Author: JRC
Date: 2013-07-09 02:14
How interesting....! You have the same dilemma as I have. Actually I like different sound of oboe for different music. In general rule, I use dark sound when I play in orchestra. Solo and chamber music, I use different sound depending on the music. For late 19 through early 20th century short pieces such as Fiocco, Templeton, Richardson, Barthe, Nicholas, Pitfield ... I definitely like to use bright sounding reeds. Many of those pieces were composed for Leon Goossens and they come alive with a bright sweet and sensitive sound. Most chamber music setting, I use slightly darker sound but not as dark as those I use for orchestra setting.
There are pieces that demands darker sound, in my opinion. Hindemith is one of them. Saints Saens crys out for bright sound, also in my opinion. Most of the time I choose sound based on the audience and people who I play with. Yes, these days, darker sound is considered standard sound that people expect, especially among wind players. String players do not seem to be as opinionated. I think it is a sort of fashion. I think we are pressured to produce dark sound. I do not like it but that is the way it is today. That is my dilemma. Yet I do not feel as though darker sound is as expressive and sensitive as sweeter bright sound. Especially articulations and dynamics do not com through as clearly and, in my opinion, musically as well. Well... Yeon-Hee Kwak is an exception. She has a traditional dark dark German sound, but she always finds ways to be musically expressive and produce wide range of dynamics.
Brightness or darkness is relatively easy to control. To me it is all in the heart and the tips. Little longer tips and less heart in some combination will produce brighter sound. Vise versa. Very thin tips have always been the key to articulation and delicate control in both darker or brighter reeds. I have about 20 good reeds in my case and they are lined up from bright to dark. None of them sounds the same but they all are easy blowing and with very good tone/sound control. Well... they made into my case because of it not because they produce nice dark tone.
You sounded fine in the video. You appear to be able to do what you want to do with the reed. Your musical sensitivity did not really come through the band background. It may be due to the recording or the way it is with a loud band accompaniment. I want to find two more oboists who enjoy bright tone, so we could play Beethoven trio together, in bright and sweet color.... and some Mozart duets arranged for two oboes.
|
|
The Oboe BBoard
.jpg){kind=small}
