Double Bass Help Planning Recital...

[bassmastan]

Hi everyone,

So I am getting ready to plan a recital up at school, and the same rep is going to be used at another recital during the year which is going to be longer. The problem is, I don't really know what I should put on it, so I thought maybe I could just make a list of what I have/almost have ready...

-Bottesini Reverie
-Tubin Concerto (Mov I + II w/o cadenza for right now, and not taking the part after the cadenza at tempo)
-Logs by Paul Chihara
-Schnittke Hymnus 2
-Rabbath Incantation Pour
-Nino Rota Mov III (Aria)
-Suite One Guigue (Rough right now, still working on it)
-Round' Midnight arr. 2 double basses.

The problem I am having right now is the fact that there isn't enough variation in what I am playing... While I have things here and there from other era's most of what I have ready is 20th century. Is this a decent mix? If I should look for things to add what should I be looking at? I have a good amount of time to have stuff ready, which is why I am asking for advice now. I am also looking at things that would be good on a graduate audition, keeping that in mind for picking...

I really appreciate any and all input! And I appreciate everyone on TB! Thank you all! And an early happy 4th of July

 

[neilG]

I think you're trying to hard for variety. There are no rules that you have to have so much of it, and if it takes away the possibility of playing entire pieces rather than full works, I'm not for so much of it. If you need to play concertos (why not a sonata that's meant to be with piano?), I'd rather hear an entire one. For instance, play the entire Tubin on one half and some short pieces on the other. And if you are concerned about the preponderance of 20th century music, you have to realize that's the nature of the beast. Most of the music written for DB is 20th century. Not necessarily a bad thing, and any sophisticated listener at a DB recital is going to be expecting that.

 

[lcpierce]

Hi everyone,

So I am getting ready to plan a recital up at school, and the same rep is going to be used at another recital during the year which is going to be longer. The problem is, I don't really know what I should put on it, so I thought maybe I could just make a list of what I have/almost have ready...

-Bottesini Reverie
-Tubin Concerto (Mov I + II w/o cadenza for right now, and not taking the part after the cadenza at tempo)
-Logs by Paul Chihara
-Schnittke Hymnus 2
-Rabbath Incantation Pour
-Nino Rota Mov III (Aria)
-Suite One Guigue (Rough right now, still working on it)
-Round' Midnight arr. 2 double basses.

The problem I am having right now is the fact that there isn't enough variation in what I am playing... While I have things here and there from other era's most of what I have ready is 20th century. Is this a decent mix? If I should look for things to add what should I be looking at? I have a good amount of time to have stuff ready, which is why I am asking for advice now. I am also looking at things that would be good on a graduate audition, keeping that in mind for picking...

I really appreciate any and all input! And I appreciate everyone on TB! Thank you all! And an early happy 4th of July

Your rep looks great. This is going to be a really fun recital!

Recital programming is my jam, so forgive me if I'm getting too into this.

I agree with NeilG. I think you should play entire pieces, rather than just select movements. For each recital, I like to have my main, lengthier piece like a sonata or a concerto (in your case, that would be the Tubin) along with some shorter pieces, which you have in your program. In my undergrad, I used to go to recitals that were 3 full sonatas in a row. Those were hard to sit through.

As far as order, I'm a fan of playing the shorter pieces first, followed by the main piece, and then finish with something like a show piece or something short and fun - I think your arrangement of Round Midnight would be a perfect finale.

I always feel like doing a concerto or a sonata early in the program can be exhausting for both me and the audience, which is why I like to put them closer to the end. But, the Tubin is a fun piece, so doing it early in the program could be great.

Have you timed all of this music? You mentioned that one recital will be longer than the other - how long are you planning to play for each one?

Like I said, really great program! These are such interesting musical choices. Will you be taking audio/video? Make sure to share it with us

 

[bassmastan]

I think you're trying to hard for variety. There are no rules that you have to have so much of it, and if it takes away the possibility of playing entire pieces rather than full works, I'm not for so much of it. If you need to play concertos (why not a sonata that's meant to be with piano?), I'd rather hear an entire one. For instance, play the entire Tubin on one half and some short pieces on the other. And if you are concerned about the preponderance of 20th century music, you have to realize that's the nature of the beast. Most of the music written for DB is 20th century. Not necessarily a bad thing, and any sophisticated listener at a DB recital is going to be expecting that.

