Gothic Tuba Experience Re-ignited
"The Curse of the Gothic Symphony" documentary movie is screening from 24th of May 2012 for 2 weeks.
Today I had the pleasure to relive part of my Gothic Tuba Experience watching this movie. The rest of the movie experience portrayed the behind the scenes action of organising this monumental symphony.
Gary Thorpe's vision to perform Havergal Brian's massive work in Brisbane, Australia, is the main focus of this documentary. Many failures, mixed emotions and perseverance coloured his 28 year journey to realising his dream in December 2010.
There were many partnerships with various people created and dissolved through the ups and downs of his massive undertaking. Too many to write about here. Check out your local cinema guide on www.eventcinemas.com.au to find out session times, and witness the trials and tribulations for yourself.
For international readers of this blog, I'm quite sure it will be released on DVD at some time, for you to view this wonderful documentary.
The last part of the movie showed various events on concert day and many excerpts of the actual performance. This is when the emotions started stirring in this tuba player, reliving the last couple of days of this unique experience.
Even through speakers in a small cinema, the passion and intensity of the choir still envoked chills down my spine. Hearing again, the wonderful orchestral sounds, brought many "warm and fuzzies" back.
"Screen time" for this tuba player was quite surprising! Over 20 times (but who's counting) I saw myself. Most of them were long shots and some from behind, but clear none the less. The remaining ones were close ups of the tuba "section" with either bass bones to the left in the picture, or with euphoniums to the right of us. One I was very surprised to see was a front and center shot of myself going "full steam ahead" with this massive piece.
Other notable mentions (screen shots) were Cameron Malouf, other parts of the trombone section, various trumpet players and a shot of bass trumpet Adrian Head. Shaun Wigley on Contrabasson had his mugshot shown a number of times.
Yes, there were many other "5 seconds of fame" shots of other musicians but too many to recall.
Our international visitor, Karim Elmahmoudi, who traveled all the way from California to see and listen to the Gothic Symphony, also got a bit of a screen shot in the movie. I'm quite sure it was him, as I did recognise his face in a fleeting shot of some people standing outside QPAC.
By the end of the movie, I was buzzing with excitement from reliving the 2+ weeks experience in 2010. For any Gothic performer, I beg you to do the same and relive your experience though this movie. Do Not Miss seeing this on the big screen!! Yes, I'm sure it will be released on DVD (hopefully in BlueRay too) but see it on the big screen now!
It was evident in this movie that any performance of the Gothic Symphony is worth traveling around the world to witness, given it is such a unique event. I remember how wonderful and unique my experience was, to perform this piece, and remember thinking that nothing will stop me doing this.
I left this movie today knowing that if this symphony is ever performed again while I'm still alive, I WILL see it, no matter where in the world it is, given its unique status. It's one thing to perform it, it will be another experience to listen to it live, in its entirety.
Follow your dreams and live the experience!
John Szkutko
Friday, May 25, 2012
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Alison Marsh Photography
Alison Marsh photography skills
 |
| Gothic Tuba |
 |
| Sasha - Euphonium |
 |
| Jamie - Trombone |
 |
| Mitch - Eb Trumpet |
 |
| Adrian: business man extraordaire - Bass Trumpet |
 |
| Mitch and "Mug face" |
 |
| Geoff Spiller - Mr Debonaire (Trumpet) |
 |
| Kerry - Horn or Horny? |
 |
| Ms Gothic |
Saturday, December 25, 2010
What is the Gothic Tuba Experience?
A standing ovation with raptuous applause concluded our past two and a bit weeks of intensive rehearsals.
John proceeded to acknowledge and thank each part of the Gothic ensemble individually. I might be biased but I'm sure the brass received the largest thundering appreciation from the audience. Well, second loudest, Maestro Curro well deserved the applause and appreciation from both audience and Gothic ensemble. I read on a FaceBook quote, our standing ovation remained for at least 10 minutes. I couldn't tell either way, I was just happy to be there, right in the middle of the ensemble, feeling the energy and enthusiasm of my music colleagues.
We conquered the curse of the Gothic!
Afterward we had a reception at, where else, the bar! I caught up with a couple of old friends who were there to hear this performance. We reminisced about our previous music encounters and just had a good old chat.
I caught up Karim in the energetic mixture of people who sought the bar's services. He was with 2 members of the Havergal Appreciation Society. They were extremely happy with our production and performance. I asked them how this work and final moments sounded from the audience. I then told them what no one else but the performers saw, the way John conducted the final silence. This didn't matter to them, as they were sitting back with their eyes closed absorbing what is the Gothic symphony.
Karim from day one was very impressed with the low brass, especially our bass trombones. As they walked by us around the bar, I introduced them to each other and Karim showed his appreciation for their efforts. Of course, when bass trombonists get together, they talk shop and how to play loud. Well, not all the time but Karim seemed to be having the time of his life. Not only having been part of the Gothic experience but also chatting with the performers of his favourite instrument.
Performing in an ensemble has its pros and cons. While concentrating on your part and performing with others, quite often you can't hear all the intended sounds the composer created. As a member of the audience, you can listen to the work as it has been written. Some works have great parts to play but are boring to listen to. Some marvelous works are quite boring to perform.
