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Marin Alsop, conductor of the BSO, has invited local musicians to play along with the BSONews: Marin Alsop, conductor of the BSO, has launched a "Rusty Musicians" project. Some local musicians will have the opportunity to play some Tchaikovsky with the BSO in concert.
Marin Alsop, the first female conductor of a major orchestra (Baltimore Symphony Orchestra) in the U.S., has made quite a splash with her innovations to reach out to her audiences and to keep classical music alive and well in this country. For her latest project, "Rusty Musicians," she has invited local area musicians to register for playing with the BSO. People over 25 who play any orchestral instrument, can read sheet music, and can attend a few rehearsals may register, but space is limited. The chosen musicians will play the fourth movement of Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony with the BSO in concert in February 2010.
From Terez Mertes
Posted on November 5, 2009 at 05:03 PM She's so cool. This is great to hear about. From Marty Dalton
Posted on November 5, 2009 at 05:08 PM This is awesome! I'm so happy to see an orchestra (and conductor) reaching out to the community like this. If orchestras want to survive, they need to come up with innovative ways to fill the concert halls. This is a great idea! From Christina C.
Posted on November 5, 2009 at 05:10 PM neat idea but I can't help but wonder about the choice of music. There's a whole lot that has to happen to get from 'able to read sheet music' to 'able to play the last movement of Tchaik 4th'.
Eek! From Tess Z
Posted on November 5, 2009 at 05:20 PM In this economy, it isn't about talent...it's getting the community involved. Keep in mind, music is supposed to be for everyone, not just the elite players. This is a wonderful effort on her part to reach out to fellow amateur musicians. Those amateur players will have friends and family in the audience who might not otherwise buy tickets or support the orchestra. It's a step towards a kinder, gentler...more approachable...community orchestra. From Ann Marie Cordial
Posted on November 5, 2009 at 05:29 PM I think it's wonderful.
---Ann Marie From Tom Holzman
Posted on November 5, 2009 at 07:17 PM I have signed up. We will see if they accept me and give me my 15 minutes (actually more like 10) of fame. Christina's point, however, is a good one. Having looked at the music for violin 1 and 2, this will take a lot of practice even for a good amateur. It would have been easier if the BSO invited us to play along with them in the Hallelujah Chorus for a Messiah performance, but hey, I will be thrilled if chosen. From Malcolm Turner
Posted on November 5, 2009 at 08:50 PM Trade secret but shhhh! Don't tell anyone! I was playing this 4th movement - on the front desk - and I'm pretty sure I didn't play every note. I'm also pretty sure that nobody behind did either (our leader did!). However, we all played 16 semiquavers in the right time, and when I heard the recording, it sounded pretty stunning. From Tom Holzman
Posted on November 5, 2009 at 09:22 PM Thanks, Malcolm. That thought occurred to me if I am chosen. I had a teacher once who was a violin 1 in an orch that was supposed to play something written by Lutoslawski. She showed me her part, and we both agreed it was unplayable as written. She then told me that she had listened to a recording of Dutoit and the Montreal Symphony and could clearly hear that they were not playing all the notes either. From Tess Z
Posted on November 6, 2009 at 01:30 AM The seasoned orchestra will be carrying the amateurs so there will be no disasters or embarrassments. Goodluck Tom! Edit: From the AP today about the Classical concert at the White House..."the Obama's used two concerts and a series of workshops for young musicians to send a clear message that the music of the masters isn't just for stuffed shirts...that classical music is "lifiting hearts and spurring imaginations" all across the nation, and is something to be enjoyed by aficionados and the uninitiated alike." Also mentions, Joshua Bell inadvertently skipped a couple of lines of music and jokingly pronounced it, "the abridged version". So he showed off a bit of improv too. ;-) " From Smiley Hsu
Posted on November 6, 2009 at 02:27 AM Tom and Pauline, I signed up too. Hopefully, one of us (all of us?) get in -- keeping my fingers crossed. From Tom Holzman
Posted on November 6, 2009 at 07:10 PM
Thank you for registering for Rusty Musicians with the BSO. Due to the high numbers of applicants, there has been a delay in email notification. We apologize for this delay. You will receive further information on selection process, sheet music and a rehearsal date by January 1, 2010. This is an automated email—please do not respond to this email. From Malcolm Turner
Posted on November 6, 2009 at 10:58 PM Tom, to follow up on my earlier post about "approximations" in violin sections, one of our conductors a number of years back told a lovely story. Nice to know it happens everywhere. He was a violin student - and his teacher was in the Vienna Phil. One day, he was told - you're playing in the next concert. When he protested he wasn't ready, his teacher told him - you play, or I don't teach you any more! So he played, and in the concert was floundering. There was his teacher just ahead playing away - so he leaned forward "Where are we?" Without a break, his teacher mouthed back "Haven't a clue!"
From Tom Holzman
Posted on November 7, 2009 at 06:10 PM Great story Malcolm. Thanks. From Pauline Lerner
Posted on November 9, 2009 at 01:54 AM Tom and Smiley, please give us followup information as soon as you get it. I'm really fascinated by this. I'm looking at a flyer I got from Strathmore Music Center, where the concert will be held. The concert is described, as are the instructions on registration. It says, "Space is limited -- first come, first served." It sounds like there will be no auditions of any kind. Amazing! It also says "TICKETS $10." Amazing again! Will the entire concert consist of the fourth movement of Tchaikovsky's Symphony #4? I know that that is a daunting piece for violinists. The conductor of a community symphony orchestra I used to play with told us once, "Tchaikovsky did not like violins." Many of Tchaik's works, including his Violin Concerto, are not violin-friendly to play. I wonder about the other instruments in the orchestra. I really want to go to the concert, but when I looked online for tickets, the date of the concert was blank. I'm eager to hear how the mystery unfolds. From Pauline Lerner
Posted on November 9, 2009 at 03:47 AM The electronic announcement for Rusty Musicians is at http://www.bsomusic.org/main.taf?p=0,1,21 . The application to play includes space for writing 500 words on previous musical experience. There must be some selection process here. I wonder... From Tom Holzman
Posted on November 9, 2009 at 05:29 PM There is certainly a selection process. I assume they got way more violin volunteers than they need, and they probably want to get folks who likely have enough experience to be able to do this. |
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