Mahler 2 pix with Santa Cruz Symphony (Ca)

[barryguerrero]

I think some of you know that I now live in the beach town of Santa Cruz, about 70 miles south of San Francisco. They just put on what had to be their first Mahler 2nd, performed both in Santa Cruz and Watsonville. I was not able to make it for several reasons (my loss!). Two musician friends of mine said that it was great. Here are a couple of interesting photos from their Facebook site.

The first one is of the offstage brass at the Civic Auditorium in downtown Santa Cruz. My understanding is that at the Watsonville performance, they put the offstage brass in the balcony of the Mello Center there.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10100277979728730&set=p.10100277979728730&type=3&theater

This second photo is of the 11 percussionists that they used!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1768743329815843&set=a.135555476467978.16868.100000405802132&type=3&theater

Here's an 'everybody' photo from a rehearsal. A close friend whom I went to high school with played principal horn. This is at the Civic in Santa Cruz. You'll see that the chorus wasn't large, but I assure you that they were very well trained by Cheryl Anderson.

https://www.facebook.com/SantaCruzSymphony/photos/a.10150705814773820.411938.87660158819/10156170986848820/?type=3&theater

Here's their Facebook site, if you just want to check that out.

https://www.facebook.com/SantaCruzSymphony/

[barryguerrero]

Here's a local review that doesn't say much, other than to rave on.

http://performingartsmontereybay.com/category/reviews/music/

[James Meckley]

My understanding is that at the Watsonville performance, they put the offstage brass in the balcony of the Mello Center there.

However well the overall performance came off, I seriously question their decision to put the small brass (and percussion) ensemble in the balcony. Mahler's instructions in the score are as follows:

[Es] muss so schwach erklingen, dass es den Character der Gesangstelle Celli und Fag. in keinerlei Weise tangiert. Der Autor denkt sich hier, ungefähr, vom Wind vereinzelnd herüber getragene Klänge einer kaum vernehmbaren Musik.

[It] must sound so faint that it in no way affects the character of the melodic lines in the cellos and bassoon. The composer has in mind roughly the sounds of a barely audible music sporadically carried across by the wind.

In every performance I've heard (12 and counting), this effect has been achieved by putting the players backstage, sometimes even in another room with a partially-opened door. By putting them in the balcony, they're closer to much of the audience than the players on stage. Even at pianissimo they would be too loud, too present, and too localizable (sonically and visually) to seem like "a barely audible music sporadically carried across by the wind."

I've heard the oboe & English horn dialog in the third movement of the Symphonie fantastique spoiled by just such a miscalculation.

[barryguerrero]

James, I agree. According to the review I posted here, they did put the offstage brass in the lobby in their Watsonville performance as well. I don't know what to believe, because my horn player friend - the one who played principal on the Mahler - had mentioned the balcony. But that was before the actual dress rehearsal or performances. Perhaps the conductor changed his mind. Either way, I wish I could have gone now.

Barry