mahaberio

It was mentioned in another thread that this topic deserves its own thread and I whole-heartedly agree.

I don't presume to know the perfect way to program a recital, all I can offer are my feelings on how I like to go about it.

First of all, I won't play anything that I don't think I can do something original with. If there is a piece that is fairly popular that I really want to play, I really try to make it my own.

One of the other goals I have for recitals is exposure. Expose yourself and the audience to something you're not familiar with. Take a risk with new piece. Don't worry about its "accessibility," as people we have evolved to appreciate and enjoy music that was once considered difficult on the ears. Remember, all music was once new.

Something I'd like to do as a student that I haven't had the opportunity to do yet is play music by other students. Student composers are always THRILLED to have their works performed and we have a responsibility as their colleagues to help them with that. It is also a great opportunity to work on a new piece WITH its composer (how often do we get that opportunity?). It is also a great way to make valuable connections with your peers that can continue well into your careers and will more than likely increase in value. I recently collaborated with a student composer on his first work for trumpet and it was a great learning experience for both of us. I sent him TONS of solo trumpet music that he'd never heard before and he asked me about certain aspects of trumpet composition. Simple questions he asked me provided information that he will carry with him the next time he goes to compose for the trumpet. It also created an enthusiasm in him for trumpet composition. This is what we need! More composers enthusiastic about writing for our instrument. Later this year I'm going to record his piece for him and he will add it into his portfolio. Hopefully I will be able to include his piece in the next recital I plan.

I don't really think a whole lot about the program order as it seems to dictate itself when I get the music figured out. Also, when I start picking an order, it shows me that maybe something doesn't necessarily work in the program and the process of picking music sort of starts over. Once I have an order figured out, I make an iTunes playlist of all the pieces (if possible I make a recording if one is unavailable) and listen to it. It seems silly but it's a great way to gauge a reaction to it as an audience member. While live music and recorded music is irrefutably different, it will possibly bring something to your attention. Does it sound tedious? Boring? Exciting?

Once this process is done, simulate a recital by playing as much like you would in the recital as possible incorporating rests, switching trumpets, going off-stage, etc. Revise accordingly.

This is just how I go about planning a recital in my relative inexperience.


-Matthew

trumpetmike

The biggest thing for me, when choosing a recital programme, is knowing your audience.


Most of the recitals I do are not for the contemporary-musically-literate. They like a good tune, so I tend to choose pieces that are accessible to their ears (sorry, no Berio here). I will be honest, this suits me quite well - having been forced to play/listen to contemporary music at university I became fairly sick of much of it (especially the composers who write purely for what is possible, not necessarily what is pleasurable to listen to - it becomes more a technical exercise than a musical experience). I don't shy away from everything contemporary, but I don't include a vast number of pieces of that style in my recitals.

If I was playing to a more contemporary-music-appreciative audience I would probably include more pieces of that genre, but at the moment my recitals are not for these audiences.

I understand the "introduce new music" aspect of many recitals, but I am very careful about what new music I will introduce. For example, taking the contemporary trumpet book Go Blow Your Own (published by Boosey & Hawkes in collaboration with ITG - well worth checking out if you don't already have it) I would happily include some of the pieces (I have already included Carol Barratt's Cantilena and have got Karl Jenkins' Salm O Dewi Sant lined up for inclusion over the next year) - they are beautiful pieces of music that happen to be written using contemporary harmonies or non-traditional intervals. I am currently starting to look at Gruber's Exposed Throat, but I am probably doing this more for my own benefit (I think it is good for me to tackle this sort of work, having not done so for a while) than because I will include it in any sort of public recital - I think it would be just too much for the majority of my audiences.

