 The Oboe BBoard
|
Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2007-12-04 20:43
OK -- so a friend told me that I should consider learning the standard oboe excerpts from the orchestral literature. I'm open to the idea, and I have a copy of the Vade Mecum . . . but where should I start? With the easiest? With the most-commonly played? In chronological order?
And what other tools (like the available CD ROM excerpts) would be helpful?
Thanks for all advice/opinions.
Susan
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: cjwright
Date: 2007-12-05 00:55
My opinion of some stuff most often played:
1. Beethoven Symphonies 1, 3, 5-9
2. Tchaik Symphonies 4-6
3. Brahms Symphonies 1, 4, 3, 2
4. Dvorak "New World"
5. Prokofiev "Peter and the Wolf"
Concertos:
1. Violin Concertos - Mendelssohn, Brahms, Tchaik, Sibelius
2. Piano Concertos - Beethoven #1 #3 and #5, Brahms #1 and #2, Rachmaninov #1-#3, Prokofiev #1-3
3. Cello Concertos - Dvorak (1st and 2nd part), Elgar, Schumann,
Overtures:
Egmont, Academic, Tragic, Capriccio Italien, Swan Lake, Marriage of Figaro, Magic Flute, Brahms Haydn Variations
This is just what I can think of off-hand, and what I would expect would be most commonly performed by mid-level professional orchestras.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: vboboe
Date: 2007-12-05 01:08
... how about starting with something you know & like, within current range of playing skills, and advance from there to everything you don't know or can't play, until you can do everything in the book?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: johnt
Date: 2007-12-05 01:08
Cooper/Susan,
To this excellent list, I would add the Symphony in D minor by Cesar Franck, Schubert's Unfinished as well as the opera war horses…Triumphal March from Aida & Die Meistersinger are the two I can think of at the moment. Anything by Respighi is pretty popular as well, although not contained in the Vade Mecum (Ancient Airs & Dances/Pines & Fountains)
Best,
john
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Bobo
Date: 2007-12-05 02:39
The Vade Mecum is a must of course...but two other recommendations: John Mack's CD of Orchestral Excerpts which gives you his take on how they ought to be played, and John Ferrillo's compilation of excerpts commonly asked for at auditions (each selection is accompanied by his thoughts on how to approach the music). When I just want to play random great stuff, I pull out the Ferrillo and flip through it.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: oboeidaho
Date: 2007-12-05 11:57
Are you doing this just for your own gratification and fun, or do you hope to take auditions someday? This actually will make a difference in what you decide to play.
If you are just having fun, I would try something you have a CD of, especially if it is a slower tempo, so you can play along with John Mack or Ray Still (or whomever). I find it way more fun if you can hear the orchestra, and that is cheaper then getting those Music Minus one kinda CDs.
If you want to audition, John Ferrillo's book (as mentioned above) is terrific and has everything for first oboe auditions, although the most asked for 2nd duets (probably the Brahms Variations on a Theme by Haydn and Bartok Concerto for Orchestra) only have the first part. As he states in his book, Le Tombeau de Couperin and La Scala are on most auditions, but they are harder excerpts. I like to start my students playing them in high school, just so they are familiar with them, even at a slower tempo. A variation of Tombeau is available as a Ravel etude in the Vade Mecum, mine is on page 171. Be aware that it starts in a weird key, but if you start about 1/2 way through that's the real(ish) thing.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2007-12-05 14:24
<<Are you doing this just for your own gratification and fun, or do you hope to take auditions someday?>>
Definitely for my own gratification and fun. I am a seriously late bloomer in the oboe world, having begun the instrument only four years ago at the age of 59 (after a lifetime on the clarinet), and don't contemplate any career other than what I am able to do locally.
On the other hand, I'm always scanning the horizon for the next thing, and maybe this will be my next thing. We do have a local/regional symphony that is in a perpetual search for warm bodies who know which end of the instrument takes the reed. I've been approached by them about playing, so maybe it will happen.
I also thought that this would be an interesting question to pose for other up-and-coming oboists. If you are in a university or conservatory program, you would probably get this guidance from your faculty. But many of us in the boonies (geographically and/or musically), whether we have a teacher or not, hardly even know what to propose for ourselves to study. The Vade Mecum is a bit daunting to tackle without a tour guide -- so I really appreciate receiving pointers from folks who have been there.
Susan
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
