Posted by Leland on December 20, 1999 at 03:31:18:
In Reply to: Air Force or all-state posted by Puzzled on December 20, 1999 at 00:30:12:
Sounds professional enough to me...
Anybody (well, not _anybody_, but you'll get my point) can sit in a room and drill out specific excerpts until they play them perfectly from memory in the back of a cattle truck, but it takes a great deal of musicianship to sightread something in tempo, in time, cleanly, with correct style, phrasing, shaping, and basically everything else that a well-practiced excerpt would require.
Face it, it's not going to be every concert that you'll get a chance to practice stuff for three months beforehand. Those times where a concert gets put together in a week are where the pros earn their paychecks (or studio sessions, which are even tougher!).
And, yes, the "optional" band/orchestral excerpts or solos are there for the audition committee to hear if they're not sure if you can play at all by the time your sightreading is done.
Seeya,
Leland
(not to pat myself on the back, but I didn't have to play any optional stuff... and no matter how I say that, it still sounds conceited as hell!)