN 9781622774418.
Play ing an instrument well and playing an instrument well in the context of an ensemble are different. In this practical guidebook, authors Robin Fountain and Thomas E. Verrier empower musicians to get the most out of their ensemble experience, exploring six concepts developed over years observing and interviewing musicians from one of the world’s finest ensembles: The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Unify through sight as well as sound. Don’t always follow conductors, but always pay attention to them. Be together rather than “right.†Don’t be too literal. Know your role. To sound in tune, play “out of tune together.†Using easy-to-understand tools—proven to work in any type of conducted ensemble and by musicians at any level—Fountain and Verrier turn the traditional top-down ensemble training paradigm on its head. They show how ensemble musicians, even when performing in large conducted groups, become most successful when entrusted to unify elements of the music through direct communication and collaboration with one another. As musicians shoulder this responsibility, they create a cohesive musical product that the conductor can respond to and influence. The result is more engaged, effective, and satisfying music making for everyone. Robin Fountain is Professor of Conducting at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music. Thomas E. Verrier is Senior Band Conductor and Director of Wind Ensembles at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music.
