Yeh Plays Berlioz
Orchestral Excerpt Insights • 6m 18s
When it premiered in 1830, Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique astounded musicians and audiences alike with its innovative instrumentation, form and exploration of extra-musical plot. In this Orchestral Excerpt Insight, CSO Assistant Principal Clarinet and E-flat Clarinet John Bruce Yeh demonstrates one of the symphony’s most memorable elements – the E-flat clarinet solo depicting a witches’ sabbath. When performing this excerpt, Yeh’s primary focus is on conveying the character to the audience. “In order to create this picture of the witch,” says Yeh, “you have to pay very close attention to the rhythm, articulation and dynamics.”
Up Next in Orchestral Excerpt Insights
-
Yeh Plays Bernstein
In this episode of Orchestral Excerpt Insights, CSO Principal Percussion Cynthia Yeh demonstrates how a vibraphone can evoke the drama of Leonard Bernstein’s epic score from West Side Story. For Yeh, this excerpt comes alive when the player focuses on creating a scene and using the full ...
-
Gunn Plays Shostakovich
Audiences around the world have marveled at the beautiful and consistent playing of Jennifer Gunn, piccolo of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Her instrument may be small, but her approach to making music with it is mighty. In this Orchestral Excerpt Insights video, she describes the importance of...
-
Cooper Plays Strauss
In this Orchestral Excerpt Insight, CSO Principal Horn David Cooper walks viewers through the techniques he uses to practice the opening solo from Strauss’ iconic tone poem Ein Heldenleben. And when it comes time to play this piece for an audition, what’s his advice? Trust that the commi...
