Marie-Luise Neunecker on Sarah´s Horn Hangouts

I am a big fan of what Sarah Willis is doing.  Her somewhat cozy interviews with top notch horn players around the world gives us a close personal glimpse into their fast paced world!  I'll get whatever little clues they drop as I can!

Memorization is N0T for everyone, yet we ALL must do it!

I'll have to say, it is a beautiful thing when someone walks out onto stage, playing freely; connecting with the audience having no barriers between them.  Letting the music flow so directly is unquestionably the most desirable way to perform but it is not for everyone. I have a serious issue with memorization being required for jury exams or recital performances.  My objection extends to memorization of scales or exercises as well.
 
Speaking from my own experience with ADD, having the sheetmusic in front of me is a tremendous help in keeping my attention.  Distractions are constant for me.  Some may have heard of the ability of those with ADD to go into a state of hyperfocus.  The performance situation, memorized or not, can bring about hyperfocus for those with ADD but it is not a guarantee.  While this is a magnificent state of mind, it cannot be called to order.  I have never found this zone during memorized performances.  I have however found this state of mind when using music.  Ironically, it is the barrier, the music stand which becomes the bridge allowing me to deliver.

Scales are often learned and or practiced in a particular order by musicians.  Having a routine way of going about things is natural and effective.  Process is therapeutic and mentally calming.  Over time alternate routines should be explored.  The fresh perspective is good for the mind and the muscles but this should never be tested or expected under the gun in performance.  There need not be anything to prove on jury day with your scales.  An instructor can determine if the student has sufficiently learned their scales prior to the examination.  If a committee is insistent on requiring scales, the student should be allowed to use music or at the very least play them in an order most suitable to them.

This issue is so complex, think of how some people cannot look others in the eyes when communicating, even when saying their name.  Is it any wonder, that some of us might not be comfortable presenting ourselves on stage during musical performance, let alone conforming to standards set by others to meet societal expectations?  Performance is such an emotional and individual thing for the artist.  The musician needs to convey his or her thoughts in their way.  But we don't always have a choice.  I am trying here to include a link to helpful memorization ideas:

http://collaborativepiano.blogspot.com/2007/07/memorization-tips-and-hacks.html#.U7gSuvldWSo

Mahler 9 2nd Horn Solo!

This morning I have been listening to the opening of Mahler 9; one recording after another.  I never intended to do this but for some reason, which I cannot now recall, I let this happen; the blessing/curse of Spotify!  At any rate, the style of the very first recording I heard, Berlin, surprised me in how it contrasted the memory I have of it.  You see, like all good, well schooled musicians, there was a time when I spent hours in the listening library with score in hand.  I have to admit, I had let this all too important daily listening slide by unchecked.  My distant memories are not reliable.

Of the 20 or so recordings, recordings going back to the 1930's, I am so surprised at the variety of styles of the stopped notes in particular, from very marcato to sustained and full.  Also, dynamically some are very forward (even loud) to subdued.  I followed a trend for a while thinking that the marcato version might be a thing of the past but the Walter recording with Vienna, the oldest I could find, was one of the most legato,  in contrast to several contemporary recordings exhibiting emphatically pronounced syncopation.  

Here are are my two favorites.  I love the disregarded cracked note and intonation problems in the Vienna/Walter recording, style, was what mattered back then!  Why is a tuba playing in the first four bars? The San Francisco MTT recording is perhaps my favorite, kudos to that second horn player, San Francisco, incredible as always!

Gustav Mahler – Symphony No. 9 in D Major: I Andante commodohttp://open.spotify.com/track/5v7PN82c1AroBxLeXinKSQ

San Francisco Symphony & Michael Tilson Thomas – Symphony No. 9 in D Major: I. Andante comodohttp://open.spotify.com/track/1s2ALRpDB2GgecdOzIeDxU