I know I have missed some great moments to listen to as part of the Gothic ensemble. I had some awesome parts to perform both soloistically and with the brass and other sections. But I honestly would not have been anywhere else for this performance but for where I was. I had a first hand and an emotional view of John Curro's conclusion to this work. I had amazing sounds around my position while performing. I had a bird's eye view of Dimitri's blinder of a solo performance. Sitting right in front of the "Tu Rex" section from the chorus, was absolutely amazing. I could also see and feel the energy and excitement from other parts of the ensemble.
Karim Elmahmoudi, flew from the USA to Australia and arrived at QPAC just after lunch time on Tuesday. Thursday morning he was on a flight back home. He had a few hours to take in the sights of his hotel and we spent about 2 hours in the city. He will have spent almost twice as much time flying on a plane, then he did with his feet on Brisbane soil. To quote Karim "this is the most expensive concert I have ever been to"!
This is some of the dedication to not only Havergal Brian but to music in general, that some people are willing to make. Thank you Karim for your dedication and your friendship as a result. I'm sure you now have many Aussie mates (as seen on your FaceBook page) as a result and will continue to develop these relationships and your music adventures internationally. I know we will meet again.
So, what is the Gothic Tuba Experience?
It is many things. There is the time leading up to this Epic and historic performance. There is time spent in the practice room preparing my part of this immense Gothic orchestra. There is the performance and post celebrations.
Leading up to the Gothic performance, without hesitation, I immediately accepted my "offer of position" for the Gothic orchestra. At the same time, my relationship with a beautiful lady was having its ups and downs. My vehicle broke down, with a terminal diagnosis. Without a vehicle, my income was almost nil, as I am self employed. Among all this, I was stressing out working out celebrations for my 40th birthday. I also had people in my ear helping me with my priorities.
I have cemented my relationship with my most beautiful lady. I have a near new vehicle and many new customers keeping me busy. I am now 40 and had a wonderful birthday dinner at my favourite restaurant. I'm still friends with everyone who helped me with my priorities.
Add to this "life mix" the actual happenings documented throughout this blog. Many special moments in time were experienced with this "mixture", that can not be explained but were experienced.
Thank you for being part of this wonderful journey!
This my friends, is the
John proceeded to acknowledge and thank each part of the Gothic ensemble individually. I might be biased but I'm sure the brass received the largest thundering appreciation from the audience. Well, second loudest, Maestro Curro well deserved the applause and appreciation from both audience and Gothic ensemble. I read on a FaceBook quote, our standing ovation remained for at least 10 minutes. I couldn't tell either way, I was just happy to be there, right in the middle of the ensemble, feeling the energy and enthusiasm of my music colleagues.
We conquered the curse of the Gothic!
Afterward we had a reception at, where else, the bar! I caught up with a couple of old friends who were there to hear this performance. We reminisced about our previous music encounters and just had a good old chat.
I caught up Karim in the energetic mixture of people who sought the bar's services. He was with 2 members of the Havergal Appreciation Society. They were extremely happy with our production and performance. I asked them how this work and final moments sounded from the audience. I then told them what no one else but the performers saw, the way John conducted the final silence. This didn't matter to them, as they were sitting back with their eyes closed absorbing what is the Gothic symphony.
Karim from day one was very impressed with the low brass, especially our bass trombones. As they walked by us around the bar, I introduced them to each other and Karim showed his appreciation for their efforts. Of course, when bass trombonists get together, they talk shop and how to play loud. Well, not all the time but Karim seemed to be having the time of his life. Not only having been part of the Gothic experience but also chatting with the performers of his favourite instrument.
Performing in an ensemble has its pros and cons. While concentrating on your part and performing with others, quite often you can't hear all the intended sounds the composer created. As a member of the audience, you can listen to the work as it has been written. Some works have great parts to play but are boring to listen to. Some marvelous works are quite boring to perform.
I know I have missed some great moments to listen to as part of the Gothic ensemble. I had some awesome parts to perform both soloistically and with the brass and other sections. But I honestly would not have been anywhere else for this performance but for where I was. I had a first hand and an emotional view of John Curro's conclusion to this work. I had amazing sounds around my position while performing. I had a bird's eye view of Dimitri's blinder of a solo performance. Sitting right in front of the "Tu Rex" section from the chorus, was absolutely amazing. I could also see and feel the energy and excitement from other parts of the ensemble.
Karim Elmahmoudi, flew from the USA to Australia and arrived at QPAC just after lunch time on Tuesday. Thursday morning he was on a flight back home. He had a few hours to take in the sights of his hotel and we spent about 2 hours in the city. He will have spent almost twice as much time flying on a plane, then he did with his feet on Brisbane soil. To quote Karim "this is the most expensive concert I have ever been to"!
This is some of the dedication to not only Havergal Brian but to music in general, that some people are willing to make. Thank you Karim for your dedication and your friendship as a result. I'm sure you now have many Aussie mates (as seen on your FaceBook page) as a result and will continue to develop these relationships and your music adventures internationally. I know we will meet again.