Hey Neil, I can always count on you to give me insight with music ... I think you're right with choosing one full piece, this is just what I have ready right now, I haven't even started looking at the third movement of the Tubin, just because the first and second are real beasts! I guess digging a little further, I could put a full something on there, I would love to learn the Lowell Liebermann sonata (from what I've heard its a tough one!)... I can also play the 5th Vivaldi Sonata, Eccles Sonata, and Hindemith (that one was rough when I left it though). I am also feeling that most of this is relatively slow, and I am afraid of boring the listener.

My big problem is finding things that I like to play, I am the type of learner where if I am into it I really get into it (borderline obssesive) I study the composers life and what was going on during the time, I try and learn what makes them tick. If I am not getting into it, it's impossible for me to learn it, like if the melody is boring, or if I am just not vibing with a piece (Cimador *cough cough*) my mind doesn't want to work on it and I just can't play it anymore. Really I have to feel the music if that makes sense... I think that frustrates people too and I can understand but that's sort of just how I am hard wired... For example: When I hear the Aria from the Divertamento Concertante I hear it almost as its own stand alone piece of music, it does fit the concerto but you could pull it out and play it as a piece of music.

Your rep looks great. This is going to be a really fun recital!

Recital programming is my jam, so forgive me if I'm getting too into this.

I agree with NeilG. I think you should play entire pieces, rather than just select movements. For each recital, I like to have my main, lengthier piece like a sonata or a concerto (in your case, that would be the Tubin) along with some shorter pieces, which you have in your program. In my undergrad, I used to go to recitals that were 3 full sonatas in a row. Those were hard to sit through.

As far as order, I'm a fan of playing the shorter pieces first, followed by the main piece, and then finish with something like a show piece or something short and fun - I think your arrangement of Round Midnight would be a perfect finale.

I always feel like doing a concerto or a sonata early in the program can be exhausting for both me and the audience, which is why I like to put them closer to the end. But, the Tubin is a fun piece, so doing it early in the program could be great.

Have you timed all of this music? You mentioned that one recital will be longer than the other - how long are you planning to play for each one?

Like I said, really great program! These are such interesting musical choices. Will you be taking audio/video? Make sure to share it with us

Hi Lauren, thanks for the tip on order, I didn't even think of that!

Most of what I have is timed, and I have for one of them 30 minutes and for the other an hour. Thank you for that! Of course I will have video/audio of the performances, actually panning on having one recorded by someone who knows what they're doing! So of course it will be up online! I actually have a recording of Logs by Paul Chihara on youtube, the intro is a long droning D, so you have to skip to about 1:20 or so if I remember correctly to get to the actual "melody"

I have most of it timed, and the stuff I don't I have an aprox time, which I plan on having way more than needed, you never know what might happen, on one piece I might take the tempo slightly faster, which might add up to an extra 2 or 3 minutes of time. I would rather have that then leave the stage 3 minutes early

 

[lcpierce]

Hi Lauren, thanks for the tip on order, I didn't even think of that!

Most of what I have is timed, and I have for one of them 30 minutes and for the other an hour. Thank you for that! Of course I will have video/audio of the performances, actually panning on having one recorded by someone who knows what they're doing! So of course it will be up online! I actually have a recording of Logs by Paul Chihara on youtube, the intro is a long droning D, so you have to skip to about 1:20 or so if I remember correctly to get to the actual "melody"

I have most of it timed, and the stuff I don't I have an aprox time, which I plan on having way more than needed, you never know what might happen, on one piece I might take the tempo slightly faster, which might add up to an extra 2 or 3 minutes of time. I would rather have that then leave the stage 3 minutes early

I also just do a bunch of ballpark figures when I'm planning recitals. You can never be 100% sure how long a piece is really going to take. I will say, if you're planning on doing an hour-long recital, I would plan for about 45-50 minutes of music. After walking on and off stage, getting set up, and talking (especially if you're planning on talking in between pieces, which I really love doing), that usually works out well. As a listener, anything past an hour is a bit much, especially with the hefty rep you're playing.

Best of luck! I'm looking forward to hearing it.

 

[bassmastan]

I also just do a bunch of ballpark figures when I'm planning recitals. You can never be 100% sure how long a piece is really going to take. I will say, if you're planning on doing an hour-long recital, I would plan for about 45-50 minutes of music. After walking on and off stage, getting set up, and talking (especially if you're planning on talking in between pieces, which I really love doing), that usually works out well. As a listener, anything past an hour is a bit much, especially with the hefty rep you're playing.

Best of luck! I'm looking forward to hearing it.

Thank you so much! I really appreciate the advice, I guess i have to look up recital etiquette for going on and off stage (sometimes I wish there was a handbook haha!)

