Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Where to begin.....It is difficult to write about what was, strangely, a very emotional experience.  30 years ago I went to a Horn Fandango (Festival) at Michigan State University hosted by Doug Campbell.  One of the guest Professors was the Belgian Horn player André Van Driessche.  I played for him and I remember not doing that well. (Adagio and Allegro by Schumann)  That was my first encounter with Belgian horn playing or players.  Little did I know that I would go on to finish my Masters degree with another Belgian horn player, Francis Orval, and then eventually win a job in Liège, Belgium.

Without going into the long history of Belgian horn players you must understand that André Van Driessche and Francis Orval, world class horn players and pedagogues, are responsible directly or indirectly for almost all the horn players in Belgian Orchestras today.  When I met Mr. Van Driessche this weekend it brought a smile and a tear.  The world is shrinking smaller and smaller, and for all that people complain about that I find it thrilling and wonderful.  Seeing him brought back all the thoughts of my time studying with Neill Sanders and the Horn Fandangos at Western Michigan University and Michigan State.  Magical moments in my horn life.  That moment made my weekend, and it was only the beginning.

Day 1

We had a rehearsal for the "Belgian Horn Sound" piece (Lars Stransky's arrangement of Hansel and Gretel highlights) which was featured on the Day two final concert.  While this rehearsal was going on their was a mock orchestral audition, but this "mock" audition was really a chance for the winners to receive a guaranteed job with a Belgian orchestra as a sub for a week.  The jury was comprised of principal horns from various Belgian orchestras.  This was followed by more than 40 students of all types and ages following Master Classes from 8 different teachers.  The very busy first day came to its conclusion with a concert by the Mengal Ensemble, and that was followed by a wonderful reception where I took this picture.  

(l. to r.  Claude Maury, President of the Horn Association of France, Rik Verkruysse, Professor of Horn at the Antwerp Conservatory and André Van Driessche, legendary Flemish horn player and pedadagogue)

Martin-Joseph Mengal

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Martin-Joseph Mengal (January 27, 1784 - July 4, 1851) was a Belgian composer and instructor.

Mengal came from a musical family and received horn and violin lessons as a child, and by the age of 13 played first horn at the Ghent opera. From 1804 Mengal moved to Paris to study at the Conservatoire de Paris with Frédéric Duvernoy and Charles Simon Catel , but in December of the same year he joined the French military service and marched in the War of the Third Coalition against Italy, Austria and Prussia under Napoleon I .

Mengal's connections with composer Anton Reicha and with the diplomat Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord made it possible to stage his operatic work at the Paris Opéra-Comique . In 1825 Mengal returned to Ghent, becoming conductor of the Opera Orchestra in Antwerp in 1830, and shortly afterward took the same position in The Hague. Mengal was the founding director of the Royal Conservatory of Ghent in 1835 and served as director there until his death. His students there included François-Auguste Gevaert .

His operas include Les infidèles (1823, Paris), Le Vampire ou L'Homme du néant (1826, Ghent), Apothéose de Talma (1826, Ghent), and the comic opera Un jour ou à Vaucluse Le Poète ambassadeur (1830, Ghent).

The Mengal Ensemble has its own unique repertoire playing unusual horn music by lesser known, to me, composers on orginal and modern instruments.  When an ensemble finds a niche and exploits it we all benefit, and interesting and very valid music comes to light.  I will post another entry later about this ensemble.  The highlight of the concert was the selection of music for soprano and horn quartet featuring the soprano Veerle Verhaegen.

Het Strooien Dak     L. Mortelmans (1868-1952)

'k Hoore Tuitend Hoornen  tekst G. Gezelle (1830-1899)

Weemoed  J. Ryelandt (1870-1965)

Le Vamprye  M.J. Mengal (1784-1851)

Day 2

Ensembles, Workshops and Final Concert Day

The day started with dividing up all the players (around 160) into 4 different groups based upon playing level.  With the professional "Belgian Horn Sound" group that made 5 different horn ensembles, and they would all make it on stage for the final two pieces of the evening concert.  These groups rehearsed 3 times during a jam-packed day that ran without a hitch.  The planning and organization was impeccable.  In between rehearsals, lunch and the final dress rehearsal they squeezed some workshops. I couldn't attend them all but they included:  Horn Maintanence, Alphorns, How to use various computer programs to record yourself, and a workshop with Pascal Proust about his work as a composer and arranger.  They packed all this in in two days and somehow made it possible (if you had the energy) for everyone to attend everthing.  The workshops were given twice so that with a staggered lunch schedule the Alphorns, for example, were not overwhelmed with 50 people at once wanting to try them out.

In the end I don't have many photos or videos to share because I was busy playing my horn most of the day, but the Hoorndag website has all the photos you could want, and videos (not yet available) as well.  I do include the following picture, which I have already posted on Facebook, taken from the dress rehearsal for the last piece of the final concert. 

 This piece by Pascal Proust, "les Eperons d'Or" (The Golden Spurs), was written especially for the Hoorndag.  Using 6 alphorns makes it quite a spectacle, but it is a very interesting and special piece.  The Hoorndag was in the town of Roeselare which is in the Northwestern part of Belgium near the city of Kortrijk (Courtrai, in french).  It commemorates the Battle of the Golden Spurs which took place in 1302.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Golden_Spurs

The piece was very nice, and the alphorn parts could be played by 6 solo horn players if 6 alphorns weren't available.  At times, with 160 horn players on stage, it was hard to hear all the lines, but it is a very cool piece and should make its way into the repertoire once it is published.