So, what is the Gothic Tuba Experience?
It is many things. There is the time leading up to this Epic and historic performance. There is time spent in the practice room preparing my part of this immense Gothic orchestra. There is the performance and post celebrations.
Leading up to the Gothic performance, without hesitation, I immediately accepted my "offer of position" for the Gothic orchestra. At the same time, my relationship with a beautiful lady was having its ups and downs. My vehicle broke down, with a terminal diagnosis. Without a vehicle, my income was almost nil, as I am self employed. Among all this, I was stressing out working out celebrations for my 40th birthday. I also had people in my ear helping me with my priorities.
I have cemented my relationship with my most beautiful lady. I have a near new vehicle and many new customers keeping me busy. I am now 40 and had a wonderful birthday dinner at my favourite restaurant. I'm still friends with everyone who helped me with my priorities.
Add to this "life mix" the actual happenings documented throughout this blog. Many special moments in time were experienced with this "mixture", that can not be explained but were experienced.
Thank you for being part of this wonderful journey!
This my friends, is the
Gothic Tuba Experience
John Szkutko
Friday, December 24, 2010
Day 18 - Finale or Finally?
After not-the-best-night-sleep I arrived shite and briney to the QPAC concert hall. After some buzzing exercises on the mouthpiece, I met up with my new friend and brass colleague Karim for a coffee.
We chatted about Los Angeles, weather comparisons and of course, Havergal Brian. He had his Gothic score with him so we actually could find the passages we were talking about. He commented yesterday how awesome the low brass sounded. Leading to the comparison that he though the people chosen were better than himself as far as bass trombone playing goes. Although I've never heard him play, I'm sure he was just being complimentary and modest. He is a composer first, then a bass bone performer second. For those who don't know, he auditioned to play in the orchestra.
By the way Karim, thanks for the coffee that morning mate!
Back to concert hall warm up room to... warm up.
Up on stage, the doors were opened and the Dress Rehearsal concert goers flooded in. With the exception of the side stalls, it was a full capacity crowd. Not bad considering it wasn't the actual concert. John wanted to run through the movements non stop. We almost performed Part 1 in its entirety without any stopping. Afterwards, including a well appreciated round of applause from the audience, John asked anyone if they had any questions before having a break and moving on to Part 2. I had 2 issues that needed clarification. Someone elses question answered one of mine and then I cleared up with John, my other concern. I was now 100% comfortable with Part 1. My performance was much more precise than the day before and I played a couple of troublesome area right for the first time today. This tuba player is well on track for tonight's performance. Very happy indeed.
Lunch time went by and the chorus joined us and our capacity crowd to rehearse Part 2. Not 1 movement was rehearsed straight through. Some areas although much better, were still not up to John's expected standard and he worked these areas with the chorus. Despite this extra rehearsaing, the chorus is sounding amazing in some places but excellent overall. My comments in earlier posts about the standard of the chorus and peaking at the right time were well founded, as not just the chorus but the entire Gothic ensemble is rising to the occasion.
The ending of the dress rehearsal went as expected. The chorus chord disappearing to silence, then some appreciative applause for our efforts. Little did we know the ending that was install for us later that evening!
Lunch time! I consumed my pre packed home made lunch before heading across the river to and introduce Karim to Brisbane city. The weather was wet and miserable but we made the trip relatively unscathed sharing my umbrella. Karim was well fed by Red Rooster in the Myer centre. I pre warned him that the chips would be almost inedible by the layering of salt we aussie fast food servers think we need. But he managed to finish the chips after agreeing with me. He said Coke (drink) tasted much better here. Over in the states they use corn syrup to sweeten Coke. Another trivial fact brought to you courtesy of the Gothic Tuba Experience!
The main goal in the city was for Karim to purchase as flash or USB drive, so he could take home all the photos he took of the Gothic experience with my camera. For a bass trombone player, he makes quite a good photographer.
On Tuesday he took shots from all over the hall, balconies, floor, side and so on. He also photographed the orchestra and chorus!
We had fun watching the pics yesterday on my laptop. Today he was just as liberal with his camera skills and got some more awesome shots. I will post these with some shots Alison Marsh took with my camera, after I recover from writing this post.
Brass players are a unique breed. Some can perform on the whiff of a cheese burger. On the other end of the scale, like myself, are performers who need food inside. More precisely, who can not play on an empty stomach. Timing, believe it or not can be critical. Enjoy your food, indulge even, and you can start the concert feeling bloated. Not a good predicament for anyone playing the tuba 1 part of the Gothic Symphony. Don't eat enough? Then there will be "no fuel in the tank" by the end of the concert, resulting in a weak finish, probably some bad playing too.
I was concerned with the time and the food I planned to buy from the green room kitchen. Long story short, I had my chips and gravy, 3/4 of an egg and bacon toastie, washed down with a Pepsi Max, then arrived on the concert stage in perfect condition. Was still strong and stable by the end of this massive symphony.
Green room chips and gravy. They give you quite a large serve of chips with the best tasting gravy. 10/10 You can quote me on that!
