Posts tagged as:

double bass

amazing beethoven cycle in nyc

by Charles Noble on February 2, 2010

Wow, I wish I could go out to New York to see this!  What a lineup of great, young quartets to have play the greatest cycle of chamber music ever written: the complete string quartets of Beethoven.  Very jealous! [link]
And as a bonus, the genius of double bassist Daxun Zhang [link] – the best bassist [...]

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when orchestras don’t hire

by Charles Noble on April 5, 2009 · 3 comments

Here’s a post that will be of interest both to the casual observer and also the musician who is on the audition circuit.  It concerns the “no result” audition – when an audition is held but no one is hired.  It’s a very bad situation to be in as an auditioner (especially when you’ve gotten [...]

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pesky string players

by Charles Noble on October 16, 2008

Bassist Michael Hovnanian, member of a Major Midwestern Orchestra With a Notably Loud Brass Section, wrote a hilarious description of guest conductor Jaap van Zweeden rehearsing Bruckner’s Fifth Symphony:
The Dutch violinist turned conductor spent more rehearsal time than normal dealing with the strings; in a work such as the Bruckner an endeavor akin to lifting [...]

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aren’t critics supposed to be critical?

by Charles Noble on May 20, 2008 · 4 comments

I just discovered a new music blog, courtesy of Jason Heath’s Arts Advocate blog, called Mahler Owes Me Ten Bucks. It’s written by Chantal Incandela, a double bass player who has changed her career from being primarily a performer to writing as a classical music critic for NUVO, an alternative print publication in Indianapolis. [...]

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gigs gone wrong

by Charles Noble on March 23, 2008

Bass blogger and Major Midwest Orchestra member Michael Hovnanian writes about a Good Friday gig gone wrong – horribly wrong.  Now, no one was physically hurt during this gig, but I’m sure the mental scars will last quite some time.

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it’s the pit(s)

by Charles Noble on December 28, 2007

photo credit: David Shankbone
Double-bassist Jason Heath gives an exposé on life in the “pit” (the lowered area in front and beneath the stage which holds the orchestra during shows, ballets, and operas. It’s some pretty extreme stuff, including dancing, yelling, boozing, watching television – you get the picture (and if you don’t read the [...]

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