The introduction to the final concert took place in the foyer of the concert hall.  The Hunting Horn ensemble "The Greenfields" performed various short calls.  I include this short video which does no justice to their playing, or my filming skills.  More information and excerpts may be found at their website:  thegreenfields.be

The_Greenfields_-_Computer.m4v Watch on Posterous

My thanks go out to Frank Clarysse, Bart Indevuyst, and Jeroen Billiet.  These three men passionately organized a flawless event. 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

There is a phenemanon on youtube that I find most troubling.  "Shreds"  What is a shred?  A shred is taking a video of a live performance and replacing the sound with an audio track of someone else performing the same piece and trashing the piece.

I recently came across a video of Radek Baborak playing Mozart's 1st horn concert with the Berlin Philharmonic and his performance is replaced with student level, at best, performance.  I find this not at all funny and insulting.  If even one person thinks that this is how he actually plays it is a disservice to Mr. Baborak and to horn players in general.  We have a hard enough time getting horn concertos programmed without this kind of internet trash entering into the classical music world.

Youtube offers a sensational resource for all horn players and there are ample videos of all kinds of antics and spoofs, but this is the first time I have seen something like this.  Please do not engage in this behavior.  Radek Baborak is one the greatest horn players alive, and he deserves our respect.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

HoornDag_2012.pdf Download this file

Featuring:  Master classes from Horn Professors and Soloists from Belgium, Holland and France.  Massed Horn Choirs, Professional Horn Ensemble "Belgian Horn Sound", Historical Instrument Displays, Workshops (repair, alphorn, recording/practicing techniques), Hunting Horn Concert (The Greenfields)

See the full gallery on Posterous

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Bucket Lists are all the rage, but I thought I would create a list of orchestral/opera pieces that I still haven't played, and would like to play before I hang up my horn for good.  Just to experiece the following pieces would be amazing.  I know that my job means that playing any of the operas listed is probably a lost cause, but I continue to dream.  I am only about half way through my career (20 years) so I still keep some hope for the orchestral pieces.  I am sure that I have forgotten some works, but I can add to them over time if necessary.

The only rule is that I don't care what part I play on these pieces, I just want to experience them from within an orchestra once in my life.

The piece that I dream of playing more than any other:  SALOME   (My favorite piece of music)

The rest in no particular order:

Operas

Elektra

Der Rosenkavalier

Siegfried

Parsifal

Tristan und Isolde

Cosi fan tutti (I just want to be involved in that trio once)

Fidelio (see Cosi)

Orchestral

Mahler 8 & 9

Schoenberg Gurrelieder

Simfonie domestica

Haydn Symhony 31

Christmas Oratorio

B minor mass

Brandenburg 1

Shostakovitch 5 (still waiting for the chance, but I've got time)

Sibelius Kullervo  (our orchestra did play this amazing piece, but I wasn't involved.  AMAZING music)

Play as a soloist with a professional orchestra. The closest I have come was playing "des Canyons aux étoiles..." by Messiaen and playing the "Appel interstellaire".  But Mozart and Strauss, etc... have eluded me so far.  I have a fondness for the Gordon Jacob Concerto.

Chamber music

Brahms Trio (Yes, still waiting.  Strangely, I have played Ligeti, but not Brahms)

Schubert  Octet

Odd One Out

Sing Tenor in the Britten Serenade.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

"Practicing Brahms is like manna from heaven.  It feeds the soul of your horn playing."

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

VERY COOL !!!!

I took a chance and ordered a new book devoted to horn solos, duos, trios and quartets by The Golden Horns from Finland.  It has to be the most innovative, fun, and groovy book for horn ever written.  I am stunned by the concept and the amazing  insight they have brought to horn chamber music and the introduction of rock, "world music" rhythms, jazz, etc... to young horn players.

The book includes a cd which has accompaniments for each piece (16 different pieces).  These are electronic, but give young horn players fun, funky and modern music to play with.  The layout of the book is as innovative as the musical concept.  Prior to each piece the student(s) are given short exercises to help prepare the piece, with suggestions for how to practice the piece.  Each piece is graded in difficulty, but even the more difficult ones have 1 or 2 parts (in the trios or quartets) which are easier for less accomplished students.  Many of the pieces are great introductions to jazz rhythms and some more technical horn techniques. I imagine that even advanced players and professionals could have some fun with this book because there aren't any limits to what you could do with this material, especially as an improvisation exercise.

The first piece in the book Ruttuvaara School Disco can be played by students with only a couple of weeks of horn under their belt.  This one piece is worth the price of the book+CD.  If you have a studio of young horn players this book is a gift from heaven.  I have included a 1 minute excerpt of the this piece to give you an idea of how fun this book will be.  I have also included a scan of the table of contents to give you an idea of the the layout.  Many pieces are arranged in such a way that they may be played by 1,2,3 or 4 players, and there is nothing stopping you from doubling parts to use more players.

If you are interested you may purchase the book from links at their website.  They are €35 + shipping (€5 in Europe).  The website and book are in Finnish and English.

Ruttuvaara_School_Disco_MP3.mpg Listen on Posterous

Golden_Horns_You_Play001.pdf Download this file

The following video is of their fun film "Space Taxi".  If you are interested in hearing more the following link to their website gives you three recorded examples of their playing:

http://www.thegoldenhorns.com/The_Golden_Horns/Kappaleet.html

Sadly, The Golden Horns have not made it into my part of Europe on tour, but I will be looking out for them.  This is truly original horn quartet playing.  They break every mold that exists and have gone in directions that nobody has gone before except maybe Ghengis Barbie.  They are a bit like the Arkady Shikloper of the quartet world, and that is no mean praise.  Buy this book, tell your students to buy this book.  They will have a blast and learn a bit along the way.