Crunch time, the 7:00pm start time arrived. The atmosphere in the side entrances of the hall was very jovial and relaxed. This was a good sign. On we went, filling the humungous stage with about 150 people who genuinely wanted to be there.
After the obligatory tuning, John Curro proceeded to his podium accompanied by generous and well deserved applause. The stick came down and the Gothic Symphony burst to life with precise and energetic playing. Now it was down to business. This was it, no stopping.
Did Part 1 go off without a hitch? No. My best performance of the day was in the morning dress rehearsal. Plus there was an anxious ensemble moment, which made a full recovery by the next rehearsal marking. It took a couple of moments but the confidence returned after reconciling our anxious moment.
Yes, the above paragraph was written using a magnifying lens to find imperfection with our performance. The overall verdict was a stunning display of a difficult work by an orchestra performing for the first time after only just over 2 weeks rehearsal. Despite my self criticism of my performance, it was just little inaccuracies here and there, as the difference between concert and dress rehearsal performances. I continued to perform with confidence to the very end.
Regardless of how good rehearsals go, things happen on performance night. No blame or ridicule to be passed around. Simply keep performing to the end of the piece with absolute confidence. That is the true test of one's (and the ensemble's) character.
Part 1 performance verdict? Bravo!!
Personally, I was quite relieved to finish Part 1. It is a playable "tuba concerto" in itself but after over 2 weeks of non stop rehearsals and practice, it was nice to know I could rest my chops. Part 2, while not a walk in the park, isn't written as high or as concerto like as the first part.
Now it was time for the chorus to shine!
Our 2 "brass bands" moved into the choir stalls along with all our choristers, thus completing the performing compliment of the Gothic Symphony. Well, this was our version, as we couldn't fill in every single performers seat. But with John Curro, Alison Rogers and our production team creating solutions with the personnel we had, we never really had any short fall in any part our performance.
Precision! That's how our immense chorus and childrens choirs announced part 2 of this symphony. It was a welcome far cry from the very first rehearsal. The trumpet fanfare to follow once again showcased the varied trumpet talent that was assembled. Brilliant.
Over all, I personally noticed only a bar of intonation issue with the chorus. Now THAT'S saying something, that I actually noticed. They were magnificent! My personal highlights was the "Tu Rex" section, that was brilliantly led into by our fanfaring (new fanfare) trumpets. Dimitri, our bass soloist, had an absolute blinder in one section. I just sat there taking in his performance. It was an absolute pleasure to be where I was. As it was by the conclusion of the performance.
Alison Rogers, take a bow. Accept your nomination for Prime Minister as well. Not only did you create this vocal juggernaut, you handled John Curro's demands and questions with great diplomacy and decorum. You were a welcome addition to the brass section for that short time too. Beehive hairdo?
There are many memories that will be taken from our performance tonight. Some will be very individual and personal and some to the testament of the Gothic ensemble. Wether you simply set a goal for yourself and hope for the best, or you are more than confident that you will achieve it, when you finally do, the experience is nothing like you expected. It is far greater than you could imagine.
While I can not speak on everyone's behalf, I'm quite sure no one in the hall, on stage or in the audience, could even imagine what was install for them that night.
The orchestra and chorus knew how this piece ends. Some audience and Havergal lovers knew how this work finishes.For those who don't, the last section is some heavy percussion bustling, reinforced with some orchestral chords then some beautiful soft playing, leading to a final few bars of choral sounds. This chorus only final chord then diminishes to nothing.
We were all expecting this beautiful chord diminishing to nothing. After the last vocalist faded away, John Curro brought both hands together, clutched them and his baton to his chest, closed his eyes and lowered his head. Then he just stood there, conducting the silence. Not one sole, Gothic ensemble or audience, made a sound. The building made no sound. There was no outside noise filtering into the building. After about 2 seconds of silence, the tears started welling up, not just myself but others also, as I found out later. John continued to conduct the silence for what seemed an eternity but it was about 2 more seconds later I realised something else. I had not moved, I was absolutely frozen! I was certain no one else did either. Not even my eyes wandered, they were firmly glued to our musical director, never once flinching. The seconds continued to tick by, in what seemed an eternity. Absolute silence continued to be experienced and the emotions continued to well within. Still, no movement within the entire environment as even more seconds slowly passed.
Then Havergal Brian's Synphony 1 was concluded. Maestro Curro animated himself and released the Gothic Ensemble, to forever keep this moment of time we stole from the universe.
Stay tuned with the Gothic Tuba Experience
John Szkutko
We chatted about Los Angeles, weather comparisons and of course, Havergal Brian. He had his Gothic score with him so we actually could find the passages we were talking about. He commented yesterday how awesome the low brass sounded. Leading to the comparison that he though the people chosen were better than himself as far as bass trombone playing goes. Although I've never heard him play, I'm sure he was just being complimentary and modest. He is a composer first, then a bass bone performer second. For those who don't know, he auditioned to play in the orchestra.
By the way Karim, thanks for the coffee that morning mate!
Back to concert hall warm up room to... warm up.
