Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Seamless Playing

Today in both my lesson and in my studio class performance, I was admonished to use "seamless" air. There were too many gaps in my playing. At first I didn't hear it and was confused, but thanks to the technology of recording, I was able to quickly hear the "gaps."

In studio class I played:

Strauss: Don Juan [tutti call, horn 3]
Schubert: Symphony No. 9 'Great' [opening passage; horn 3]
Wagner: Siegfried "Short Call"

The gaps were especially apparent in the Schubert. The excerpt is very soft, and I think in an effort to get the clear piano attack and dynamic, I was making the notes grossly separated. Something to fix...

What I find remarkable is that I can practice all week and look for and practice problematic passages, but then I miss something else. I suppose this is the nature of music performance. There are so many things to be aware of at once, that it is like a juggling act--keeping everything in balance is the trick.

I also find it interesting that everything over the past few weeks has been all a matter of air management or misuse. When it comes down to it, my horn playing is all about the air. Whether it's not breathing correctly (in tempo, at the right musical spot, etc.); not keeping a consistent air stream at all times; or over-blowing certain registers of the horn, it is all about the air.

Focus for spring break...iron out the air issues [admittedly easier said than done]!

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Sergiu Celibidache & Bruckner 4 'Romantic'

Maestro Celibidache was a very famous conductor in Europe throughout much of the middle and late 20th century. He conducted many of the famous orchestras in Europe, but was infamous for his refusal to record. Celibidache's brief and informal bio can be found here. It is important to remember that Celibidache insisted upon no recordings being made. The AMAZING recordings that are now for commercial sale are live performances (generally live radio broadcasts) from the archives that are being released with the permission of his family.

Celibidache is most notably known for his Buddhist/Zen views. This life outlook affected his interpretation and conducting. Here is the video of a young Celibidache conducting Berlin just after World War II.



The influence of the Zen upon his music is most profoundly experienced in his interpretation of the Bruckner Symphonies. A few years ago, EMI released a box set of Bruckner Symphonies 3 - 9 and Te Deum (released posthumously). My favorite recording/interpretation of all of these is his recording of Symphony No. 4. He unfolds it in such a "Zen" manner that is calm and relaxed, yet deeply moving and even spiritual. The best comparison I can make is this: listening to his Bruckner 4 makes me see a flower slowing unfolding and blooming in slow motion. The work just unfolds so slowly (note the slow tempos he chooses!) that it makes the marvelous harmonies Bruckner wrote come to life--full of so many colors and shapes that the normal, faster tempos conductors take fail to let listeners realize these harmonic changes and progressions.

Before I give you the video link to him conducting Bruckner 4, as a brass player I must note something that has been passed on to me by word of mouth. As you can see and hear in the following video, Celibidache's tempo made the already long phrases of Bruckner almost now impossible to play in the brass. Word has it that when Celibidache was named the new Maestro in Munich, the brass section began Yoga and Tai Chi regimens to prepare for his arrival.

One other thing that was passed on to me is that there were players who left the Berlin Philharmonic to come to Munich and play for this incredible man. That alone speaks volumes of his musicianship and reputation. But let me now abandon dialog and let you experience this incredible work for yourself! (Please pardon the poor quality of video and sound...this is regrettably the best I can find. I do own the box set mentioned above and it is SO WORTH THE INVESTMENT for its amazingly clear sound and pristine preservation of the original recordings!!!)

**The entire Symphony No. 4 can be viewed if you follow the links carefully!**