(All of the media content of this post is owned by The Golden Horns.  It is their exclusive property and is included in this blog for the interest of a review of their book.  Any other use of this material is subject to Copyright law and rights must be obtained from The Golden Horns)

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

First of all,  Happy Holidays from Belgium.  I wish everyone a wonderful 2012.  My apologies for not writing over the past month, but as the title of this post implies;  I have been busy with the love of brass music.

Since the second week of November I have been living the busiest weeks of the last few years.  I am always tired, always running around, never enough time to practice and loving every minute of it.  Playing great gigs with great people and old friends, rehearsing like a crazy person for chamber music and learning the rest of Hansel and Gretel. (I had only ever played the overture)  From one extreme to another, but the unifying thread has been great music.  Lots of new stuff (all good) which really keeps you on your toes.  It hasn't all been a "breeze" and not everything has gone as planned, but it was truly exhilarating.  I know that by free-lance standards my schedule is nothing special, but it is unusual for me.  It is not often that a full time orchestral musician can find the time in the schedule to do special projects, but this season, so far...the planets have aligned.  It has meant that I have had to turn down quite a few orchestral gigs, but as with most things it is a cycle.

A few years ago I tried, in vain, to get a brass ensemble concert programmed by the orchestra. Later I succeeded in getting a children's program using the brass and percussion of the orchestra. I still carry a dim hope of a brass ensemble concert, but traditions seem to be against that kind of programming.  After playing a "new" kind of brass ensemble concert a few weeks ago I think that not being brave and innovative in brass programming is quite sad.  Benny Wiame's "New Brass Directions" gave it's inagural concert combining "classical" players with jazz players to create an brass ensemble capable of really playing jazz as well as classical compositions.  

I was very surprised when I got a call from Benny Wiame.  We had never met and yet he came to me asking about a brass ensemble combining  classical and jazz players.  From the first rehearsal I had a blast.  Very, very tough music, as is often the case for the horn player in these groups.  A combination of pieces with 1 or 2 horns.  Original pieces by great composers and even 1 new composition (jazz) by the trombone player Lode Mertens.  We had our first concert in November and I don't remember having so much fun playing a concert which left me pulling my lips out from between my teeth.  The following videos give you a flavor of the ensemble.  I am very honored to have been asked to play with this group, and look forward to the next concert in February.

A fantastic new piece by Stanley Friedman "Concerto for Brass" which is a real "tour de force" was a real highlight of the first concert.  The quality of commissions has been a wonderful part of the birth of this group.

At about the same time, long time friends and colleagues asked about re-starting a brass quintet. The quintet "Brass Label" started quite a few years ago, but was forgotten because of schedules and other priorities.  When we started again we decided that we would work only for our pleasure playing the repertoire we wanted to play and not what others wanted us to play.  The assumption is that we won't ever have a lot of concerts, but we will program interesting pieces (original or arranged) which show off our groups personality without conforming to any preconceived notion of what a brass quintet should be.  I realize that to most that this is not original in concept, but in Belgium you would be surprised how old fashioned brass music playing can be.  With these two groups doors into new music have been opened, and for that, I am very thankful.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

This is not a book review.  I will be forthright and say that I love just about everything I have read by Alex Ross.  I think that  "The Rest is Noise" is one of the best books about music that has ever been written.  I am not qualified to "review" a book, but "I do know what I like."  

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Wonderful blog post by Cal Newport at "Study Hacks" blog. 

"The Berlin Study

In the early 1990s, a trio of psychologists descended on the Universität der Künste, a historic arts academy in the heart of West Berlin. They came to study the violinists.

As described in their subsequent publication in Psychological Review, the researchers asked the academy’s music professors to help them identify a set of stand out violin players — the students who the professors believed would go onto careers as professional performers.

We’ll call this group the elite players.

 For a point of comparison, they also selected a group of students from the school’s education department. These were students who were on track to become music teachers. They were serious about violin, but as their professors explained, their ability was not in the same league as the first group.

We’ll call this group the average players.

The three researchers subjected their subjects to a series of in-depth interviews. They then gave them diaries which divided each 24-hour period into 50 minute chunks, and sent them home to keep a careful log of how they spent their time.

Flush with data, the researchers went to work trying to answer a fundamental question:Why are the elite players better than the average players?"

 Checkout the rest because the conclusions are very enlightening!

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

I suppose that when I started this series of posts that I didn't really have any preconceived notions about what constitutes a "hidden danger".  Obviously they are pieces which are less frequently played, or well known pieces which have tricky little solos that our teachers just didn't have time to share with us.  It seems that growing up in the USA, programming trends meant that French repertoire, apart from the obvious pieces, is more often neglected.  Because of it's difficulties it always shows up on auditions, but oddly is heard much less in concert.  Having decided to work in Belgium I have encountered a much wider range of French repertoire, and this includes some real rarities.  

Vincent d'Indy  (1851-1931)  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_d'Indy  was a French composer and teacher.  He was a student of César Franck, but the list of d'Indy's students reads like a who's who of early 20th century composers:  Arthur Honegger, Darius Milhaud, Cole Porter, Albert Roussel and Erik Satie to name just a few.  Some might say that his music may seem a bit old fashioned, but in general I enjoy his music.  You may be familiar with the Wind Septet "Chansons et danses" op. 50.  We performed the "Diptyque méditerranéen" this season and it is full of tricky 1st horn solos.  I thought I would share a couple with you as "Hidden Dangers".  The YouTube video tempos are on the slow side, but they give you the general idea.