Up on stage, the doors were opened and the Dress Rehearsal concert goers flooded in. With the exception of the side stalls, it was a full capacity crowd. Not bad considering it wasn't the actual concert. John wanted to run through the movements non stop. We almost performed Part 1 in its entirety without any stopping. Afterwards, including a well appreciated round of applause from the audience, John asked anyone if they had any questions before having a break and moving on to Part 2. I had 2 issues that needed clarification. Someone elses question answered one of mine and then I cleared up with John, my other concern. I was now 100% comfortable with Part 1. My performance was much more precise than the day before and I played a couple of troublesome area right for the first time today. This tuba player is well on track for tonight's performance. Very happy indeed.
Lunch time went by and the chorus joined us and our capacity crowd to rehearse Part 2. Not 1 movement was rehearsed straight through. Some areas although much better, were still not up to John's expected standard and he worked these areas with the chorus. Despite this extra rehearsaing, the chorus is sounding amazing in some places but excellent overall. My comments in earlier posts about the standard of the chorus and peaking at the right time were well founded, as not just the chorus but the entire Gothic ensemble is rising to the occasion.
The ending of the dress rehearsal went as expected. The chorus chord disappearing to silence, then some appreciative applause for our efforts. Little did we know the ending that was install for us later that evening!
Lunch time! I consumed my pre packed home made lunch before heading across the river to and introduce Karim to Brisbane city. The weather was wet and miserable but we made the trip relatively unscathed sharing my umbrella. Karim was well fed by Red Rooster in the Myer centre. I pre warned him that the chips would be almost inedible by the layering of salt we aussie fast food servers think we need. But he managed to finish the chips after agreeing with me. He said Coke (drink) tasted much better here. Over in the states they use corn syrup to sweeten Coke. Another trivial fact brought to you courtesy of the Gothic Tuba Experience!
The main goal in the city was for Karim to purchase as flash or USB drive, so he could take home all the photos he took of the Gothic experience with my camera. For a bass trombone player, he makes quite a good photographer.
On Tuesday he took shots from all over the hall, balconies, floor, side and so on. He also photographed the orchestra and chorus!
We had fun watching the pics yesterday on my laptop. Today he was just as liberal with his camera skills and got some more awesome shots. I will post these with some shots Alison Marsh took with my camera, after I recover from writing this post.
Brass players are a unique breed. Some can perform on the whiff of a cheese burger. On the other end of the scale, like myself, are performers who need food inside. More precisely, who can not play on an empty stomach. Timing, believe it or not can be critical. Enjoy your food, indulge even, and you can start the concert feeling bloated. Not a good predicament for anyone playing the tuba 1 part of the Gothic Symphony. Don't eat enough? Then there will be "no fuel in the tank" by the end of the concert, resulting in a weak finish, probably some bad playing too.
I was concerned with the time and the food I planned to buy from the green room kitchen. Long story short, I had my chips and gravy, 3/4 of an egg and bacon toastie, washed down with a Pepsi Max, then arrived on the concert stage in perfect condition. Was still strong and stable by the end of this massive symphony.
Green room chips and gravy. They give you quite a large serve of chips with the best tasting gravy. 10/10 You can quote me on that!
Crunch time, the 7:00pm start time arrived. The atmosphere in the side entrances of the hall was very jovial and relaxed. This was a good sign. On we went, filling the humungous stage with about 150 people who genuinely wanted to be there.
After the obligatory tuning, John Curro proceeded to his podium accompanied by generous and well deserved applause. The stick came down and the Gothic Symphony burst to life with precise and energetic playing. Now it was down to business. This was it, no stopping.
Did Part 1 go off without a hitch? No. My best performance of the day was in the morning dress rehearsal. Plus there was an anxious ensemble moment, which made a full recovery by the next rehearsal marking. It took a couple of moments but the confidence returned after reconciling our anxious moment.
Yes, the above paragraph was written using a magnifying lens to find imperfection with our performance. The overall verdict was a stunning display of a difficult work by an orchestra performing for the first time after only just over 2 weeks rehearsal. Despite my self criticism of my performance, it was just little inaccuracies here and there, as the difference between concert and dress rehearsal performances. I continued to perform with confidence to the very end.
Regardless of how good rehearsals go, things happen on performance night. No blame or ridicule to be passed around. Simply keep performing to the end of the piece with absolute confidence. That is the true test of one's (and the ensemble's) character.
Part 1 performance verdict? Bravo!!
Personally, I was quite relieved to finish Part 1. It is a playable "tuba concerto" in itself but after over 2 weeks of non stop rehearsals and practice, it was nice to know I could rest my chops. Part 2, while not a walk in the park, isn't written as high or as concerto like as the first part.
Now it was time for the chorus to shine!
Our 2 "brass bands" moved into the choir stalls along with all our choristers, thus completing the performing compliment of the Gothic Symphony. Well, this was our version, as we couldn't fill in every single performers seat. But with John Curro, Alison Rogers and our production team creating solutions with the personnel we had, we never really had any short fall in any part our performance.
