Symphony Orchestra Page

Reference Recordings

Mar 5

Rehearsal notes

Apr 12

Borodin Finale:

  • m. 257: make sure you’re “sticking the landing” together

  • m. 104: careful not to rush here

  • m. 124: build on what’s happening before you– gradual crescendo

  • m. 152: this needs to be mezzo forte

  • Percussion in final 3 measures: make sure the triangle isn’t starting before the tambourine.

Borodin Third movement:

  • m. 101: this should still be forte, then diminuendo

  • Cellos- when you’re playing a string of eighth notes, you need to play through all of them, not just the first one.

    • More sound from cellos in general

    • Move bow to closer to bridge 

  • Cellos and basses: move bow to closer to bridge to get more of a sustained sound on longer notes

  • Make sure grace notes have melodic substance (e.g., m. 93)

Wagner

  • m. 9: this needs to be more explosive- the trills and scales in m. 8 need to propel you towards this moment

  • Violins and violas @ m. 56: practice this part slowly, and make sure you’re playing even, clean triplets!

  • When your part changes melodically, lean into it to draw attention to the line– think of it like a string quartet

Bernstein Var. 2:

  • violins @ 771: avoid the downbeat sounding shrill- back off the sound a little bit

Apr 5

Wagner

  • Pay attention to passing notes!

  • m. 16: play through held notes

  • m. 32: First and second flutes, when you go up to C then down to B– these notes need to be more melodic/connected

  • m. 88: ff! Needs to be explosive here

  • At a fast tempo the sounds still need to be centered and firm, otherwise it loses control.

  • Last note needs to be more resonant/should fill the hall

Bernstein

Var. 1-

  • This movement needs to be over the top/circus-like

  • Melody shouldn’t taper at all- it needs to pierce through as much as possible

Var. 2-

  • Bassoon eighth notes need to be clearer in the beginning

  • Crescendo needs to peak @ 2 before 701

  • m. 706- don’t lose track of the downbeats

  • Violins violas flute piccolo @ 721: practice syncopated rhythm here

  • m. 765- make sure you’re not rushing here

Borodin

Third movement

  • Solos should be a couple notches louder than piano

  • m. 23: syncopation, needs more weight to it

  • m. 78: We shouldn’t explicitly hear the “down-up” in the bowing

  • those who don’t have the melody @ m. 91:  make sure you’re not rushing!

  • m. 110: winds don’t diminuendo at all on the first few notes

Mar 22

Borodin Finale-

  • 104: make sure you're not rushing these eighth + sixteenth notes

  • Playing with piano doesn’t mean “absent character” or “absent phrasing” !

    • A whole landscape painted within a tiny space 

  • 118: tutti needs to be stronger/have more emphasis and character

  • 218: should feel like an accent with a diminuendo

  • Animato: needs more sound and sense of melody

  • Trill @ 278 leading towards last note: we need to hear both notes of the trill clearly

  • 208: triplets need to be quicker/bouncier

  • 232: pizzicato still needs to ring; there needs to be resonance so we actually hear pitches/chords

Wagner 

  • Every note in the opening triplets has to be articulated

  • Pay attention to pitch and changing accidentals- make sure they’re in tune 

    • e.g., violins and violas D# to D natural in m. 3

  • Woodwinds/brass @ 6 : attack on quarter notes need to be clearer 

  • 16: top line can be brought out more, (the figure moving up to E and down to B in strings)

Bernstein

  • Practice with a metronome! 

  • 810-811: crescendo needs to happen over several beats rather than just a loud last note

  • 812: more dolce and more of a sense of line. Don’t overdo the forte here

  • 819: note the piano!

  • 841: play a bit less here to make room for trumpets

Mar 15

Borodin Finale

  • m. 104: needs to be rhythmically cleaner, make sure you're not rushing

  • The 3 eighth notes need to line up with the pulse.

    • General note: make sure you’re not getting careless with rhythmic accuracy

  • Violas and violins 114- make sure notes in the ascending scale are correct

  • Winds around 124- you’re holding onto the quarter note for too long

  • Woodwinds @ 135- the firsts and seconds in each part are a step apart; be aware of these clashing notes and lean into the dissonance.

    • Needs a melodic sense as the harmony changes; it’s all leading somewhere

  • Downbeat of 144 needs to “sing” more. The first quarter note needs to ring out more.

  • 149, a tempo: it needs to be strong but everyone should pull back to mf after 4 bars

    • Make note of this dynamic shifting/phrasing

  • Cellos @ beginning of finale: pulse needs to be steady/in control

  • Don’t lose the integrity of the sixteenth notes! It needs to be poetic and rhythmically accurate

  • m. 18- even though there are accents, it needs to all be forte

  • Cellos- downbeat chords need to be fuller 

  • m. 52- viola focus on rhythmic accuracy. Play on the off-beats.

  • m. 70- more sound/vibration (especially from second violins)

Bernstein (Variation 1)

  • Every single note has to have strength/force

  • There are no lines/long legatos like romantic era pieces. Instead, think of short, relentless energy.

  • 631: make sure sixteenth notes are clean

  • 638: more sound from cellos, basses, violas, second violins.

  • General note: don’t get too comfortable. The sound needs to stay relentlessly nagging and “annoying”

  •  When you’re playing a pattern and then shift notes to a different pattern, emphasize this shift. (e.g, m. 647)

  • Last measure: every note is accented!!

Wagner

  • Opening triplets need a clearer attack

  • Clarinets can be softer in piano sections (e.g., 57)

Mar 8

  • m.1: Triplets should sound like fanfare

  • m. 3: Make sure you’re playing a C natural

  • m. 11: don’t over-bow because it’ll knock it out of tune when you change notes

  • General note: inner pulse. 16th notes need to be closer to the note that follows it.

  • m. 57 (bassoon and clarinet): accompaniment is a little too loud.

    • Make sure crescendo isn’t coming earlier than what is printed

  • m. 64 (cellos): note “Zart” = tenderly. Should be more subdued here rather than cantabile.

    • Closer to dolce.

  • Before m. 86: we travel a huge distance harmonically. Leave a little room rhythmically for that to happen– note the rit.