 The Oboe BBoard
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Author: oboemelli
Date: 2007-10-03 11:15
Who has experience with this gooooorgeous concerto?
I would really love to play it more than anything and think that if I work hard enough I might just pull it off ! However, whenever I mention it to anyone all they talk about is how hard it is stamina wise and that it is not sensible for me to play it. Hopefully being small and 16 doesn't rule everything out for me!
I did manage to play it through with a dying lip, brain and diaphragm after 2 hours of Zelenka, though, which I think is quite an achievement. Recon it's a yay or nay?
Mel
"People imagine they can reach one another. In reality they only pass each other by"- Schubert.
Post Edited (2007-10-03 11:16)
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2007-10-03 14:00
Go for it!
My personal favourite recording of the Strauss is by Heinz Holliger, but listen to several different players to pick out bits of the concerto which you like from each one and incorporate them into your own interpretation.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: cjwright
Date: 2007-10-03 15:20
I've played it before. I don't think the endurance is THAT BAD like we often like to make it out to be, but just make sure you carefully plan your breathing and exhaling, and don't try to be Mr. T and go for long periods without breathing. That's the easiest way to tire yourself out.
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Author: HautboisJJ
Date: 2007-10-03 17:05
Mr. T???? HMM....I love Douglas Boyd's rendition.
Howard
Post Edited (2007-10-03 17:06)
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Author: camille
Date: 2007-10-04 12:39
I'm also a big fan of Holliger's approach to playing this - sounds youthful, exuberent and flowing, as it should.
Did anyone hear Alexei Ogrintchouk play it at the Proms this year? Fairly aggressive playing, and not helped by some fairly imprecise conducting. Obviously a fine talent though. Any thoughts?
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2007-10-04 13:54
I still have this Proms concert on my HDD recorder and tried to watch it yesterday (though I soon stopped watching as there's a construction site opposite me who were using a large hydraulic drill at the time which didn't help). The conductor on this Proms concert was only draughted in at the last minute to do the entire evening due to the regular conductor being ill.
Though I did watch the Amsterdam Concertgebouw concert later on in the season where Alexei Ogrintchouk was principal oboe, but poor camera work (staying on the conductor the whole time rather than on the players during their solos) followed by total loss of sound got my goat.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: camille
Date: 2007-10-04 15:27
Indeed - Gatti was taken ill and Rozhdestvensky stepped into the breach [not exactly at the last minute, though]. When you see your recording, you'll probably be fairly impressed by how Ogrintchouk keeps the whole thing together...
Enough...as for Mel's question - as long as you don't use a mega hard reed and hence damage your embrouchure/develop bad support, there's no reason to not work on the Strauss [in chunks, of course], I would suggest.
And take Chris P's and my advice and have a listen to Holliger playing it - mind blowing.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2007-10-04 19:11
Although I'm way off from ever playing it in public (though it would be an honour to do, I've just got to put the hours into it!), the best advice is definitely to practice it in chunks.
My teacher said the best approach is to play the opening semiquaver runs one or two bars at a time, repeating each bit over and over again (and all semiquavers with strict metronomic accuracy) until you get them right - and only then move onto the next semiquaver run and practice that repeatedly.
The slow movement is the easiest in terms of playability, though it's all in the breathing and phrasing as well as the control over tone and volume, and listen to several players doing the cadenza (though as it's a cadenza you can take it at your own pace).
The last movement has a lot of passage work going on, and this is over a long melody in the 'cellos. Though throughout this concerto the oboe has a certain share as part of the orchestral texture (as there's no other oboe in the orchestra, the cor anglais taking the role as your 2nd so give them some credit), so know where to be the soloist and where not to be so you can almost take some time out during these bits, but not entirely.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: oboemelli
Date: 2007-10-05 12:15
Hello everyone,
Thank you very much for your help. I've printed off your comments! As a matter of fact, I ran through the whole concerto with an accompanist today and apart from a couple of obvious sections in the 1st and 2nd movements, it is quite do-able stamina wise. It's a good thing the last movement isn't as tiring as the rest.
I got a ticket to the concert of the Strauss when Ogrintchouk played it at the Proms. I was in the back of the stalls, which wasn't the best view (I would have liked to have been closer!) but I felt that his sound carried very well. I really rather enjoyed it and met him at the stage door after the concert. I got his autograph which is definitely something to keep safe :-)
I too recorded it on a HDD recorder and have watched it a couple of times. I might just observe what he does in the rather difficult passages breathing wise.
How annoying with the Concertgebouw concert! I was getting so frustrated the way the camera was always on the conductor. I think the best shot I got of the players was a close up of the flautist and piccolo a couple of times...and the back of Ogrintchouk! Thank goodness you could actually see my face in the NYO concert.
Did anyone watch it?
Mel
"People imagine they can reach one another. In reality they only pass each other by"- Schubert.
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