Precision! That's how our immense chorus and childrens choirs announced part 2 of this symphony. It was a welcome far cry from the very first rehearsal. The trumpet fanfare to follow once again showcased the varied trumpet talent that was assembled. Brilliant.
Over all, I personally noticed only a bar of intonation issue with the chorus. Now THAT'S saying something, that I actually noticed. They were magnificent! My personal highlights was the "Tu Rex" section, that was brilliantly led into by our fanfaring (new fanfare) trumpets. Dimitri, our bass soloist, had an absolute blinder in one section. I just sat there taking in his performance. It was an absolute pleasure to be where I was. As it was by the conclusion of the performance.
Alison Rogers, take a bow. Accept your nomination for Prime Minister as well. Not only did you create this vocal juggernaut, you handled John Curro's demands and questions with great diplomacy and decorum. You were a welcome addition to the brass section for that short time too. Beehive hairdo?
There are many memories that will be taken from our performance tonight. Some will be very individual and personal and some to the testament of the Gothic ensemble. Wether you simply set a goal for yourself and hope for the best, or you are more than confident that you will achieve it, when you finally do, the experience is nothing like you expected. It is far greater than you could imagine.
While I can not speak on everyone's behalf, I'm quite sure no one in the hall, on stage or in the audience, could even imagine what was install for them that night.
The orchestra and chorus knew how this piece ends. Some audience and Havergal lovers knew how this work finishes.For those who don't, the last section is some heavy percussion bustling, reinforced with some orchestral chords then some beautiful soft playing, leading to a final few bars of choral sounds. This chorus only final chord then diminishes to nothing.
We were all expecting this beautiful chord diminishing to nothing. After the last vocalist faded away, John Curro brought both hands together, clutched them and his baton to his chest, closed his eyes and lowered his head. Then he just stood there, conducting the silence. Not one sole, Gothic ensemble or audience, made a sound. The building made no sound. There was no outside noise filtering into the building. After about 2 seconds of silence, the tears started welling up, not just myself but others also, as I found out later. John continued to conduct the silence for what seemed an eternity but it was about 2 more seconds later I realised something else. I had not moved, I was absolutely frozen! I was certain no one else did either. Not even my eyes wandered, they were firmly glued to our musical director, never once flinching. The seconds continued to tick by, in what seemed an eternity. Absolute silence continued to be experienced and the emotions continued to well within. Still, no movement within the entire environment as even more seconds slowly passed.
Then Havergal Brian's Synphony 1 was concluded. Maestro Curro animated himself and released the Gothic Ensemble, to forever keep this moment of time we stole from the universe.
Stay tuned with the Gothic Tuba Experience
John Szkutko
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Day 17 - Concert venue
Queensland Performing Arts Centre, QPAC as it is better known. The Gothic Symphony event is part of its 25th year celebrations.
The most obvious difference between this concert hall and the Old Museum Building are the acoustics. The QPAC concert hall has much less reverb. Pretty much this means the sounds don't keep floating around and getting mixed up in the room. The orchestra and chorus sounded much clearer, making for good listening and ensemble playing.
The morning session was for part 1, orchestra only. The chorus was also there with us but rehearsing in another part of the complex.
The goal was to run through each of the first 3 movements without stopping if possible. I think at least one movement went without stopping. The others we need a touch up here and there. While we have improved during the past 2 weeks, the past 2 weeks did catch up with some of us, despite have a full days rest the day before. There were a number of moments where the brass chops were a bit weak (blips blups and splupps) and a few mental brain farts. Overall, we progressed extremely well in the past 2 weeks and we were happy with what we achieved in the morning. We knew that with an extra rehearsal before the performance our "chops" and mental capacity would be at their peak.
After lunch, with chorus onboard with us, we rehearsed Part 2. No movement was run straight through as a few chorus parts needed rehearsing still. The orchestra again was patient as John put the final polish to the chorus. No dramas today with the chorus, just the same deal with the orchestra, to get everything just right.
With the concert hall's massive organ accompanying some chorus parts and also with orchestra, the chorus was sounding awesome in some places.There were a couple of weaker parts (that John rehearsed) but it was no different than the orchestra in the morning, a few mental mistakes and so on.
The confidence was there by the end of the day. We knew that this was going to be something special tomorrow.
Arriving at the artists entrance at the concert brought back memories of performing here with the QLD Youth orchestras. It was 19 years ago that I last ventured through those security doors. The green room and path way to the orchestra's "dressing room" was as it was back in the day. To be quite honest, why would it have changed?
The orchestra platform was massive! Nick and his team did and awesome job of setting it up just right for us. The choir stalls were already there as was the organ. Piece of cake with that set up. The risers had a fair bit of movement/flex in them. Tim constantly made sure his trombones on his stands didn't topple over when the percussion walked past us.
I was noticing the platform set up and safety bits of timber at the rear of the risers. These bits stop the chairs from being pushed back and over the edge of the risers. The one behind Geoff Payne, trumpet extraordinaire, was the only safety bit, not missing but busted off. I notified him of this situation and said he should move forward a bit just to be safe, as his chair was right on the edge (like his brilliant playing). No sooner had I returned to my chair, the back legs of his chair had gone over the edge. No real dramas but I'm sure this woke him up better than his morning coffee did. Nick was at the right place at the right time and got it fixed by lunch time.
