Strauss
Once again I feel it necessary to have a rave about how amazing the rehearsal orchestra are to play with. This weekend I have had the delight of playing 4th trumpet under the guidance of Levon Parikian. Playing in a section of 5 trumpets (4+bump), 5 trombones (again 5+bump) and 8 horns is an awesome feeling in itself, but when those players are extremely experienced and supportive it transforms the game into a sport.
We played Richard Stauss’ Alpine Symphony, which is a tone poem of gargantuan proprotions – well worth a listen. I recommend listening to it a few times as, whilst its mostly tonal, its not the most approachable of pieces. Once you’ve approached it however, you appreciate that it really is genius.