Re: Non-orchestral Excerpts


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Posted by David on December 09, 2002 at 20:24:32:

In Reply to: Non-orchestral Excerpts posted by Ted on December 09, 2002 at 14:57:31:

Try some of these. I played these many, many times over an 18 year stint in a major ballet company.

Adam – Etudes (if you like scales)
Adam – Giselle
Arnold – English Folk Song Suite
Delibes – Coppelia
Gershwin – Rhapsody in Blue (most fun as part of the original scoring for big band)
Jack Lanchberry arrangements (full length ballet scores using various orchestral and piano works arranged for full orchestra)
- Berlioz (all of Symphonie Fantastique, Harold In Italy, and others)
- Liszt
- Tchaikovsky
- Grieg
Janacek - Sinfonietta (sounds great on recordings but a dud of a part)
Mahler – Symphony No. 10
Poulenc - Gloria
Prokofiev – Cinderella
Prokofiev – Romeo and Juliet
Stravinski – Firebird
Stravinski – Rite of Spring
Tchaikovsky – Nutcracker (over 500 times)
Tchaikovsky – Swan Lake

Most of the major selections are arranged in "suites". There are some surprises when playing the entire ballet parts. For example: the first entrance of the theme we recognize in Romeo and Juliet is not f minor, but rather d minor and as the 5th horn part. The part happens in a minor, g minor, and a few others before finally getting to the excerpted part of f minor.

The hardest part of playing in a ballet or opera orchestra is the repetition of repertoire. Try playing the Nutcracker 40 times in one run and doing a really good job every time. Just think, next year the same thing happens again and in 2 or 3 years you will get to play Cinderella, or Peer Gynt, or Swan Lake, or ......... all over again.



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