Note to other co principal trumpet, remove mute before placing trumpet back on trumpet stand!
Among our already small contingent of international visitors and performers, Karim Elmahmoudi, a composer and bass trombone player from Los Angeles was arriving that morning, direct to Brisbane. A couple of months ago when the Gothic organising was in full flight, he contacted me on FaceBook after I posted that I accepted the tuba 1 position. Unfortunately he was not accepted for a bass trombone part but he was still coming over for this unique event and performance.
As a composer, he has known of Harvergal Brian and all his works, not just this Gothic Symphony. He even pulled out the full score of this symphony to show me various stuff in this work. I thought he bought it for this trip and concert. Nope, he has had this score for years. Now I'm starting to understand why he flew all this was, just for a concert.
He has an easy accent to listen to. No deep southern drawl or illegible words or speech patterns. I was expecting someone much taller but I guess you can't read too much into digital photos! He was well organised with his flight scedule, arrival details and concert attendance plans. The organisers welcomed him and showed their appreciation for his efforts to not only this production but also to his music and Havergal apprecition.
Unfortunately I couldn't stay after rehearsal and introduce him to Brisbane. I'm sure that many of the people that he met would have kept him company and chatted with him afterwards. Especially if they stayed at the same hotel as him.
13 basses! I honestly did not think that our "dirty dozen" sized bass section could get any bigger but it did. Today we welcomed our 13th bass player. What and awesome looking section it is. The sounded great too. Yes, there was room on stage for our extra friend.
That evening was the last ever Gothic practice session for myself. I brushed up on a couple of parts and worked on playing as relaxed and as easy as possible. Now just to relax and take it easy until the performance.
Stay tuned for the second last time with the Gothic Tuba Experience
John Szkutko
The most obvious difference between this concert hall and the Old Museum Building are the acoustics. The QPAC concert hall has much less reverb. Pretty much this means the sounds don't keep floating around and getting mixed up in the room. The orchestra and chorus sounded much clearer, making for good listening and ensemble playing.
The morning session was for part 1, orchestra only. The chorus was also there with us but rehearsing in another part of the complex.
The goal was to run through each of the first 3 movements without stopping if possible. I think at least one movement went without stopping. The others we need a touch up here and there. While we have improved during the past 2 weeks, the past 2 weeks did catch up with some of us, despite have a full days rest the day before. There were a number of moments where the brass chops were a bit weak (blips blups and splupps) and a few mental brain farts. Overall, we progressed extremely well in the past 2 weeks and we were happy with what we achieved in the morning. We knew that with an extra rehearsal before the performance our "chops" and mental capacity would be at their peak.
After lunch, with chorus onboard with us, we rehearsed Part 2. No movement was run straight through as a few chorus parts needed rehearsing still. The orchestra again was patient as John put the final polish to the chorus. No dramas today with the chorus, just the same deal with the orchestra, to get everything just right.
With the concert hall's massive organ accompanying some chorus parts and also with orchestra, the chorus was sounding awesome in some places.There were a couple of weaker parts (that John rehearsed) but it was no different than the orchestra in the morning, a few mental mistakes and so on.
The confidence was there by the end of the day. We knew that this was going to be something special tomorrow.
Arriving at the artists entrance at the concert brought back memories of performing here with the QLD Youth orchestras. It was 19 years ago that I last ventured through those security doors. The green room and path way to the orchestra's "dressing room" was as it was back in the day. To be quite honest, why would it have changed?
The orchestra platform was massive! Nick and his team did and awesome job of setting it up just right for us. The choir stalls were already there as was the organ. Piece of cake with that set up. The risers had a fair bit of movement/flex in them. Tim constantly made sure his trombones on his stands didn't topple over when the percussion walked past us.
I was noticing the platform set up and safety bits of timber at the rear of the risers. These bits stop the chairs from being pushed back and over the edge of the risers. The one behind Geoff Payne, trumpet extraordinaire, was the only safety bit, not missing but busted off. I notified him of this situation and said he should move forward a bit just to be safe, as his chair was right on the edge (like his brilliant playing). No sooner had I returned to my chair, the back legs of his chair had gone over the edge. No real dramas but I'm sure this woke him up better than his morning coffee did. Nick was at the right place at the right time and got it fixed by lunch time.
Note to other co principal trumpet, remove mute before placing trumpet back on trumpet stand!
Among our already small contingent of international visitors and performers, Karim Elmahmoudi, a composer and bass trombone player from Los Angeles was arriving that morning, direct to Brisbane. A couple of months ago when the Gothic organising was in full flight, he contacted me on FaceBook after I posted that I accepted the tuba 1 position. Unfortunately he was not accepted for a bass trombone part but he was still coming over for this unique event and performance.
As a composer, he has known of Harvergal Brian and all his works, not just this Gothic Symphony. He even pulled out the full score of this symphony to show me various stuff in this work. I thought he bought it for this trip and concert. Nope, he has had this score for years. Now I'm starting to understand why he flew all this was, just for a concert.
