The audition list material is as follows (this is interesting!):
Exposition of a first movement from the solo concerto repertoire.
BACH Brandenburg Concerto No. 1
Movement 1 – Horn 2: all measures
Movement 3 (Allegro) – Horn 2: measures 1-17
Trio II – Horn 2: all measures
BEETHOVEN Overture To “Fidelio”
Horn 2: measures 47-55 and measures 234-247
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 3
Movement 3 – Horn 2: measures 171-205
Movement 2 – Horn 2: letter G for 6 measures
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 7
Movement 1 – Horn 2: measures 84-110
Movement 3 – Horn 2: measures 185-238
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 8
Movement 3 – Horn 2: measures 44-78
Movement 3 – Horn 4: measures 82-99 and 107-121
HAYDN Symphony No. 31
Movement 2 – Horn 2: measures 12-16 and 35-38
MOZART Symphony No. 29
Movement 4 – Horn 2: last 21 measures plus the pickup
Movement 1 – Horn 2: measures 1-8
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 5
Movement 2 – Horn 1: measures 8-28
So I have prepared as thoroughly as I am going to be able to for the audition at this point. I feel confident that I'll play well. But as I anticipate what is going to occur tomorrow, I am having the following thoughts:
1. I am going to play lightly today. Just run through the repertoire and polish minor spots. Beating up the chops would do little, if any good.
2. Use a metronome today to make sure I have the correct tempos drilled into my head.
3. Warm up well and warm down well.
4. Play at the same time of the day.
5. Remember to have a quick review of the following things before each excerpt:
- desired tempo
- character/spirit of the piece
- a quick review of tricky spots that I need to mentally "read-ahead" and remember as I go through the excerpt
I think that following those guidelines will set me up to play well tomorrow.
I am also remembering what someone once told me: "You don't have to play your A+ 'game' for an audition. Just play your best, which may only be A-/B+ 'game' and that will show the committee that you are a qualified candidate. Trying to bust out A+ game will make you try too hard for perfection and will hinder you!" Good advice.
Also, I am trying to have the attitude of "creative not-caring." This idea is one of just playing the music and not caring too much about what happens during the audition. Just play the MUSIC! Imagine that...it can be that simple!
Looking forward to a good time tomorrow and a time of learning more about how I cope with audition pressures!
2 comments:
I posted an article today about working with Fresh Talent - which seems to fly in the face of your "creative-not caring" attitude.
That's not to say your approach to the audition wasn't the right one for your own head space. But, as a composer, I like to feel as though the person playing (or singing) is doing so with passion - that it does matter.
Yet - as in your case - what about the performer who may face that "sorry, but we have... " which is never easy to deal with. So, you got me thinking - when is the right time to be passionate, to the point of putting yourself out there, emotions on the line - and when is it better to be reserved?
I grant you, the vocalist I worked with last night were in a very different sitation than you are.... so maybe there are too different to draw any comparison...
I think the trick is to put your emotions at the very forefront and let them be as prevalent as possible--without letting them effect your technique and what physically must be done to perform. For instance, sometimes when I really am engrossed in some music I tend to want to move my upper body in sync with the music I am performing. My teachers have told me this is distracting to the audience, but most importantly it destabilizes the embouchure and the buzz is affected.
Creative caring is more of what I just said above. Perhaps a post of clarification in the near future would be good! Great to hear from you!
Cheers!
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