As some of you may know I do compose, and as some of you who are friends with me on varius social networking sites know I have been composing a concerto... Would it be appropriate to premier it on a recital with other pieces or should it have its own place?

 

[lcpierce]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate the advice, I guess i have to look up recital etiquette for going on and off stage (sometimes I wish there was a handbook haha!)

As some of you may know I do compose, and as some of you who are friends with me on varius social networking sites know I have been composing a concerto... Would it be appropriate to premier it on a recital with other pieces or should it have its own place?

Different places have different etiquette. When I was at USC, it was standard to go off stage in between every piece, but I haven't seen that everywhere. I personally like staying on stage, but you do you.

YES to your concerto! That would be a super cool thing to share with your peers.

 

[neilG]

The Liebermann Sonata is a fine piece but, in my opinion, gratuitously difficult. There are quite a few other choices. Rather than list them, go to Youtube an type in "double bass sonata" and do some serious listening. Make sure you hear the Hertl, Montag and Misek sonatas. Hindemith is always good to know. There are also a good number of solo sonatas to consider.

 

[bassmastan]

The Liebermann Sonata is a fine piece but, in my opinion, gratuitously difficult. There are quite a few other choices. Rather than list them, go to Youtube an type in "double bass sonata" and do some serious listening. Make sure you hear the Hertl, Montag and Misek sonatas. Hindemith is always good to know. There are also a good number of solo sonatas to consider.

Montag! I have that sitting on my desk right now... I was trying it earlier and it didnt sound right... That was until I realized it was in half solo tuning... What a surprise! It is an absolutely beautiful piece of music and doesnt sound too hard. I love Misek 2 and that might be one to consider as well! Thank you again Neil!!

 

[neilG]

I had a student play Montag a few years ago. I requested that Douglass Mapp Music make an orchestra tuning piano part for it, so that exists if you want it. If I recall, we made some minor cuts, too.
There's also good sonatas by Alec Wilder and Harald Genzmer.

 

[emilio g]

Hey Nick! I just found this. All great advice so far. I might add though, don't get too focused on just one recital. You're probably planning on playing bass for a long time and have a lot of rep up for grabs, so it would be a smart move to plan several programs. You'll be able to compare things a little more easily and also have a variety of programs already planned for the future that you can reuse and adapt for your needs.

Some examples of my own:

The Academic Special - A mix of Baroque, Classical, and Romantic repertoire, with a 20th century surprise at the end.

Duo Radix #1 - A mix of pieces written for my bass duo and old favorites from the bass repertoire

Duo Radix #2 Premieres - A variation of the above, with some of the rep swapped out for new

Tango! - A blend of Argentine classics and commissions based on traditional tango music.

The Emergency Recital - For last minute performance opportunities. Comprised exclusively pieces that I can put together on very short notice.

20th Century - Several very different 20th Century pieces that embrace very different views of music making



There are a lot of ways you can apply this. For example, Lauren was saying to go for playing your concerto on this one. She's not wrong, that would be a rad thing to do. But it's also completely valid choice to decide against it because you have some other plan for it. Maybe you're sitting on a bunch of compositions and you want to plan another recital based around your own music exclusively. One of my friends in grad school did that (he didn't even play on the recital) and it was a well attended, successful event.

As for etiquette, its nice when things flow smoothly. Watching someone go on and off and on and off stage is tiring to watch for me. Others like that formality. Think about what kind of experience you want to provide and can realistically deliver to your audience and what would be congruent with that. If you're trying to do a more causal, laid back thing, wearing a tux and going off stage after every piece without talking doesn't really make sense. There's an awesome story about a guy at Hartt that was going to do the super formal recital thing, but screwed up and didn't book the hall in time, so he got stuck with an early Sunday morning time. Instead of trying to force the original plan, he did the program as a more casual quasi-brunch. I think the refreshments were mimosas and breakfast burritos? People LOVED it.

You're not at a shortage of good to awesome advice, so just think critically and have a reason for deciding for or against which of it you plan to take. Hope this helps and that the gig is smashing!

 

[lcpierce]

There's an awesome story about a guy at Hartt that was going to do the super formal recital thing, but screwed up and didn't book the hall in time, so he got stuck with an early Sunday morning time. Instead of trying to force the original plan, he did the program as a more casual quasi-brunch. I think the refreshments were mimosas and breakfast burritos?

That's it. I'm serving mimosas and migas at my next concert.

Seriously though, I love that story.

 

[emilio g]

Right?! Sip something yummy and hear Bach in a cool space? Thats just a damn good time in my book.