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There is a very loud, but buried, glissando in another Mahler Symphony. After the conductor asked for more sound from the harp, I pulled out two felt picks and doubled the gliss with the picks. He beamed and gave me the thumbs-up. So, sometimes one has to do a little tweaking of the part (if possible), since the premiere of the piece may have been (a) with a smaller or softer-playing orchestra (b) in a different acoustic.
Basically, the cadenza is Odette’s entrance, and she folds up onto the floor gradually in the downward arpeggio. The three broken octaves are steps taken by the prince.
Granted, there may be other choreographies out there, but Petipa was the original choreographer.
Has anyone seen the Ballets Trocadero de Monte Carlo? They’re an all-male dance company that spoofs classical ballet. They dance, hairy chests and all, in tutus and on pointe. They do a hilarious version of Swan Lake that has to be seen to be believed.Here are some versions I found on Youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcvUHmRfZHA&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25-5ksjxGg4&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtsrOJcAAYk&feature=relatedYou can order Mozetich’s music through the Canadian Music Centre.
http://www.musiccentre.ca/apps/index.cfm?fuseaction=score.FA_dsp_resultsMy orchestra, the Vancouver Symphony, won a Grammy for a recording of the Korngold, Walton and Barber Violin Concertos with violinist James Ehnes and Bramwell Tovey conducting. You can hear the harp really well in the Korngold in particular.
Yes, that’s what I do, though you could go a step further and do it as enharmonics (Fb, Ab, Cb). Composers don’t know that we can only do double harmonics in our left hand. Just because something’s written in the treble clef, does not mean you have to play it in the right hand. For example, I frequently take the bottom note of a chord in the treble clef with my left hand thumb, if it makes a smoother transition or an easier jump.
1. We only have four fingers to play with, not five.
2. Write for the average-sized hand, not the exceptionally huge.
3. Just because your thumb and fourth finger can reach ten notes does not mean the intervals in the middle can be almost as big. Know the limits of the spaces between the middle fingers.
4. Don’t write extended ff passages in the top register.
5. Ditto for the bottom register.
6. When changing from one key to the next, don’t go straight from seven flats to seven sharps. Do it enharmonically and gradually, keeping in mind that bass notes will ring a long time and need to be muffled if they are in the path of a pedal change.I could probably write my own book, but this should get things started.
I forgot to mention that I cannot handle pedal changes if they are written in left over right. I was trained to write them in right over left, and it certainly helps avoid confusion if you’re consistent.
Emily Mitchell will be doing a presentation on this piece at the American Harp Society Summer Institute, and she will be performing this piece at the World Harp Congress in Vancouver, Canada in July, 2011.
1. I agree with Louise that it would be an enormous help to get the pedals written in, if they are done well. Even though I frequently disagree with the pedalling and fingerings that have been previously marked, at least one has a starting point. As Louise says, one can make a copy, white out the markings you dislike, then make your own edition.
2. I like the pedal markings below or between the staff, but not above it. Then I don’t know which staff those pedals belong to.
3. Diagrams are necessary at all starting points.
4. The pedal changes don’t need to be in the full score, unless we want the conductor to understand why the harpist looks so stressed.The problem with the pedal changes being too small to read is attributable to the font size in the software programs. I have not been able to figure out how to make those accidental signs get bigger in my Sibelius software.
And, as Carl points out, If there are double flats or enharmonics, it would be great to have the actual note instead of a circled one.Salzedo’s METHOD FOR THE HARP is the perfect book for getting used to the pedals, and has the ever-popular “Chanson dans la Nuit” and “La Désirade” in it.
What a terrible shame! I was so impressed with this program when I went to the AHS Conference in Dearborn. I know that Detroit’s economy is still in recession, but one would hope that such a fantastically successful program could find a sponsor to save it.