The YouTube video is in two parts.  The link is for the first "Diptyque".  The second excerpt would be a great sight-reading exercise.  Enjoy.

Diptyque_Méditerranéen.pdf Download this file

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Today I spent the afternoon listening to trombone players.  Now, you might rightly ask if I am a masochist, and some might agree with you, but nothing could be further from the truth.  Most musicians tend to spend waaaay too much time in their little self-contained world ignoring what is going on around them.  We can learn from any situation, even if it involves trombone players.

Massimo La Rosa is Principal Trombone with the Cleveland Orchestra.  He came to Liège after having played the previous evening with the Orchestra in Luxembourg.  The Conn-Selmer artist gave a 5 hour master-class on his day off.  He played more or less non-stop for 5 hours with just a 10 minute break.  It must be wonderful to be a trombone player and know that you can play that long without being tired.  Now, I am sure that he was worn out after all that hard work, be he certainly didn't show it.

He led the trombonists in a warm-up, but in reality what he worked on was mental focus.  Every student who played was asked to improve their mental side of their playing.  Using their brains to work harder.  Read exactly what is on the page in front of them.  He constantly told the students to not accept errors, never accept playing what is not on the page.  You would be surprised how many players get in the habit, myself included, of just accepting something as good enough.  That is one of the many reasons that he works in Cleveland and others don't.

Throughout the Master-Class he performed endless orchestral exceprts from memory and all of the solos that the students presented.  He displayed impeccable range, sound and power not to mention his musicality, but what he brought to this Master-Class, which I hope the students truly understood, was "playing without tension", "playing without stress in your breathing".  He demonstrated multiple times with each student how they could change their sound by just breathing in a calm and controlled manner.  I was amazed how quickly it was possible to take a trombone player playing "ff" and have them play the same "ff" with a warm round sound.  It doesn't have to be a razor blade sound at that level of intensity.  Now, that is not to say that he didn't wow the crowd with some extremely loud playing, but when he felt it was right he rounded out his sound to match the music.

I think that trombone players are a very lucky lot.  Their instrument truly is an amplifier for what they buzz.  The trombone is pretty close to being a "perfect" instrument.  The horn is filled with so many compromises that I left the room thinking about how many of his concepts would be hard for horn players to adopt, but in the end, there wasn't anything that he said that wasn't adaptable to horn players in even a small way.

The only dissappointment was that I was the only horn player in the room and that there weren't any trumpet players in the room, or any other instruments represented.  That is so short-sighted. Any musician would have learned something at this Master-Class.  Yes, some might have been bored by some of the technical things, but just hearing this man play was worth it.  The 5 hours flew by in an instant.  I got a free 5 hour lesson on musicality and teaching.  The best 5 hours I have spent on music in the last couple years.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

After a wonderful first experience at a BHS event in Edinburgh, I decided to take the opportunity to visit London for this year's festival.  Since the Royal Opera House Covent Garden was the venue for the event Wagner's music was to be highlighted by a final concert Mini Ring Cycle for horn ensembles and audience participation.  More on that later.

See the full gallery on Posterous

The majority of the events where held in the Paul Hamlyn Hall, a huge glass enclosed atrium. The acoustic was lively, to say the least, but it did make for an interesting experience.  The exhibitor's tables where placed around the edges of the space so the horn playing didn't truly ever stop.

I really enjoyed the playing of Stephen Stirling (Professor of Horn at Trinity College of Music in London).  His sound reminded me of my teacher Neill Sanders and it is a tone that I have come to associate with the the best of British players.  There is something so fluid and pure about the sound that is mesmerizing. When I hear someone like Stephen Stirling play I can't help but be drawn in to what they are saying with their horn.  He performed two pieces of "unknown" British horn repertoire.  "Cornucopia: A sheaf of miniatures" opus 95 by Thomas Dunhill (1877-1946) and the Horn Sonata (2nd mvt.) by York Bowen (1884-1961).  Both pieces are very Neo-Romantic in style.  Cornucopia was championed by Ifor James and dedicated to Frank Probyn horn professor at the Royal College of Music and briefly teacher of the recently deceased Verne Reynolds.  (In fact, Verne Reynolds dedicated his 48 Etudes to Frank Probyn.)  I am very curious to hear the other movements of the Bowen Sonata.  The second movement showed, again, what a wonderful sound and musicianship that Stephen Stirling has at his disposal.  

I could not mention this concert without telling you about Anthony Halstead.  Known throughout the horn world as one of the great figures of the last 50 years, but for those not in the know, or those not from the UK, you may not be aware of the "force of nature" that is Anthony Halstead.  In the course of 30 minutes I got just a taste of to what I am referring.  I saw him try a horn out, but he was unable to locate where he had placed his mouthpiece.  He was running his stand "Halstead Music" and had a box of used mouthpieces for sale.  He said "I'll just grab one of these." and took a random mouthpiece out of the box threw it on the horn and played it as if he didn't have a care in the world.  Internet innovator, business man, natural horn god, horn guru, I could go on and on, but you get the idea, and to top it all off he accompanied Stephen Stirling's part of the opening concert on piano. (brilliantly, I might add)

