Posts Tagged ‘Joseph Lauber’

Reading Session 2016-01-15

Saturday, January 23rd, 2016

It was a cold night, but we had a rewarding reading session on Friday, January 15.

People:

  • Marc Temkin
  • Bjorn Villesvik
  • Phillip Serna
  • Jacque Harper

This was great for me. Phillip and I have crossed paths a number of times over the years. At separate times, we were both students of Stephen Tramontozzi at the San Francisco Conservatory. But to my recollection, we had not played together. So it was good to do that. Marc is someone I met briefly many years ago at one of our early performances, but hadn’t seen since. He encouraged Bjorn to join us, and I’m glad he did. I’m always happy to expand my circle of colleagues.

Repertoire

  • Tomas Luis de Victoria, arr. Cameron – Three Spanish Motets
  • Tony Osborne – Sonnet for a Summer’s Day
  • Ernst Mahle – Quartet
  • Marc Temkin – work in progress
  • Serge Prokofiev, arr Serna – March from The Love of Three Oranges
  • Joseph Lauber – Quartet
  • Hindemith, arr Harper – Six Chansons
  • Wasserman – Pieces for Basses

The ensemble has read or performed all of these–except for Marc’s sketch, Tony Osborne’s ‘sonnet’ and the Wasserman piece–in the past, so I don’t have a lot of new comments on them. As always, it was energizing to be able to make music together.

I look forward to the opportunity to perform Sonnet for a Summer’s Day, in the hopes that I can encourage my wife to sing the soprano part. Rob Wasserman’s piece I’ve attempted to get through several times, but it seems to require more preparation than a pick-up reading session. I’m also not fond of the gimmick of the first movement being for a solo player, the second a duet, the third a trio etc. If I’ve gone to the trouble of finding five players, I want to make use of them. Marc’s work, completely and somewhat abashedly incomplete, shows promise. Always happy to read through something to give a composer a chance to hear ideas.

My only regret for the evening was that I failed to print out the parts for David Heyes’ work The Last Poppy. I really meant to. My apologies, David! Next time for sure.

Timing, Revised

Tuesday, January 6th, 2015

So, I admit that I’m not as prepared for our performance this weekend as I would like to be. The relatively late change in personnel–which I haven’t blogged about–definitely threw me for a loop. As evidence, I cite my previous post, Timing.
I didn’t really think through all the possibilities for program order. There’s one order that occurred to me earlier today that actually seems really good:

  • Quartet (by Joseph Lauber), two of four movements,
  • Livre (by ‘cellist Joan Jeanrenaud, arrangement for four basses by Jacque Harper),
  • Double Bass Quartet 1987 (by David Anderson), five movements.

in the 2:00 pm slot, saving

  • Dream Time (by Tony Osborne)

for the end-of-day performance.

This gives a nice arc and an exciting finish to the 2:00 session, and leaves a showy piece for the end-of-day.

I definitely like to make decisions like this in collaboration with the rest of the group, so we’ll discuss it at tonight’s rehearsal. But I’m glad that I came up with this order. It feels much better thought-out than playing the Lauber incomplete at the finale.

The other task I haven’t done for this concert is to send a message to the mailing list. But to atone for that, I HAVE made entries in the Daily Dose of Double Bass Calendar for both the UW-W and Chicago Bass Festivals. So that’s something, anyway!

Timing

Saturday, January 3rd, 2015

A really elemental post. I am going to double-check the timing of the pieces we’ll be playing at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Bass Fest next weekend.

We have 45 minutes to play (2:00 pm to 2:45 pm), and we will also play something on the end-of-day concert. When you get down to it, we have four pieces set up for this performance:

  • Livre (by ‘cellist Joan Jeanrenaud, arrangement for four basses by Jacque Harper): 4’ 30″
  • Dream Time (by Tony Osborne): 5′ 15″
  • Double Bass Quartet 1987 (by David Anderson), five movements: 2′ 30″, 3′ 04″, 2′ 58″, 3′ 28″, 7′ 05″
  • Quartet (by Joseph Lauber), two of four movements: 3′ 39″, 1′ 44″

Some of these times are “calculated,” that is, by me playing them through with a metronome. Others are from “experience” of previous times we have played them.

That is a total time of 34′ 13″. If we allow about three minutes between each piece for some talking, tuning and page aligning–which is generous, we come out with about 46 minutes. Perhaps instead of doing the two movements of the Lauber during the 2:00 pm slot, we’ll save them for the end-of-day concert. That leaves us maybe a tad under what would be perfect for the afternoon, but not badly.

If the guys feel we can stretch, and include some of the other movements of the Lauber, this could be recalculated.

 

January 10, 2015, University of Wisconsin, Whitewater

Tuesday, December 30th, 2014

Bass Festival

University of Wisconsin, Whitewater

Returning again to the stage where we debuted as the Four Js so many years ago!

January 10, 2015, 2:00 to 2:45 pm, at the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater, WI. Visit the link above to register for the festival.

Performers:

  • Josh Harrison
  • Doug Johnson
  • Julian Romane
  • Jacque Harper

“Positions” i.e., Bass I, Bass II etc. are rotated on each piece according to whim and interest.

Program:

  • Joseph Lauber (1864-1952): movements one and two from 1942 quartet
    • Andante espressivo
    • Allegretto scherzando
  • Joan Jeanrenaud (b. 1956), arr Harper: Livre
  • David Anderson (b. 1962): Quartet 1987
    • Wedding Music I
    • Rondo/Dance
    • Recitative
    • Wedding Music II
    • Finale

At the end-of-day “faculty performance,” we’ll play Tony Osborne’s (b. 1947) Dream Time.

—-

updated 7 January with program order and time.

updated 8-9 January with composer’s dates, movement titles.