Posted by Chuck Jackson on December 09, 2002 at 17:39:53:
In Reply to: Non-orchestral Excerpts posted by Ted on December 09, 2002 at 14:57:31:
I just ran across one this weekend as I was cleaning out a cabinet. It is the Mazurka from "Coppelia" by Leo Delibes. If someone gets smart, it will start showing up on auditions, very long running lines and it gets up there. I will second Joe's remarks about Tschaik. I have played all of his big ballets and they are very difficult. Nutcracker is exactly that if you have to play the whole thing. Lots of moving and tons of just plain, flat-out blowing. I remember playing excerpts from "Le Cid" by Massenet a few years back and that was really a burner, too. Interior parts to any Verdi, Strauss(watch out for Elektra!!!) can be ridicuously hard. Anyone who took the Met audition can attest to the fact that Salome was a pain as was the solo from "Peter Grimes". One of my teachers, Jack Robinson, insisted that his students memorize "Fackeltanz" in Gb. That one is just plaing hard!!!! Good luck.