The Orchestra Appreciation Thread

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 1/29/05 at 9:17pm

So often we rave about the actors, singers and dancers who delight us every night onstage. Let us now express our appreciation for the orchestras of Broadway, those talented musicians who, unseen, perform valiantly beneath the stage and make the experience of a musical so magical.

Updated On: 1/29/05 at 09:17 PM

[ShbrtAlley44]

Posted: 1/29/05 at 9:21pm

I have to give props to the ladies and gentlemen of Wonderful Town's orchestra. The most fabulous on Broadway.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 1/29/05 at 9:23pm

Any orchestra that gets to play music by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim gets major propz from me.

[Johnnytoc]

Posted: 1/29/05 at 9:25pm

Im so on board with this. It always bothers me that people leave while the orchestra's still playing the exit music. The players are true virtuoso's. *applause for them*

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 1/29/05 at 9:27pm

I'm a band geek. I always cheer really loudly for the pit.

MAJOR props to the musicians.

[etheb]

Posted: 1/29/05 at 9:29pm

*raises hand* total orch dork. i always cheer loudly for them

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 1/29/05 at 9:30pm

YAY for the orchestra. As a fellow Viola playwer I have a lot of respect for anyone who plays in an orchestra pit.

[musicgal04]

Posted: 1/29/05 at 9:31pm

I love the orchestations of musicals. I can't just listen to a show and ignore great oboe/french horn/etc solos. They make the show for me. Having played in a few "pits" was a wonderful experiance to be part of a show from another aspect. I always wanted to play in a Bernstein show (mainly Candide, AMAZING overture.) because they have such strong orchestrations. How sad that producers are wanting to get rid of the orchestra sound and expect that a few synthesizers can sound the same. Pity.

[DestinyBeckoned]

Posted: 1/29/05 at 9:34pm

Thats one reason why I loooove Bernstein. He has great orchestra music. I've never played in a pit, but I always want to walk down at intermission and look in at them. And it really makes such a difference having a real orchestra as opposed to synthesizers, or worse, a recorded track.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 1/29/05 at 9:38pm

Im so on board with this. It always bothers me that people leave while the orchestra's still playing the exit music. The players are true virtuoso's. *applause for them*

Technically, that's what the exit music is for, but I do appreciate audiences who stay to listen to the amazing live music emenating from that blessed opening in front of the stage.

[etheb]

Posted: 1/29/05 at 10:30pm

I played the overture to Candide in Orchestra my sophomore year. It was SO much fun!

Bernstein hates violists though. There's a story that says that the theater in which Bernstein's shows tried out was owned by a man who liked to sit in and play Viola in the pit. Bernstein hated this guy so much that he purposely didn't write viola parts!

[insomniak]

Posted: 1/29/05 at 10:50pm

This thread deserves a little love. One of the things I adore about musicals is the instrumentals, a great musician can bring so much power to a song.

Favorite orchestra bits? I love the violins at the end of Il Adore, the overture of Chicago and a great deal of Le Miz.

[InfiniteTheaterFrenzy]

Posted: 1/29/05 at 10:52pm

BRAVO ORCHESTRA!!!

I was just thinking that the orchestra was underappreciated at Wonderful Town the other night! They are amazing there, and in most every show!

[CapnHook]

Posted: 1/29/05 at 10:56pm

Not to take away from the glory of musicians in the pit - but it is ALL because of the composers. As opposed to an actor, who does bring creativity, a musician can just mechanically play the instrument and the music sounds great.

That being said - musicians ARE very talented in that they CAN play these carefully calculated scores. It is an art. I have tried taking piano lessons and I cannot do it.

[Mythus]

Posted: 1/29/05 at 11:05pm

Maybe that's why you couldn't play the piano, Capn. Music isn't simply playing the notes - it's about emotion. Next time I see a show, I'm going down to the orchestra pit during intermission and telling them how much they rock.

[Derek]

Posted: 1/29/05 at 11:05pm

Do people in the orchestra have understudies. I know in big shows it really doesn't matter too much because there is usually more than one of the same instrument, but say in like Brooklyn or Rent? what happens?

[brdlwyr]

Posted: 1/29/05 at 11:06pm

The Gypsy overture??? The orchestra is a character in the show!

[CapnHook]

Posted: 1/29/05 at 11:08pm

"Music isn't simply playing the notes - it's about emotion."

Yes, I know. Like I said - it is an art.

