Author: d-oboe
Date: 2008-01-04 14:02
It's a bit of an elusive concept.
One certainly shouldn't just blast away their solos with warble-garble vibrato, just because because it's their shining moment. It takes a bit of mastery. How loud should it be? Well, play solos fully, and confidently, en caractère, and if it's a bit too loud, the conductor will tell you. (Or at least they should)
Mere loudness is not an indicator of anything. Moreover, I certainly don't "calculate" my loudness by "playing mf" if it says "p". Those are two different things! Dynamics are a state of mind! Piano doesn't just mean "quiet" - it means that the entire line is more subdued in nature - articulation, length of phrasing, intensity: everything. Mezzo-forte, naturally, is a bit more firm in articulation, there are usually shorter, more direct phrases, etc.
So, when playing in orchestra, if the composer writes "piano" he means piano! All the characteristics of piano (listed above, but you can think of many others) MUST be retained. Only then can the volume increase to satisfy blend.
(Of course, in much classical and baroque music "p" and "f" are sometimes the only dynamics used - there is a bit more room for interpreting and adjusting dynamics. However, the mainstay of orchestral music lies ( or began to lie) in the romantic period where dynamic gradation was in use. Trust the composer )
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