Klarinet Archive - Posting 000172.txt from 2009/10

From: "Forest Aten" <forestaten@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] Opening of Winspear Opera Hall...yea!
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 2009 09:24:35 -0400

Joe

The first thing that must happen....has to come from our conductor/music =
director. Jenkins is a first rate conductor...and a very good musician. =
He is always prepared and knows what the heck he's doing...BUT....
Over the years, Jenkins has become more flamboyant. Experienced =
orchestras...especially an orchestra so familiar with a resident =
conductor, learn to play together in such situations. Things have to =
change, for a while at least. The players ALL need to be able to trust =
(100%) the conductor to lead and communicate a single concept/idea. It =
will come for certain...and hopefully before we open with the first =
opera of the season, Othello. Othello....is a very tough nut, very =
technical and a huge tour de force. The chorus is active though much of =
the opera....and this adds yet another complex ensemble issue.=20
Getting things "right", may also take reseating the orchestra. In our =
old location, we sat in a traditional orchestral wind setup. We had the =
space. We have even more space now...but Jenkins wants to keep a much of =
the orchestra out from under the stage as possible. This required a more =
traditional "pit" setup....strings in the interior =
seats...winds/percussion on the outside seats. I'm pretty sure we are =
stuck with this arrangement for the first opera....but I bet it changes. =

Lastly...the members of the orchestra are going to have to work on =
"hearing" what's happening around them...in a different way. We've only =
been in this hall for two rehearsals and two operatic recital type =
settings. I'm sure we will adjust with time.

Forest
=20
-----Original Message-----
From: Joseph Wakeling [mailto:joseph.wakeling@-----.net]=20
Sent: Friday, October 16, 2009 8:03 AM
To: klarinet@-----.org
Subject: Re: [kl] Opening of Winspear Opera Hall...yea!

Forest Aten wrote:
> Joe
>=20
> At this point it tough. Not only is the orchestra sitting in a =
completely new pit/hall...but we are sitting in a completely different =
seating arrangement.
> The pit is very open....and it's wide....and the result is, we have a =
difficult time hearing musicians at the furthest distance away...side to =
side. It's going to require some adjustment. The great thing...the sound =
in the hall is very, very good.=20

You've brought back memories of playing with my county youth orchestra
-- the first time we played in St David's Hall in Cardiff. It
frightened the life out of us because suddenly it was like playing all
alone on this huge stage -- even people relatively close suddenly were
much more difficult to hear!

How do you go about adapting to a situation like that? I'm curious
because I realise that one of my own issues as an amateur player is
appreciating the difference between what my sound is like in the
relatively small rooms where I practise, and what it's like to the
audience in a concert hall ...

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