[CatieElphie1]

Posted: 1/30/05 at 12:03am

so....I play the glockenspiel....let's hear it for the band!!! WHOOOO!! (band rox my sox in a big way)

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 1/30/05 at 12:08am

"Bernstein hates violists though."

*tear*

[musicgal04]

Posted: 1/30/05 at 12:41am

The musicians have a a union and when someone can't make a show, a replacement is usually called. Just because there are multiple people playing the same instrument, there are usually seperate parts for each musician. So if one part is out, harmonies and the overall sound of the piece could be different.

[cathywellerstein]

Posted: 1/30/05 at 1:10am

the Fiddler on the Roof orchestra was very good! i just saw the show tonight and loved how they were incorporated into the show, they wore period outfits and everything...and the fiddler himself was, of course, amazing!

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 1/30/05 at 6:17pm

Ooh boy, what a great thread, probably gonna be a long post from me..

I've played in the pit all 4 years of my high school shows and it was an amazing experience and probably the best and most memorable moments from my High School career. I played clarinet in the pit. My first year, we did Once on This Island, fairly simple score but good music. The next year we did Fame: the musical and I played the trumpet part(same key) on the clarinet, it was a pretty decent part. The next year we did the Music Man which was a show I didn't love but it was a fun score to play, particularly Shipoopi dances. #3 was just so much fun and #1 was very complicated, as clarinets were expected to forego alternate fingerings making it very difficult to play some of it but by the end I got it. And my senior year, my 2nd year as Pit President and basically all-around pit assistatn by then we did...West Side Story! I can't imagine a score being more amazing or challenging then that. It was such an experience! Eventually cool began great fun to play and the Rumble is the hardest piece in the score but once you get it, it really creates an amazing sound! So many dances, so difficult, it was the best!

This all being said, of course I completely respect and admire Broadway orchestras. At every performance, I'm the one screaming and giving them a standard ovation when they are acknowledged. I actually really loved the Phantom orchestra, I thought the composition of the orchestrations were great. I would also love to play Les Miz. But the best broadway pit experience I had was sitting front row center for the new production of Fiddler on the Roof. During the part where there is the dance with stuff on the hats, a clarinetist comes on stage on the side and plays an AMAZING solo. I just stared at him w/ my mouth opened, tried to follow his fingers, and completely ignored the dancing. I must give that soloist major props, it was truly amazing! (If for any reason, anyone has access or knows where I can get a copy to the clarinet solo, PM me!)

And Capn, I must respectfully disagree with you. Of course it is easier to see how an actor can shape parts, but if you know more about each specific instrument and have a better ear and listen closely, musicians can shape the music of a composer as much as singers can shape the sounds of a lyricist. Certain instruments can be played perfectly smooth, or with more vibratto. Volumes are slightly different for all players. Strength of high notes can be different. Even the simple sound of going from one note to another, when one is dealing with true professional musicians, can sound different for each one. And that is part of what makes playing the music so amazing. Sure the notes are the same, but the interpretation is different. God I am such a pit geek!

And the last thing I would like to say, aside from the fact that I apologize for the longevity, is that I really feel sometimes for the lack of credit musicians get. My pit director who I loved gave us a motto. Now I know this especially applies to high school but I can't help but feel to an extent it applies on the professional level as well. He said the goal of the best pit is to go unnoticed. He said when a major mess-up is made, the audience turns their attention downward and says "oh look, there's a pit." When the second major mess-up is played, the audience looks down and says "oh, the pit is students." If you play it perfectly, you go totally unnoticed which really is a shame. ((One added sidenote: After West Side Story as I was packing up my clarinet, a total stranger came up to me and told me I played amazingly! I was in my glory, I never would have expected that-I didn't even have a major solo or anything!)) I truly salute and respect all those talented musicians playing in pit orchestras--and I am extremely jealous as well! :)

Updated On: 1/31/05 at 06:17 PM

[Dreamcatcher]

Posted: 1/30/05 at 6:20pm

I dont know who's heard of the show (its not exactly a musical) but its called Cavalia and it has THE most beautiful orchestral selection ever. If you go on the official website cavalia.net you can order the soundtrack from the show. Its spectacular.

[TGIF]

Posted: 1/30/05 at 7:02pm

Woohoo! Orchestra!!

Anyone else sad that the Overture is becoming more and more rare? Well not yet, but I fear it'll be that way in a couple years.