Beethoven 9: The Recap

And no, I don't mean the recapitulation, for all you music geeks. Although there were a few of them. And they sounded OK.

The point is this: I got to play the fourth horn part to Beethoven's Ninth Symphony this weekend. Three performances. A few too many rehearsals. It was fun, but it also felt like work.

Because a lot of horn players read my blog, I'm going to overanalyze the experience. For those of you that are a) not horn players or b) not interested in what goes through my head while I do my "job," feel free to skim, or skip entirely, this post.

I knew that playing the actual part would be much different than playing the excerpt in auditions, as I've done 15 or 20 times now. I think playing the excerpt will be easier from now on, not only because it's more comfortable due to the pure repetition with the actual orchestra, but because the excerpt is a lot easier than the part. When you play the excerpt you don't have to play two movements of low B-flat horn beforehand. You don't have to play most of the long notes in the part, you don't have to tune to the out-of-tune clarinets, and you don't have to pretend to look at the conductor once in a while.

The biggest thing is the endurance. My old teacher warned me of this, and I decided not to pass off a few notes to the third player as he strongly suggested. I don't regret that decision, but it was a bit of a challenge in just a few measures. And when you get to that arpeggio, down to the low B-flat, it just feels completely different than you think it's going to. But you have to just truck down there and crank it out.

The other thing that was very funny to me was my colleagues' reactions. After the melody, and then the solo bar, the whole row (third horn, trumpet players, maybe even a particularly aware trombonist) would stick there foot out or give me a shuffle. And I'm thinking "Wow, the work is just beginning" because really, the "solo" is easy as pie. And fun! It's the stuff afterwards that's difficult. And the first movement. That's harder than the excerpt too.

ANYWAY, it was a really good experience, and I'm glad I got the chance to get nervous and play something exposed- it had been a while.

Overall, the performance was a little campy- big community chorus, local mediocre soprano, ya know. But it was fun. And there were some moments. And it's a masterpiece, no doubt, so it was still exhilirating at certain times.

And that exhilariation will have to last me for the next two weeks, since next up is Bambuco Sinfonica, which is rumored to be some Colombian musical...wish me luck.