trumpetmike

I have just been asked to help out a friend this weekend (he has damaged his shoulder and it has put him out of playing for the next few months!) playing Turangalila Symphonie by Messiaen - I have never played the piece before and in his words "there are some hairy entries" - what have I let myself in for??

Is this a piece I should be worried about?

I am sure I should know this, but it is not one that has come up before.

Manny Laureano

You are very fortunate to get to play this thing!

It is a very cool piece and uses a precursor to the modern synthesizer called the theramin. I have to go just now but I'll write more later. Suffice it to say, you'll love the piece, Tmike.

ML

dedalus78

It uses an Ondes Martenot, which is similar to a theremin, except pitch can be much more carefully controlled as it has a keyboard, and a sliding 'ribbon' for all those seven octave glisses- as opposed to the theremin with just several antennae you move your hand around.
The trumpet parts are great; Messiaen said he wanted the trumpet to be like a wind instrument rather than brass, so there is alot of playing! There are 5 parts- picc trumpet, three C trumpets and a cornet. All have plenty of fun stuff, especially picc. and trumpet 1..

TW

matthoffner

its a really cool piece - it features the ondes martenot (basically a keyboard/theramin). I haven't played it, but have studied the piece a little and its pretty interesting. The trumpet parts seem challenging, but rewarding. I think there is a recording on Itunes.

have fun,

Matt

Manny Laureano

TW is exactly right, my memory failed me. I even gave a pre-concert talk on the damned thing! I remember a part that I christened "The Chicken Dance" because of the orchestration.

At any rate, which part are you playing, Tmike? I'm almost positive I used an Eb for the D part.

ML

trumpetmike

I have a nasty feeling I am playing the D part (whichever that is)

From what I have been told so far (on here and TH) I have a feeling it is time to get the piccolo out.

Just when I was hoping for a relaxing weekend

If anybody has any excerpts that they could email I would be most grateful - I am usually the first person to say "go out and find a copy of the score and take a look for yourself" but I am working solidly until the rehearsal - I wish I did have time to go and check out a recording and a score, but it ain'y gonna happen in the next three days. The only reason I am doing this is because the guy is injured and I don't want to let him down.
Any help would be most appreciated.

robertwhite

Does this guy not already have the part? He should find a way to get it to you in advance, injured or not.

trumpetmike

Firstly - thanks for the thoughts about this piece - I was a little more prepared than I might have been.
He got it to me 24 hours before the rehearsal (at a time when I was teaching at all sensible hours of the day, so no real time to get to know it - not a major problem, just helped me decide what to play it on).

Can I get back to you on that
Hmm - I don't think it has made my Top Ten. One of the other trumpeters described it as "Rite of Spring, but without the tune - oh, and you have to really count in this one."
It was certainly interesting, but I will be quite happy not to see that again for a few years.
Funny story about that.
We were rehearsing the piece and the Ondes player turned up slightly late, so had to set up whilst we were rehearsing other parts of the piece. After about an hour (!) we get to his "big moment" and he looks at the conductor and says "it doesn't work."
The orchestra split in two - half fell about laughing, having spent the past hour watching him set it all up only to find that it didn't work, whilst the others started offering electrical help or phoning round to try and find another one (after all - Ondes Martenots are so common ). By the time the performance came, they had given up on the Ondes and he had to play the part of a synth, which sounded truly awful.
I felt very sorry for him (it wasn't his fault, the electrics had gone wrong) but it was very funny - the only piece that needs one and we had one, but it didn't work - possibly the only reason we were playing the piece and we had to use a synth.

Oh well - time to wait another 20/30 years before I get the chance again (wouldn't actually mind if it was a longer time period).

Manny Laureano

Oh, too bad you didn't like it... well, I got a kick out of it anyway. But the Ondes part is very cool when you hear played with working equipment. I also had the benefit of several performances to let it get under my skin and that always makes a difference.

ML

wiseone2

Messiaen's "Oiseaux Exotiques" is a wonderful chamber music work. I have played this one several times. It's a lot of fun. We, in Brooklyn, with Robert Spano conducting, did a condensed version of Messiaen's "Saint Francis." Lots of D trumpet stuff, and we had two Ondes that worked.

I strongly recommend his "Quartet For The End of Time." It was written while he was in a concentration camp. Get the Tashi recording.

Wilmer