I must also mention Chris Parkes (ex-member of the Royal Philharmonic and now Principal Horn in the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Stockholm).  He performed in two works by Richard Bissill and showed fantastic facility and power.  He ended the concert with Hugh Seenan performing "Time and Space" by Richard Bissill.  This piece is so very typical of British "tour de force" horn writing and arranging.  I can't say that I really like all these kinds of pieces, but to each his own.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Next on my agenda was the interview by Tony Catterick.  This staple of the British Horn Festivals is, to me, something that all horn societies should include in their programming.  Maybe it is Britain's glorious obsession with history, but they record these interviews and archive them so that future generations will have the ability to connect with their past.  This year's guest was Keith Whitmore.  He was, if memory serves, Principal horn with the London Philharmonic and for 3 years with the Royal Philharmonic.  His story is very similar to many horn players of his generation. (born before the second World War)  Starting out in the local Salvation Army band conducted by his father and then joining the Army and switching to horn from baritone.  He told many charming stories about his career but one in particular stood out.  After performing Tchaikovsky 6, Dennis Brain died in a a car crash driving home to London from the concert in Edinburgh.  The next evening Keith Whitmore had to play the same piece having just heard about Dennis Brain's death. During the interview Mr. Whitmore said, when asked how he was able to perform in such difficult circumstances:  "One just does."  

The International Horn Society must incorporate these kind of interviews, as must the Association Française du Cor.  Too many wonderful horn players have passed away without any archive being made of what these men and women have to say about their careers, music and the horn.  Orchestral recordings alone do not tell the whole story.  There is so much more that we could learn from these wonderful people.

See the full gallery on Posterous

I am a horn player too.  I know what it is like to want to play higher and louder, or to arrange more and more difficult pieces for horn quartet or horn ensemble.  Showing off is what Final Concerts have always been about.  They go on way too long, sometimes they include pieces of questionable taste, but they are always interesting and the same wherever you are.  (IHS or BHS)  The length of this years final concert was not a problem, and I must emphasize that my view is just that, my view.  I understand that to young players and many amateurs/professionals a piece like Jim Rattigan's "Starcheque" is a "bit of fun", but I would prefer something else.  To hear such great players in this context was a let down for me.  

On the other hand Pip Eastop demonstrated something that many horn players and many musicians, full-stop, have not experienced before, and that is solo horn with electronic sampling via a sound board with 7 pedals at his feet.  This is what festivals and workshops are all about.  Showing the new and innovative to an audience that may never have heard anything like it before.  I am a big fan of the cellist Zoe Keating ( http://www.zoekeating.com/index.html ) who has made a career of performing alone and creating multi-layered pieces with computers and sampling equipment.  It appeared to me that Mr. Eastop is still in the early stages of his experimentation with this equipment, but he already grasps the most important part of what the horn can bring to this medium:  range and the diversity of the harmonic (overtone) series.  He showed off, his not inconsiderable range to great effect, and also showed that a pianissimo high note is much more impressive than a fortissimo one.  He worked mostly with the harmonic series and showed a little of what could be accomplished with rhythmic variations.  I will look forward to a future concert or recording by him in this medium.

Now, Wagner's Ring is a daunting task at any level, but what the BHS attempted was truly epic. Take the entire Ring and condense it down into 6 parts using the student ensembles of 6 different music schools with arrangements by 4 different people and throw in nearly 200 extra horn players for the finale, and not to mention a narrator to help follow the action and perform all this in 45 minutes is a Herculean task if there ever was one.  This was the grand final of the Festival, and ambitious does does not even begin to describe it.  Now to be fair some of the arrangers and some of the ensembles made out better than others because some parts of the Ring are impossible to arrange and/or play. The students ensembles did an amazing job with some outrageously difficult parts.  I found the last 3 parts (Gotterdammerung Act 2: Trinity Laban College London / Gotterdammerung Hunt, Rheinmaidens and Funeral: Royal Northern College of Music / Gotterdammerung Closing Scene: Tutti) to be the most pleasing arrangements and were beautifully performed.  In the final tutti the massed student ensemble was joined by all the other horn players in the hall to bring the marathon Ring and the festival to a close.  The final effect was ear-shattering and I was certain that the glass ceiling would come crashing down at any moment.  Now I will be a little hypocritical in saying that after criticizing the programming of the piece "Starcheque" I won't criticize the programming of the Ring arrangements.  Why?  Because students performed the Wagner.  When I was 18-25 I would have loved just that sort of challenge, and for many it will be their only chance to experience this music.  Apart from a few overtures, how often does anyone have the chance to play music from Wagner's Ring?  I also know that, judging from the looks on the faces of those participating in the audience, it was a lot of fun for everyone.

It appears that next year's Festival will be in Cardiff.  I only hope that I can be free to attend.  My respect for anyone who can organize such an event is continually being renewed.  Thank you to the British Horn Society for doing such a great job and for accepting foreign visitors/members so graciously.

Sunday the 23rd of October 2011

Covent Garden, London, United Kingdom

11.00-12.00 Introduction and Opening Recital with Stephen Stirling, Anthony Halstead, Chris Parkes and Hugh Seenan.

Dunhill: Cornucopia

Butler: Hunding for solo horn

Richard Bissill: Sic Itur Ad Astra (1st performance)

Bissill: Time and Space

12.15-1.15 Coaching in Crush Room, MacMillan Studio, De Valois Studio and Amphitheatre Bar. Coaches included ROH hornplayers Chris Davies and Richard Kennedy

12.15-1.15 Clore Studio: Simon Rayner Masterclass

12.15-1.15 Hamlyn Hall: Have-a-go for anyone who had never tried a horn.

1.15-1.45 Crush Room: British Horn Society AGM

1.30-2.30 Exhibition Stands with Opera/Ballet Horn memorabilia and significa

2.00-3.00 Duncan Chapman workshop for devised piece for the Gala, which used the unique acoustic and space of the Paul Hamlyn Floral Hall.