For players like Hakan, their audiences are now expecting this style of piece, so including it in a recital would be considered normal. My audiences are expecting to hear music that is basically pleasant on the ears, so that tends to be what I give them. This does not, however, mean that they will have heard the music before - I make a great effort to include "new" pieces to the audience, frequently from composers they will not have heard of. They might not be contemporary composers, but they are most certainly not on the regular lists that many audiences will have come across.

cornetguy

the times i have done recitals i have tried to have:

concerto or sonata
something french
cornet solo
something on the piccolo trumpet
ideally something from the 20th century if not done in the above.

for me the one to pick first is the sonata or concerto then figure out what complements and contrasts with it the best.

ecarroll

Trumpetmike,

Take a look at the introduction page to "Go Blow Your Own" :)

Cheers,
EC

trumpetmike

Ed - I knew you were involved, I just wasn't sure how well known it might be amongst the other members of TM.

ecarroll

Mike,

Probably not well known at all. I gave the world premieres of three of the pieces found within (Horne, Holloway, and Max Davies <with John>)

I love your comment about playing music that your audiences haven't heard before. I suppose that this is my point, not the number of hemi demis in a particular work. I believe that we are best defined by what we play and find it puzzling that the vast majority of classically trained trumpeters the world over are performing variations on the same playlist. Variety. . . yes. Arutunian, Hindemith, Ewazen, and Tartini. . . why? We actually have a vast and, increasingly, rich repertoire if one takes time to discover it!

Great also that you're tackling Exposed Throat. One of my CalArts students (Lisa Edelman, for those keeping score) played it before a Gruber Concert by the London Sinfonietta (QE Hall) a few seasons ago to great effect. Tristram Williams, a brilliant Australian (associate principal trumpet in Melbourne), blew the audience away at the recent Chosen Vale seminar away with it as well. I was delighted to see it included as a set-piece at the last Ellsworth Smith Competition. It's fun to play and very, very effective.

Best,
EC

trumpetmike

"fun" is not currently the word I am using for it

ecarroll

All things with time, amigo. It will come. . .

Best,
EC

mahaberio

Interesting comments so far. Cornetguy, I must say (and I mean absolutely no offense to you by this) that I find such a formulaic approach to programming dangerous as it standardizes recitals. In my opinion, even if you program a different work every time in each category, those recitals would become stagnant. I almost like to think of a recital as a painter, sculptor, or photographer would think of their new collection. Most of the time they achieve a cohesion among their works while still being eclectic.

Hags888

Here goes nothing *taking first dive into the pool*

When I've done recitals, I think about a number of things:

1. Length
-How long is the recital going to be? an hour? two hours? What I choose for music is partly determined by how long the recital is going to be. For a longer recital, I'm going to want to be very conscious of how "choppy" the pieces are...cause we all know it takes an enormous amount of endurance to play through a 2 hour solo recital. Who wants to "try" to play the Hindemith and the Tomasi back to back, espeically if you've already been playing for an hour?

2. Audience
-Who and what is the recital for? If it's a degree recital, or one you're giving for your own students, then you should probably have all your stylistic bases covered. For degree recitals in particular choosing, for example, an "all french" recital probably isn't the best idea. On the flip side, if you're programming a recital as a "solo artist" in a church, or recital hall, then maybe hitting all the stylistic bases isn't a requirement. Doing an "all french" recital as a solo artist might actually be a good idea in that instance.

3. What fits you
-Finally, after you've figured out the practical issues of programming, you have to consider, what can you actually sound good on? Not everyone can sound like Eric Aubier on the Tomasi, so programming it for its own sake, or to say "I played the Tomasi on a recital" may not be the best idea. Would you rather say "I played the Tomasi [like crap]", or "I sounded great on the Bitsch Capriccio." If certain styles or pieces suit you better than others, program more of those kinds of pieces. Likewise if a certain piece is out of your reach wherever you are in your playing, that's ok...you shouldn't program a piece to "prove something." Not every situation will allow you pick things that suit you, but it will help you have a more successful recital if you can.

So, in general I try to pick pieces that I can play well, and that will allow me to be successful in a solo setting, all the while paying attention to my audience and the type of recital at hand.

that's my 2-cents.