Double Bass Mendellsohn's Elijah

[MantisBot]

So this guy I know asked me to play bass in his production of Elijah and I agreed... like a putz. I'm wondering if anyone out there who has played this with little time to practice found it acceptable to elide certain parts. Specifically I'm talking about the breakneck 16th note arpeggiations that take place in mvts 13-20. I noticed the brass are only playing the strong beats while the violins and celli are blazing through with all the filler... is it really necessary to play all those notes or is following the example of the brass acceptable?

Let this be a cautionary tale to everyone: look at the score before agreeing to play something when you have no time to practice! Damn me and my overconfidence...:scowl:

tl;dr: Simplifying 16th note runs = ok? Also, look before you leap.

 

[neilG]

You SHOULD try to play all the notes. The piece is playable. But failing that, simplifying makes sense. It's not the most brilliantly orchestrated work anyway.

For those interested:
Link Removed

 

[MantisBot]

You SHOULD try to play all the notes. The piece is playable.

Definitely true. I'm just working on a timetable that only allows about 1hr of practice time before the gig... Not exactly ideal.