He has an easy accent to listen to. No deep southern drawl or illegible words or speech patterns. I was expecting someone much taller but I guess you can't read too much into digital photos! He was well organised with his flight scedule, arrival details and concert attendance plans. The organisers welcomed him and showed their appreciation for his efforts to not only this production but also to his music and Havergal apprecition.
 |
| Karim on right |
13 basses! I honestly did not think that our "dirty dozen" sized bass section could get any bigger but it did. Today we welcomed our 13th bass player. What and awesome looking section it is. The sounded great too. Yes, there was room on stage for our extra friend.
That evening was the last ever Gothic practice session for myself. I brushed up on a couple of parts and worked on playing as relaxed and as easy as possible. Now just to relax and take it easy until the performance.
Stay tuned for the second last time with the Gothic Tuba Experience
John Szkutko
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Almost there...
After a near 18 hour day, despite the mind still ever excited from such an emotional performance and experience, including having that damn "kitch" melody in my head all night (the one with the lalala lyrics with triplets), the body says "go to bed".
Good night for now
Stay tuned..... ZZZZzzzzzzz.....
Good night for now
Stay tuned..... ZZZZzzzzzzz.....
Monday, December 20, 2010
Day 15 - Day of Rest
Day of rest for the orchestra. Do we really need it? Do we need to work on our parts still? Can a horse be flogged too much?
The answer to all those questions is YES.
Defining "horse": embouchure or lips
Brass musician "horses" have been pummelled over the past fortnight with this epic scale work. I have not touched my tuba since close of rehearsal yesterday and won't until tomorrow morning, Tuesday. Yes, I should be working on my parts as they do need work. But right now, I feel it's more important to be in control of what I can do rather than play all the notes right with splits and ptangs throughout the performance. As for the other brass performers, they will make use of this down time in their own positive way.
How are wind players affected with this intense and sustained rehearsal regeime? It's been 22 years since I played sax in high school and I can't remember a thing. Regardless of how they are affected, i'm sure they will relish this day of rest as much as the brass.
Strings? Ask them please. I can have a field day paying out on them about this but this would be wrong! hehe
Percussion? Even in rehearsal when they are not needed to play, they are always banging away, soft and not so soft. Energiser Bunny, they can keep banging away all day I think. But do the right thing and ask them yourself. Don't ask the tuba player about this!
Back to the first 3 questions. The answer is YES to all 3. Each individual will take care of themself in the best way possible to give their best possible performance on Wednesday the 22nd of December, Gothic night.
To those who let us down, you won't know what you are missing.
To every Gothic performer and organiser, none of us will look back over our shoulder in a few years time and kick ourselves for missing this once in a lifetime opportunity.
Thanks to who ever forwarded the idea of issuing everyone with a unique coffee mug. Thanks to Jenny who randomly reached for a coffee mug and handed it to me. Neither of us knowing how special this mug really is!
Day of rest, well, for the musician part of me. I woke up with a sore neck then developed a headache. Then headed out to mow 2 properties in this humid hot weather. I survived somehow! Now to chill out and prepare myself for 2 days of Gothic.
This will be something special.
Stay tuned with the Gothic Tuba Experience
John Szkutko
The answer to all those questions is YES.
Defining "horse": embouchure or lips
Brass musician "horses" have been pummelled over the past fortnight with this epic scale work. I have not touched my tuba since close of rehearsal yesterday and won't until tomorrow morning, Tuesday. Yes, I should be working on my parts as they do need work. But right now, I feel it's more important to be in control of what I can do rather than play all the notes right with splits and ptangs throughout the performance. As for the other brass performers, they will make use of this down time in their own positive way.
How are wind players affected with this intense and sustained rehearsal regeime? It's been 22 years since I played sax in high school and I can't remember a thing. Regardless of how they are affected, i'm sure they will relish this day of rest as much as the brass.
Strings? Ask them please. I can have a field day paying out on them about this but this would be wrong! hehe
Percussion? Even in rehearsal when they are not needed to play, they are always banging away, soft and not so soft. Energiser Bunny, they can keep banging away all day I think. But do the right thing and ask them yourself. Don't ask the tuba player about this!
Back to the first 3 questions. The answer is YES to all 3. Each individual will take care of themself in the best way possible to give their best possible performance on Wednesday the 22nd of December, Gothic night.
To those who let us down, you won't know what you are missing.
To every Gothic performer and organiser, none of us will look back over our shoulder in a few years time and kick ourselves for missing this once in a lifetime opportunity.
Thanks to who ever forwarded the idea of issuing everyone with a unique coffee mug. Thanks to Jenny who randomly reached for a coffee mug and handed it to me. Neither of us knowing how special this mug really is!
Day of rest, well, for the musician part of me. I woke up with a sore neck then developed a headache. Then headed out to mow 2 properties in this humid hot weather. I survived somehow! Now to chill out and prepare myself for 2 days of Gothic.
This will be something special.
Stay tuned with the Gothic Tuba Experience
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)