Today was the first official day of the workshop, and we were on the program for the first masterclass of the week. We had an early morning rehearsal in Ford Hall at 8:30am so we could make registration at 9:30. Fortunately for us, John was in the hall and gave us a brief, impromptu coaching on the Duvernoy trio.
The performance of Duvernoy was well received, and Rick gave us (particularly Brad) some feedback on horn technique. He mentioned entrances on a natural horn mouthpiece versus a valve horn mouthpiece, intonation, and other ensemble techniques.
Afterwards, Ning and I had some individual practice time while Brad and the other hornists played etudes together. It was nice to have some individual time on the Brahms trio, which we would later play for Professor Ritchie. However, the IU practice rooms leave much to be desired! They are functional, but certainly not glamorous: just an old piano, a chair or two, and a music stand, if you're lucky!
Afterwards, we went to lunch with the other workshop participants at MAC, a little Mediterranean restaurant just off campus. Great hummus and a fantastic grilled chicken Mediterranean salad! It was nice to meet everyone at the workshop: a great mix of people from all over the country and Jonathan, who is from the UK!
After a few more hours of practice time while Brad was in class, we all convened in Ford Hall for our coaching with Professor Stanley Ritchie, former assistant concertmaster of the Met and professor of Baroque violin at IU. Needless to say, I was really excited for this coaching. We started out with the 3rd and 4th movements of Brahms and got some great advice. Prof. Ritchie was especially picky in the opening of the 3rd movement, working Ning really hard in its character and phrasing. It sounds the best it ever has! For me, he worked a lot on my bow technique, claiming that the 3 bar bowing in the middle of the movement is possible. Time to practice long, slow bows!
Then we worked on the Telemann Concerto a tré, where Prof. Ritchie's expertise in Baroque music and performance practice really shined. It was our first time playing with harpsichord in 415 pitch, much different than our recent performance at St. Andrew's in Annapolis. He had some great advice for me in particular. He really helped my phrasing (it was initially too "beaty") and gave some fingering advice. One quote that I don't think I'll soon forget is, "All music is in 1."
Now, time for bed! We want to be in Ford Hall by 8:30 am to do some rehearsing before the horn masterclass at 10.
Tommy
The performance of Duvernoy was well received, and Rick gave us (particularly Brad) some feedback on horn technique. He mentioned entrances on a natural horn mouthpiece versus a valve horn mouthpiece, intonation, and other ensemble techniques.
Afterwards, Ning and I had some individual practice time while Brad and the other hornists played etudes together. It was nice to have some individual time on the Brahms trio, which we would later play for Professor Ritchie. However, the IU practice rooms leave much to be desired! They are functional, but certainly not glamorous: just an old piano, a chair or two, and a music stand, if you're lucky!
Afterwards, we went to lunch with the other workshop participants at MAC, a little Mediterranean restaurant just off campus. Great hummus and a fantastic grilled chicken Mediterranean salad! It was nice to meet everyone at the workshop: a great mix of people from all over the country and Jonathan, who is from the UK!
After a few more hours of practice time while Brad was in class, we all convened in Ford Hall for our coaching with Professor Stanley Ritchie, former assistant concertmaster of the Met and professor of Baroque violin at IU. Needless to say, I was really excited for this coaching. We started out with the 3rd and 4th movements of Brahms and got some great advice. Prof. Ritchie was especially picky in the opening of the 3rd movement, working Ning really hard in its character and phrasing. It sounds the best it ever has! For me, he worked a lot on my bow technique, claiming that the 3 bar bowing in the middle of the movement is possible. Time to practice long, slow bows!
Then we worked on the Telemann Concerto a tré, where Prof. Ritchie's expertise in Baroque music and performance practice really shined. It was our first time playing with harpsichord in 415 pitch, much different than our recent performance at St. Andrew's in Annapolis. He had some great advice for me in particular. He really helped my phrasing (it was initially too "beaty") and gave some fingering advice. One quote that I don't think I'll soon forget is, "All music is in 1."
Now, time for bed! We want to be in Ford Hall by 8:30 am to do some rehearsing before the horn masterclass at 10.
Tommy
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