Hello everyone!
I'm an undergrad at Kennesaw State University studying trombone performance. I was having a difficult time deciding on what I wanted to pick as a topic for a blog so I decided to chronicle my studies and preparations of orchestral excerpts. This will not only cover the performance aspect of these pieces, but also the historical background and personal feelings of each composer. I'll try to put sound clips and videos of myself and others playing these excerpts!
I've picked out four different excerpts to work on throughout the next couple weeks. These pieces are:
-Bolero, Ravel
-1st Symphony, Brahms
-6th Symphony, Tchaikovsky
-3rd Symphony, Mahler
The differing styles and time periods of these excerpts will provide a challenge to work through this week. I've chosen these excerpts for specific reasons. Bolero is fairly obvious; playing smoothly and keeping consistent tone color throughout the high range. The Brahms is all about intonation and phrasing throughout the chorale in the first movement. Symphony 6 is an exercise in displaying emotion throughout a piece of music. Finally, the solos in Mahler's third display the raw power of the trombone in the orchestra.
In the coming weeks I'll be talking about my feelings and perspectives on preparing these pieces.
Thanks for reading and I hope this will be helpful for all of us!
