Thoughts on Adams Short Ride etc? And Magic Flute.

[Bach5G]

I see this has been programmed for next season. Any thoughts about this piece? So-called minimalist music always struck me as enormously difficult from the perspective of keeping track of where you are.

Also Magic Flute overture in June. I’ve been working on my alto this summer. Maybe shoot for performing MF on alto?

[Burgerbob]

I think it's fun. Get the part ahead of time and play along with a recording a few times.

[WilliamLang]

for the Adams - get the music early and follow along with some recordings. after a few listens, start to play along.

for the Mozart - sure - alto can be really fun on that piece

[Bach5G]

Could anyone send me a pdf of the trombone 1 part to the Adams?

[BGuttman]

I played MF overture on my alto. Worked well. It's almost like the part was written for it.

@Bach5G: The part for the Mozart is on IMSLP. If you want the Adams piece, that's still under copyright. I believe you can only rent a full edition.

[mcphatty00]

Haven't had the pleasure of playing Die Zauberflute, but played Short Ride in college about 20 years ago and it was a blast.

[Crazy4Tbone86]

Here are my suggestions for these pieces:

Short Ride: Watch the YouTube video that has the conductor’s score repeatedly. Many of the rhythms that you hear are written very different from how you might predict they are written…..at least that is what happened with me the first time I played it. In this piece, score study solves a lot of problems.

Magic Flute: Play a little louder than you think is necessary on the “March of the Priests.” I have experienced more problems with that section than any other, usually because the alto trombone tries to play too soft (myself and others). The problem usually starts with conductors who want the “March” to be unreasonably soft.

[MTbassbone]

I played in an orchesta that did Harmonielehre. Adams works are super fun to play. I recommend practicing your ability to keep time and play a wide range of dynamics.

[johnLavoie]

Just performed Short Ride a couple of months ago. The rhythms are kinda special. Listen to it a few times, get the sound in your head. Don't try to read the page, your brain is going to have trouble processing it. Break it down into building blocks and when you recognize a block you play it. Figure out which measures are different or where the rhythm changes, and get those down.

Play the 3rd part on a bass trombone, as it has a low C flat that you're don't really have enough tubing to hit with a Tenor. And, if you're playing the 3rd or 4th part, the editing is HORRIBLE on the 8th note bassline with the Tubas. With like 3-4 measure per line it is so spread out that looking ahead is really difficult. I copied out this section in notation software as quarter notes and it was much easier to play.

[Bach5G]

We had the initial run through a couple of weeks ago. I missed a couple of rehearsals and then attended rehearsal Wed evening. If anything, Short Ride was worse than before.

Today I sat down with my part and followed along with a couple of performances on YouTube. I discovered you can adjust the playback speed, which is enormously helpful. Sectional this next week.

Our bass trombonist, who may not have played much since pre-Covid will be away until late March, leaving only a handful of rehearsals before the concert. He may be in for a surprise.

[JohnL]

Played Short Ride a few years ago. My only clear recollection was one section that was 3/4 rhythms in 4/4.

[TrryReynolds]

To clarify- is your orchestra performing the Magic Flute overture in concert, or will your department be putting the entire opera on?

[Bach5G]

The orch will be doing the overture.