A real, live concert with a real, live audience
Hello, everyone!
At long last, I'm so excited to tell you that I'm playing in an orchestra concert soon - as in a whole orchestra, made up of people in a room together, and it will have a real, live audience.
I'll be performing with the Civic Orchestra of Victoria, and we'll be going on a little trip to Eastern Europe. Here's where we'll take you:
Enescu - Romanian Rhapsody No. 1
This is a fun, showy ride, with lots of Danny Elfman moments in it. It has you hanging on by the skin of your teeth in some places; in a lot of ways, it reminds me of Ravel's La Valse for it's insouciance, insolence, and freneticism. Also, like La Valse, it's challenging to put together and it involves a few weird techniques - look for fast harmonics and passages where everything is a downbow.
Dvořák - Czech Suite, Op. 39
My favorite thing about Dvořák is how he writes a beautiful theme and then makes it meander, so your ears can examine it from a few different angles, and it really lodges in your memory. This suite plays somewhat like chamber music, even though it's written for a full orchestra. There's a lot of call and response in here, with hummable tunes.
Brahms - Hungarian Dances Nos.1-5
You know this one! At least, you know Number 5. We all like that one, but it's about 2 minutes long, so in order to make this part of the concert less snack-sized, we're playing the first 5 of them. Number 3 is really growing on me. Did you that there are 21 of them altogether?
Ippolitov-Ivanov - Caucasian Sketches, Op. 10, Suite No.1
I have to say that I don't like this one that much, and part of it is that it feels like it is written as musical tourism. Ippolitov-Ivanov was a music director in Tblisi and spent time in the Caucasus, but it feels like a postcard or a travelogue, in a way that puts me off. I'll note that it's not like Brahms was Hungarian, and I like his Hungarian dances, so I'm not sure what my deal is, and you're welcome to listen to it and disagree with me.
This suite has one famous movement in it, which is Procession of the Sardar, which prompted me to look up what a Sardar actually is. It turns out that Sardar is a Persian word, and it's a title of nobility, and I would feel remiss if I didn't share this photo of Sardar-I-Azam, Prince Abdol Majid Mirza with you, because a whole parade of these guys really would be worth writing home about.
This show is a matinee, on Saturday, November 13th, at 2pm. It's on the stage at Oak Bay High School. You'll have to be masked and fully vaccinated, and your vaccine status will be checked at the door, according to Provincial guidelines - you can read the full details here.
You can get your tickets online, or cash-only at the door.
At long last, I'm so excited to tell you that I'm playing in an orchestra concert soon - as in a whole orchestra, made up of people in a room together, and it will have a real, live audience.
I'll be performing with the Civic Orchestra of Victoria, and we'll be going on a little trip to Eastern Europe. Here's where we'll take you:
Enescu - Romanian Rhapsody No. 1
This is a fun, showy ride, with lots of Danny Elfman moments in it. It has you hanging on by the skin of your teeth in some places; in a lot of ways, it reminds me of Ravel's La Valse for it's insouciance, insolence, and freneticism. Also, like La Valse, it's challenging to put together and it involves a few weird techniques - look for fast harmonics and passages where everything is a downbow.
Dvořák - Czech Suite, Op. 39
My favorite thing about Dvořák is how he writes a beautiful theme and then makes it meander, so your ears can examine it from a few different angles, and it really lodges in your memory. This suite plays somewhat like chamber music, even though it's written for a full orchestra. There's a lot of call and response in here, with hummable tunes.
Brahms - Hungarian Dances Nos.1-5
You know this one! At least, you know Number 5. We all like that one, but it's about 2 minutes long, so in order to make this part of the concert less snack-sized, we're playing the first 5 of them. Number 3 is really growing on me. Did you that there are 21 of them altogether?
Ippolitov-Ivanov - Caucasian Sketches, Op. 10, Suite No.1
I have to say that I don't like this one that much, and part of it is that it feels like it is written as musical tourism. Ippolitov-Ivanov was a music director in Tblisi and spent time in the Caucasus, but it feels like a postcard or a travelogue, in a way that puts me off. I'll note that it's not like Brahms was Hungarian, and I like his Hungarian dances, so I'm not sure what my deal is, and you're welcome to listen to it and disagree with me.
This suite has one famous movement in it, which is Procession of the Sardar, which prompted me to look up what a Sardar actually is. It turns out that Sardar is a Persian word, and it's a title of nobility, and I would feel remiss if I didn't share this photo of Sardar-I-Azam, Prince Abdol Majid Mirza with you, because a whole parade of these guys really would be worth writing home about.
This show is a matinee, on Saturday, November 13th, at 2pm. It's on the stage at Oak Bay High School. You'll have to be masked and fully vaccinated, and your vaccine status will be checked at the door, according to Provincial guidelines - you can read the full details here.
You can get your tickets online, or cash-only at the door.
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