Next up for our first rehearsal is one of Mozart’s last symphonies. The Boston Symphony Orchestra is not alone in putting it on audition pages for prospective musicians, it’s everywhere! For the BSO, the violinists and bassists who go to their auditions in October are certainly expected to know this one. Here are the other instrumentalists who may be interested in coming to next weekend’s rehearsal:
VIOLIN 1: The BSO is requesting mm. 26-142. I also have seen mm. 1-16.
CELLO: mm. 12-21 and mm. 40-96
BASS: The BSO wants mm. 12-21 and mm. 40-96
TIMPANI: The audition packets I see this on usually call for the whole thing! Unfortunately, we are a BYOT ensemble (bring your own timpani)
Audition excerpts for other instrumentalists are strewn about the rest of the symphony, so we’ll cover those some other day. This may be a good time to mention I need more strings players!!!!
According to Wikipedia, a 1792 concertgoer had this to say about the first movement:
“The opening is so majestic that it so surprised even the coldest, most insensitive listener and non-expert, that even if he wanted to chat, it prevented him from being inattentive, and thus, so to speak, put him in a position to become all ears. It then becomes [so] fiery, full, ineffably grand and rich in ideas, with striking variety in almost all obbligato parts, that it is nearly impossible to follow so rapidly with ear and feeling, and one is nearly paralyzed. This actual paralysis became visible in various connoisseurs and friends of music, and some admitted that they would never have been able to think or imagine they would hear something like this performed so splendidly in Hamburg.”
Doesn’t that make you want to play it? Come join us on Saturday 26 September from 1-4:30pm at University Lutheran Church (66 Winthrop St, Cambridge MA). It’s free! Bring a music stand!
Next Stage Orchestra 
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