2.00-3.15 Clore Studio: Tony Catterick Interview with Keith Whitmore

3.30-4.15 Mass Participation Wagner event for all horns and audience

Rheingold Opening: all horns in a record breaking attempt on the number of players

Siegrfried Act 1: Forging Song with audience anvils

Gotterdammerung Act 2: excerpt with stierhorns

Rehearsal for Massed Blow: Closing scene of Gotterdammerung

4.15-5.00 Exhibitors in the Hamlyn Hall

5.00-7.00 CLOSING GALA CONCERT with Richard Bissill, Pip Eastop, the Festival All Star Ensemble and Horn Ensembles from Conservatoires:

Duncan Chapman: Devised Piece

Richard Bissill: Valse Noire

Pip Eastop: Improvisation with Electronics

Jim Rattigan: Starcheque

Wagner Mini Ring Cycle with the horn ensembles of the Royal Academy of Music, Royal College of Music, TrinityLaban, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Royal Northern College of Music and Birmingham Conservatoire of Music who performed new arrangements of sections of Wagner’s epic work, culminating in the massed (and massive!) blow.

Very many thanks to arrangers Adam Walters, John Lynsdale Nock, Tony Rickard and John Humphries.

Die Walkure Ride of the Valkyries: RAM

Siegfried Act 1: Forging Music RCM

Siegfried Act 3: GSMD

Gotterdammerung Act 2: TrinityLaban

Gotterdammerung Hunt, Rheinmaidens and Funeral: RNCM

Gotterdammerung Closing Scene: Tutti

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

In an earlier post (Protecting Your Hearing) I mentioned the fact that our orchestra had purchased individually molded hearing protection for everyone in the orchestra.  For those of you who haven't yet purchased hearing protection I thought I would share a few pictures of what I have used and am currently using (as purchased by our orchestra).  These products are European, but similar products are available in other countries by other manufacturers.  I will not show the foam ear plugs that you can buy over the counter at any grocery store or pharmacy.  Both of the following types have filters which reduce the decibel level evenly across all frequencies.  These filters range from -9db, -15db and -25db.

A safe decibel level should be under 85db (average level).  On our stage the average level is 97db with spikes above 110db.  So to be sure our doctor (called Médecin de Travail, or Doctor for Workplace Safety) suggested that we all use at least a -15db filter to keep the average range near the safe level.  I have never been able to play my horn properly with -15 or -25db reduction.  I found it nearly impossible to perform correctly.  I do have colleagues who do not suffer that problem and they are very lucky.  I am blessed with very good hearing and over the past 4 years have not suffered any hearing degradation.  So the fact that I use -9db protection, occasionally, has not hurt my hearing.  My recommendation would be to start with -15db and see how that works and adapt to the situation based upon repertoire, hall characteristics, and position on stage.  Remember that all these criteria may change from week to week so think ahead.

The first set of hearing protection that I purchased were soft plastic plugs (washable) with three different filters that could be easily changed.  They are "MusicSafe Pro" ALPINE sold by SonicShop Pro in Germany. You get three plugs (1 backup) with three sets of filters (-9,-15 & -25db), a spray bottle of cleaning solution, a tool to help change the filters, and a carrying box.

I really like these plugs.  They are very comfortable, and easy and quick to put in and take out.  The protection is not as complete as the personally molded type, but for the money (25 euros or $33) you can't beat it.

Flyer_ER_eng.pdf Download this file

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

For the past 4 years I have suffered bouts of tendinitis in my shoulders.  The problem has varied in severity from nearly missing a week of work to dull pain which persists for a week at a time.  Compensating for this problem also has led to lower back pain as I move my upper body in various position to relieve the stress, and by doing so put my back in bad positions.  I first discovered the problem when putting my bell up during a "Rite of Spring" rehearsal.  I practically dropped my horn and couldn't lift my right arm above a perpendicular angle to my side.

After 4 weeks of physical therapy the pain left and I was left with a list of "do's and don't's" concerning position and practice habits.  Below I will give a brief summary of my position history and the effects as well as the symptoms that led to these choices.

1991           Joined my current orchestra playing with the bell on the leg.  For the first time in my   life I played full-time in an orchestra.

1992-1993   Began suffering back pain from the increased stress/work level.  Changed to playing                   off the leg to create better posture and freedom of muscles for breathing.

2006           Suffer paralyzing pain from tendinitis while playing the Rite of Spring (during a "bells           up" section).  Visits to the physiotherapist lead to changes in practice techniques and   stretching before playing the horn.

2009          Suffered a recurrence of the problems after preparing a major Ligeti concert.    Practicing around 4 hours a day led to extreme pain which I dealt with by practicing  intensely for 2 days and then having a "light" day.  (Trio, both quintets, piano concert,                  Kammerkonzert, Mysteries of the Macabre) I normally practice around 90 minutes a                    day during the orchestra season.

2009          Began to wear progressive bi-focal glasses.  The angles (based upon stand/chair  height) I needed to read the music changed and without realizing it I changed my  posture.

I am sure that most musicians go through these kind of changes, but people don't talk about it, especially wind players. I have considered going back to playing on the leg but the thought of losing the freedom of movement scares me.  Playing a large wrap Geyer horn (Rauch or Hill) also means that the lead-pipe is badly positioned  when the bell is on the leg.  All of these considerations have led to my reflecting on standing vs. sitting when practicing.  Since I will play around 4 hours sitting during a days orchestra rehearsals I have always practiced standing (except when practicing complicated muting or stopping sections).  The variation of position is vital to keep from blocking my joints and muscles in one static position which leads to tendinitis.  My practice sessions are usually broken into 45 minute segments of intense work, and then after a 5-15 minute rest I start again.  I have found that stretching during these breaks helps reduce pain and mobility problems.

