Khora

Derek-

The Universe has a way of taking care of things, for sure!

The trumpet solo is the beginning of Act 2 - first the trumpet plays the melody, then the tenor sings the aria. Basic comic opera story - boy loves girl, girl is supposed to marry old geezer, they devise a plan to thwart the old man, boy gets girl in the end. This aria is the boy singing about having to leave town -- "Povero Ernesto" (Poor Ernesto).

It was premiered in Paris (written for the Paris Opera in under 2 weeks) in 1843. Donizetti wrote the vocal parts first, so the singers could learn their music then did the orchestration to fit. Perhaps he knew that the trumpet player could learn it quickly? I suspect he wanted to do something "different" - and there certainly hadn't been any major trumpet melodies up to that point..... However, I'm sure once you begin your research you will have far more information to provide us - I look forward to that!

I did one production where the director cast Ernesto as a 1920's jazz trumpeter. I had to really keep eye contact with the tenor, since he was pantomining playing the melody - and being a tenor couldn't remember that he had to keep the horn near his lips while I was playing. I wish I had a video of that dress rehearsal to show......

There aren't a lot of recordings out there (at least compared to Boheme, foor example!). I have 3 different versions - and each solo is played differently. I think my favorite is between Sarah Caldwell conducting the London Symphony Orchestra (1978 - Beverly Sills as Norina, Donald Gramm as Ernesto; not sure who is playing the solo) and one by the Wiener Staatsoper, for which I can't find the date or conductor right now. I have one by the English Chamber Orchestra as well, but there is a 'disputed note' in the solo, which unfortunately jars my ears every time I hear it.

Enjoy your research - it is a wonderful show, and I was glad to see the Met finally do a full production last season!

Best,

Sandy

tpter1

The use of operatic excerpts actually makes a whole lot of sense to me. However, what do you folks make of the requirement of the Snedecor #18 for the Baltimore position? (I believe Wilmer brought this point up in trumpetmike's discussion, but maybe not everyone has read it). Why might an etude be placed on a rep list for an audition? To hear, right off the bat, rhythmic integrity? Is it possible that in this first round there will only be Honneger and the Etude as the seperators and excerpts to follow in subsequent rounds? I ask because there may be some on this forum that are applying for this position as well as Montreal, and just because I'm curious to know.

__________________
-Glenn
"Roses have thorns; shining waters mud. Clouds and eclipses stain the moon and the sun; and history reeks of the wrongs we have done. After today, after today, consider me gone."- Sting

ecarroll

Another thing worth mentioning about auditions (they keep popping to mind, as I hope they do to yours) . . . Vince Cichowicz once said to me that "students are defined by their liabilities, not their assets". Needless to say, a live audition will reveal both.

Many young players have their first audition experiences before sorting out their liabilities. Imagine the indecision and fear that creeps through the screen from the young trumpeter who has mastered Mahler's forte but missed his pianissimo.

"I cannot hit curveball. Straightball I hit it very much. Curveball, bats are afraid. I ask Jobu to come, take fear from bats".
Pedro Serrano

There's one school of thought that suggests that we take the plunge into the deep end and take as many auditions as possible to learn what it takes to win one. There's another school of thought that suggests that we wait until we've mastered the instrument and repertoire before entering the arena. I'm becoming more of an option #2 teacher -- I prefer my students to build on success rather than to hope to avoid failure.

Thoughts?
EC

tpter1

I think it might vary depending on the stage of one's life. If one is trying to get an orchestral job, and has completed the necessary training, he/she should take every audition possible. It's the only way success will be achieved. But proper training, such as you provide for your students, will allow them to be fully prepared for whatever they might face.

Having said that, sometimes the very best teacher is experience. Sometimes the lessons learned have more meaning in an experiential setting.

But, I never want my students to feel less than prepared, either. I don't want them to fail; but I don't want them to fear failure, either. I think that comes from the self-confidence that only Preparedness can bring.

It's a fine line to walk. "A man's reach should exceed his grasp" is the approach for me.

__________________
-Glenn
"Roses have thorns; shining waters mud. Clouds and eclipses stain the moon and the sun; and history reeks of the wrongs we have done. After today, after today, consider me gone."- Sting

ecarroll

Glenn,

I agree with the above but I've also witnessed many fine young players who carry fear, caused by bad (read unprepared) experiences, with them from audition to audition. Later in the game they too often decide that they simply "don't audition well" and bail out.

No doubt experience counts, but in the best of all possible worlds (1) they build upon positive experiences.

Many roads, some better travelled upon than others?

