Learning Curve

Last weekend was, of course, the premiere of my Elegy for baritone and piano sextet. There were problems from the start because Finale had played a blinder and the first set of parts had random bars missing, not a good way to start the rehearsal process. Another interesting problem, which I had not really thought through, was the difference in doing a piece with singer, orchestra and conductor and with singer, instrumentalists and not conductor. On reflection there were a number of elements in the parts which could be written out differently to make the players life easier, providing clearer signposts in the absence of conductor. So I have to admit that I spent much of the rehearsal process kicking myself and thinking of all the things I ought to have done, different ways of writing the parts out. But ultimately the performance came up trumps and Trunch heard a wonderfully evocative performance of the Elegy.