Letter from Paxson (9/15)

Hello Philharmonic!

Great work this week on Copland and Schumann! You all did an excellent job putting into practice the principles we discussed at the first rehearsal. As always, remember to take things bit by bit as we get going on this year-long musical journey.

This weekend is Fall Retreat, which is an amazing opportunity for us to get together, play music, and build community. It’s a chance for us to cover a bigger scope of music in rehearsal so we can all get a birds-eye view on the year’s repertoire.

We have two full-orchestra rehearsals Saturday. Here’s the plan:

Morning Rehearsal (11:00-12:30)

11:00-12:00 Coleridge-Taylor

12:00-12:30 Copland – Mexican Dance and Finale

Afternoon Rehearsal (3:30-5:00)

3:30-4:00 Schumann movement I – rehearsal K to end

4:00-5:00 Schumann movements II, III, and IV read-through

In addition, you will have the opportunity to be coached by members of the Minnesota Orchestra and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, some of the most skilled and inspiring professional musicians in the country, at sectionals on Saturday. I encourage each of you to take advantage of this unique opportunity and really dig deep into what they have to say about the music we are working on.

We are looking at a lot of new material Saturday, but don’t be overwhelmed! I don’t expect you all to get to everything in practice in the next two days – prioritize the Coleridge-Taylor and the rest of Schumann movement I. I think that will put us in the best position. Here is a recording of the Coleridge-Taylor for reference.

A few notes about Coleridge-Taylor’s Overture to the Song of Hiawatha: This piece is written in a very colorful way, meaning that the melody changes hands all the time. I advise each of you to listen along with your part and make note of where you have the melody and where you don’t. Additionally, you’ll notice an overload of expressive markings in your part (crescendo, diminuendo, dynamics, etc.) – some of them are marked with asterisks or dotted lines. This is because the piece exists in multiple manuscripts and the editor, Rotem Weinberg, was tasked with putting them all together to make a more definitive version of the piece. For now, do your best to execute all of the instructions on the page. In a way, this piece is the opposite of the Schumann – where the Schumann has too few expressive markings, the Coleridge-Taylor almost has too many. It will be fascinating to work on these two beautiful pieces together.

We also, of course, have rehearsal Tuesday evening. Here’s the plan for it:

6:45-7:30 Copland – Street in a Frontier Town, Mexican Dance and Finale

7:30-8:15 Copland – Gun Battle, Celebration

8:30-9:15 Coleridge-Taylor

You all have done amazing work so far, and I look forward to having a great day and getting to know you all better at the retreat! Remember to bring a nut-free lunch, and keep up the great work. It’s an absolute privilege to make music with each other, and I hope this weekend is a reminder of that.

“So long as the human spirit thrives on this planet, music in some living form will accompany and sustain it and give it expressive meaning.”

– Aaron Copland