Watching with interest,
EC
(1) Candide

Dave

I am not and never will be an orchestral trumpeter, but damn this is a great thread! Thanks, Ed.

Khora

Ed-

I agree with you completely on the issue of waiting until a real level of mastery has been achieved before taking professional orchestra auditions.

Speaking from personal experience, having jumped into the arena a little too soon, I have carried into nearly every audition a sense that I wasn't ready. And fallen on my face early. (The few I have actually felt ready for I've made finals or won.) I make a living as a performer, but I have unfortunately become one of those who "Just don't audition well". I'm doing my best to unlearn the bad experiences and relearn positive ones, but it would be a lot easier if I had just learned positive ones to begin with!

Mastery of the instrument is also just on component in being ready for professional auditions. Maturity and self-confidence are also critical - not necessarily a "I'm the best in the world" bloated self-opinion, but true confidence that you are prepared and ready, and that success is about playing exactly the way you want at each step, not whether you win the job.

"A man's reach should exceed his grasp" is a fine philosophy, up to a point. Maturity is knowing realistically how far beyond one's grasp the goal lies. Can you really touch it, or is it actually way beyond your reach at this time? Far less harm is done by waiting than by over-reaching.

For whatever my opinion is worth, anyways....

Sandy

Manny Laureano

Trumpetnick asked if i would weigh on the thread and I had been hesitant to because, the fact is, so much good has been written here that it's hard to add to it. I wondered what I could add to it and i thought about our auditions at the Hall in the ast few years. I then realized that no one has talked about a phenomenon that is increasing more and more. That is, the request for the musician applying to play with the section!

Presently, we have a young violist who, as part of his audition, is playing with the section this week. It's an all Russian program (Pulcinella, Prokofiev piano #3, and an expanded Swan lake Suite). So, in a sense, here's where the rubber can meet the road.

When you play the 2nd part to Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra are you going to pick up on the conductors tempo in the eight measures of preparation or stay in your own little world and drag?

Is all the time working with a tuner going to prepare you for the intonation problems of the opening movement of the Bartok or Brahms' Academic fest Overture? Or are you going to open your ears and notice how sharp the first player plays?

Is a dotted quarter at 80 really sufficient for Alborada del Gracioso when you have a conductor who whips music up to a frenzy? Will you be wishing you practiced it at 96 so you have a comfort zone when it's performed at 92?

Is that plastic mouthpiece going to hold up during the opening of the Mahler 7th finale as you hear three high C's played one after the other? Are your ears sensitive enough to pick up on the famous trumpet duet in Britten's Young Person's Guide and hear in one measure how you're to be expected to play those 16ths?

You get the picture.

The idea of becoming a great ensemble player is paramount to becoming a great orchestral musician. It takes talent and ears. Ears make your job easier if you don't have talent. Talent opens the doors for you to develop ears but then you have to practice. You develop ears by playing in small ensembles endlessly. Even if all you do is play duets with a buddy every day it's better than nothing. If you don't listen and play listening games with your buddy it's like not playing. Listen, adjust, phrase, inspire, get out of the way, use vibrato, don't use vibrato, color your sound... use your ears to show your talent when you audition and you're asked to play a round with a member or two of the section. This all applies when you're auditioning for a solo chair as well.

ML

ecarroll

Manny,

Precisely. Playing in conductorless ensembles is essential to develop both ears and decision making.

I'm astonished to learn when I'm traveling around giving masterclasses how few young trumpeters are appearing onstage in anything other than large, conducted, ensembles. No wonder their knees knock in rare chamber music and solo settings. . .the essential skills needed for confidence haven't had time to develop and gestate.

TMers, take Manny's advice here? Play duets -- any type of music really that asks you to make critical musical decisions -- and explore. 500 hours of chamber music will serve you well later on when decisions that can shape your life are being made!

Thanks for weighing in. This has become an excellent thread -- one to revisit often. Keep those posts coming!

Best,
EC

Derek Reaban

Ed,

After reading Manny’s fantastic response to this thread, I went back and read the whole thing again. The content here is just fantastic! What a great opportunity for all of us to have a discussion like this (I know I learn something every time I post a question here)!

On my read through, your response to one of my posts caught my eye again. You wrote:


While I’ve never heard either of these pieces, I just took away the general impression that these were pieces with extremely challenging parts in the trumpet book the first time that I read your post. On the second reading, Ades caught my eye, and I remembered that we had heard the world premiere of his opera “The Tempest” in Santa Fe this past summer. Your words took on a new meaning for me!

This is snapshot of a post that I made of my trip to Santa Fe this past summer about his opera:

__________________
Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona