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Rapid descending chromatic scale

Author: jhoyla
Date: 2010-09-28 09:46

I have been asked to play Oboe in Ruddigore, the Gilbert and Sulivan operetta.

I looked through the music and blanched - there is a rapid, tongued descending chromatic scale from top-line F down to bottom D. It appears both in the overture and in the work later on. In the overture, it is the first solo passage played by the oboe.

I find it impossible to play cleanly. If I go at it time after time I can get almost clean at the fifth or sixth attempt - but this is a one off, and I know I am going to nose-dive here.

Has anyone played this work? What did you do? Any advice gratefully received.

Sullivan was not a brilliant orchestrator (bear witness all the rapid-fire black-key passages in all of his operas, this one included) but I wonder what he was thinking, especially after the first rehearsal..

J.

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