One change which has come about concerns my new single B-flat Karl Hill horn.  It is easily 35% lighter than my Rauch horn.  Since I have just recently taken delivery of the horn I have spent a lot of time playing the horn and switching between the two horns.  The difference is very noticeable, and alternating between the instruments I reduce the strain on my shoulder joints.  It has been suggested that I buy an elliptical trainer which would include arm motion that I don't get on my stationary bicycle.  For now I will continue with stretching since after buying a new horn I don't have money for exercise equipment.

It remains to be seen how this will play itself out in the future, but I thought it might be interesting to read about someone elses problems.  Wind players often think that tendinitis is the realm of the string player, and often it is, but we can have trouble to if we ignore the warning signs.  Some basic things to remember:

1.  If are suffering persistant pain see a doctor.  Don't wait.

2.  Alternate positions between standing and sitting during long practice sessions.

3.  I don't feel that I can give specific stretching advice since that should come from a qualified         doctor or physical therapist, but consider doing some stretching before playing and during             tough rehearsal/practice sessions and especially after work.

4.  We are athletes and we need to think that way.  If you had pain in your lip you would instantly      say "What is going on?", or "What I am I doing wrong?"  Don't ignore other warning signs.

The job of a professional horn player has become more and more physical over the years, and we need to stay on top of changes in our playing and our bodies reactions to this work.  I have learned the hard way, don't let it happen to you.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

One of my first memories of horn ensemble playing is Hänsel und Gretal.  Humperdinck's  gorgeous score is still one of my favorite pieces.  It may sound a bit old-fashioned to some, but the opening horn quartet and the horn parts in general are all about rich, beautiful sound.  When I took private lessons my teacher, Rosamund Sanders (later to become Rosamund Roberts), introduced us to horn ensemble playing and chamber music.  Later, when I started taking lessons from her husband Neill Sanders I was invited along with the other high school students to play with the University horn ensemble (Western Michigan University)  That was an amazing opportunity.  I also got the chance to "test" perform Strauss 1  in front of the group before playing it with my high school band.

For most musicians there are pieces which influence us or have pulled us towards careers in music.  Hänsel und Gretal is one of mine and the other was an old LP of Tchaikovsky 6 and the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Mitropolous.  My mother had the record at home and I fell in love with the music.  My interest in being a classical musician started with that piece and that record.

This week our orchestra season begins and one of the pieces we begin with is the overture from Hänsel und Gretal.  As we play the piece I will allow myself the guilty pleasure of remembering what it was like when I first heard the piece for the first time, and try and share that pleasure with the audience.  Feel like a kid again and hear the music as if for the first time.  That is something that is very hard to do after so many years of playing, and all the baggage that comes with it, but when you can truly hear a piece as if it is the first time, then....

I want to share something with you about Hänsel und Gretal, but it isn't the first horn part, as wonderful as it is, it is the 3rd horn part which might just be one of the best third horn parts in the repertoire, or at least one of my favorites. The four horn parts are available for download from the IMSLP library web site.  If you don't know this piece then you and your friends, or students are in for a treat.  Download the four horn parts and enjoy.

Hansel_and_Gretal_Horn_1.pdf Download this file

Hansel_and_Gretal_Horn_2.pdf Download this file

Hansel_and_Gretal_Horn_3.pdf Download this file

Hansel_and_Gretal_Horn_4.pdf Download this file

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Catching up on un-posted post ideas, I came across this forgotten post about Bruckner's 4th Symphony that I started in November.  I almost never play 3rd horn, but have played various different parts and low horn only in emergency situations. (given my low horn qualities it is just as well)  This year the Brussels Philharmonic called needing help to play Bruckner 4, but they needed a third horn. I said, okay, why not.  I told the personnel manager that I didn't need the music because I had the complete parts at home.Now, in my defense, I have played Bruckner 4 many times and I wasn't aware of any strange or difficult parts for the third horn.  Of course I was wrong.  The following excerpt is from the 1878/1880 edition and is the one that you get if you download the part from the IMSLP web site.

http://imslp.org/wiki/Symphony_No.4_in_E-flat_major,_WAB_104_(Bruckner,_Anton)  

So, I diligently prepared my part, basking in the simplicity of the 3rd horn part relative to the 1st horn part (with all its glory and danger). 

4th movement:  3rd horn part (IMSLP download  1878/1880 edition)

4th movement:  3rd horn part (1886 Nowak edition)

If you were not aware, long before Stravinsky, Bruckner was the king of the revision.  He changed his symphonies many times, and editors and scholars have spent nearly a hundred years fiddling with the scores. Below you will find two excerpts from two websites dedicated to explaining the different scores and their differences.  So, how do you know what to look out for?  The most common edition of the 4th Symphony is the 1878/1880 version.  This means the original first three movements (1878) and the revised fourth movement (1880).

The version that we played was the 1886 Nowak edition.  For the horn section the only changes are for the 3rd and 4th horn. The above mentioned solo for the third horn and the the final couple of lines of the Fourth movement for the 3rd and 4th.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

David Griegel  (website/blog)

http://www.oocities.com/dkgriegel/versions.html  Symphony No. 4

   * 1874 Version (Nowak)

   * 1878 Version (I-III: Haas Vorlagenbericht; Finale: Haas, Nowak)

   * 1880 Finale (Haas Vorlagenbericht)

   * 1881 Version (Haas, [Haas])

   * 1886 Version (Nowak)

   * 1888 Version (1889, Redlich)

After the first version of 1874, Bruckner revised all four movements, including the composition of a new Scherzo and Trio, in 1878. (Bruckner may have made some revisions in 1876 or 1877. Until more details are known, this will not be listed above as a version.) From 19 November 1879 to 5 June 1880 Bruckner revised the Finale, and the combination of the first three movements from 1878 along with the 1880 Finale is known as the 1878/80 version. The symphony was first performed in this form in 1881.

