Aida - Acts 1 & 2

Just got in from the band call for tomorrow's Northern Wagner Orchestra's rendition of Aida.  I'm not going to be able to practise this myself, but I need to keep an eye on the following bits, 'cos they're nasty...

Act 1.

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This bit is awkward, fast, and generally unpleasant.  And, to make matters worse, you turn the page, and the whole passage is repeated with a minor change - the penultimate note is the high E rather than the low one.  Gah.

(We've got a big cut missing the semiquaver runs in the Danza Sacra delle Sacerdotesse... indeed, we're cutting that whole number.  But, looking at them, they don't look too bad.)

Act 2.
This is a cut-down version in orchestral terms, so I was slightly surprised to find myself playing a solo with one of the big tunes:

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A double bass tune? Yeah!

Then we cut the ballet, and, before you know it, we're looking at this frankly gratuitous arpeggio:

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I'll write up some bits from Acts 3 & 4, including some double-stopping (hey - I am, after all, the Lone Double Bass!), in the morning.

Mikado excerpts

Probably a bit late for my own use, given that the run has started, but the following two little corners would repay inspection.

Firstly, from the "Wand'ring Minstrel" number near the beginning of Act 1, a tricky little semiquaver passage.

The other passage is from the Finale to Act 1.  It's quite exposed, and it is in unison with the rest of the strings, which may (or may not) make it easier.

That's it in terms of tricky note passages.  The rest of the problems are caused by the times being pulled around, but, as the notes themselves aren't so bad, it's easy enough to keep watching the conductor!

One performance down, eight to go.

"Orphée aux enfers" - excerpts

We didn't get all the way through the score in this afternoon's rehearsal; however, I've found the following bits that require a bit of attention.

Act 1, No6 - Invocation à la mort, bars 17-25.  Pizzicato, goes quicker than I would like...  According to our conductor, this is to imitate a laugh.

Act 2, No12bis - Entrée de Pluton, bars 9ff.  Fiddly little semiquaver runs.

Act 2, No16 - Final, bars 82-82.  Fast quavers, accidentals everywhere.  Maybe I just needed coffee by this time, but it still felt awkward.

Act 3, No17 - Intermezzo, bars 9-12.  Again, just fiddly accidentals.

My other bit of homework is to write out the last eight bars of act 2, and the first sixteen of of the Intermezzo - there's a big cut in one, and we're reusing the other elsewhere.

That's it for now...  next rehearsal is next weekend, and this may throw up a few more bits for further attention.

Haydn - Farewell Symphony

I was recently asked to join a local orchestra for a performance of Haydn's Symphony 45 - "Farewell". Unfortunately, I was unable to accept their invitation; however, an alarm bell did start ringing...

So I found a copy of the cello / bass part, and had a quick flick through. Nothing to worry about by looking at the first page - 3 sharps, big deal. But my memory was telling me there was a passage in 6 sharps, and a rather exposed bass solo. And, me being a bit pessimistic about these things, I thought that it might be that the solo itself was in 6 sharps. Oh dear. So I had to keep looking...

First movement - nothing to worry about. Second movement - an awkward "Scotch Snap" type rhythm at the beginning of the second half, but not much of a problem. Third movement - Minuet & Trio - again, nothing there apart from the 6 sharp key signature. It must be in the Finale.

The finale. "Presto". Oh dear. Thankfully, only 3 sharps in the key signature. But again, nothing immediately obvious until I turned on to the last page, where the presto leads into an Adagio passage (whew!) in 3/8, which seems to be about the point where Haydn starts sending the players home. And there we have it - the dread phrase "uno Basso solo", with an exposed triplet semiquaver passage.

And here's that passage for future reference (click for a bigger version suitable for printing and practising):

(NB: I typeset this using Sibelius, and tried to publish this as a Scorch object, but, for whatever reason, it didn't want to display the score. I'll have to try this properly when I get the time...)