The Haas and Nowak editions of the 1878/80 version include subsequent revisions from after the first performance made later in 1881 (Haas) and through 1886 (Nowak). For this reason, I call them the 1881 and 1886 versions and reserve the 1878/80 designation for the unrevised form. The revisions of 1881 include numerous changes in orchestration, the replacement of a 4-measure passage with a 12-measure passage at rehearsal letter O in the Finale, and a 20-measure cut in the Andante between rehearsal letters L and M. Juan Cahis has created MIDI and MP3 recordings of the 1878 form of the latter passage based on details given by the Haas Vorlagenbericht with corrections by Ben Korstvedt. (Due to space considerations, I present a Real Audioversion of Juan's MP3 file, which was created by Aaron Snyder.) The most important change of 1886 is in the last few bars of the Finale; here the third and fourth horns play the main theme of the first movement in the 1886 version. Otherwise, the 1881 and 1886 versions are nearly identical.

Haas published two editions of the 1881 version. The first, from 1936, is a clean reproduction of the 1881 version. The second, from 1944, uses the 1878 version of the Trio, in which the melody at the beginning is played by oboe and clarinet, rather than by flute and clarinet. Thus it is a mixture of two versions.

The 1888 version is the final form of the symphony, and it was determined to be authentic by Haas and Orel in the 1940s. In the Foreword to his second edition of the 1881 score, Haas indicated his intention to publish the 1888 score as part of the Complete Edition. As this did not occur, we have only the 1889 edition, which differs somewhat from the Stichvorlageaccording to Haas and Orel (though some of these differences could be authentic). The 1889 edition was reprinted in 1954, edited by Redlich. In his introduction to the score, Redlich more or less affirms the legitimate status of the 1888 score, but he (probably correctly) calls into question its use of piccolo, cymbals, and muted horns.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Bruckner Journal UK

http://www.brucknerjournal.co.uk/page14.html#Symphonies4-6

Symphony no. 4 in E flat major, ‘Romantic’

Composed Vienna 1874, revised 1876-8, 1878-80, 1887-8.

1st version (1874)

Musikwissenschaftlicher Verlag, ed. Nowak, 1975. (ABSW IV/1).

Eulenburg (462), ed. Nowak, 1995.

(1) Allegro; (2) Andante quasi Allegretto; (3) Scherzo. Sehr schnell; Trio. Im gleichen Tempo; (4) Finale. Allegro

        Moderato

‘Volkfest’ Finale (1878)

Musikwissenschaftlicher Verlag, ed. Nowak, 1981. (ABSW zu IV/2).

Allegro moderato

Revised 2nd version (1878-80), incorporating some small revisions up to 1886

Musikwissenschaftlicher Verlag, ed. Nowak, 1953. [On title-page: ‘Fassung von 1878-80’]. (ABSW IV/2).

Eulenburg (1525), ed. Nowak, 1995.

(1) Bewegt, nicht zu schnell; (2) Andante quasi Allegretto;

(3) Scherzo. Bewegt; Trio. Nicht zu schnell. Keinesfalls schleppend; (4) Finale. Bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell

2nd version (1876-8) and revised 2nd version (1878-80) amalgamated

Musikwissenschaftlicher Verlag, ed. Haas, 1936; re-issued Brucknerverlag, 1949.

[On title-page: ‘Originalfassung’]. (GA IV).

Dover Publications Inc., ed. Haas, 1990

(1) Bewegt, nicht zu schnell; (2) Andante quasi Allegretto;

(3) Scherzo. Bewegt; Trio. Nicht zu schnell. Keinesfalls schleppend; (4) Finale. Bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell

3rd version (1887-8)

Eulenburg (462), pl. nr. E.E. 3636, ed. Redlich, 1954.

(1) Ruhig bewegt. Allegro molto moderato (minim= 72); (2) Andante (crotchet= 66);

(3) Scherzo. Bewegt (crotchet=126); Trio. Gemächlich; (4) Finale. Mäßig bewegt (minim= 72)

3rd version (1888) / pre-publication

Musikwissenschaftlicher Verlag, ed. Benjamin Korstvedt, 2004.

[on title-page: ‘Fassung von 1888 (Stichvorlage für den Erstdruck von 1889)’]. (ABSW IV/3).

(1) Ruhig bewegt (nur nicht schnell); (2) Andante; (3) Scherzo. Bewegt; Trio. Gemächlich;(4) Finale. Mässig bewegt

Revised 3rd version / 1st published version (including later posthumous editorial changes)

Gutmann, pl. nr. A.J.G. 710 [1889, first edition]

Eulenburg (62), pl. nr. E.E.3636. ed. Steinitzer, 1912.

Philharmonia (197), pl. nr. U.E.3596; W.Ph.V.197, revised Wöss, 1920.

Eulenburg (462), pl. nr. E.E.3636, ed. Altmann, c.1930.

Peters Edition (3840d), pl. nr. 10394.

Universal (6575), pl. nr. U.E.6575.

Tempi as in ABSW IV/3 above

Permalink | Leave a comment  »