The Woodwind Section under the Spotlight

Guest Blog

This week we have a very special guest blog by Natasha Wilson, Projects Manager and Southern Sinfonia oboe and cor anglais player. Natasha provides a detailed and insightful look at woodwind instruments. 

With the Southern Sinfonia Wind Quintet, I recently performed in the Café Concert series. This concert, ‘Winds Exposed’, explored the relationship between four woodwind instruments and one brass and touched on the role of wind and brass instruments in the orchestra. Being a member of the woodwind section, in particular, is different to a string section. The main difference is that in a string section, the viola section, for example, there are as many as six or more players playing the same part, therefore giving the security of playing with a desk partner and being part of a larger section. However, they have to work closely as a team to make a cohesive body of sound. There are, however, exceptions, where string parts divide (‘divisi’), which enriches the sound and adds depth to the harmony and in solo sections. This is why a section leader is vital as players follow their lead on bowings, phrasing and entries after bars of rests.

In a woodwind section, there is one person to a part. There are therefore two aspects to playing; exhibiting soloistic qualities as you are often exposed, but also being able to blend with the other players within the section. A standard woodwind section consists of two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets and two bassoons, therefore blending sounds can be challenging, as the section is made up four very different instruments that exhibit unique qualities and present their own challenges, but also share common ground.

So how do we move as a team? Well the way we sit is no accident, generally sitting on risers which elevate us about half a metre above the ground. This means the woodwind sound can project over a large string section and reach the audience, and on a basic level we can see the conductor more easily, aiding communication. The flutes and oboes sit on the front row, as the higher register instruments, with the clarinets behind the flutes and the bassoons behind the oboes. The clarinets have an exceptionally wide range, being able to play higher than the oboe but also much lower, so it makes sense for them to sit next to the bassoons which are bass instruments and generally supply the harmonic foundations. Placing the bassoons behind the oboes is also very logical as both instruments are related as members of the double reed family. The sound combination of the oboe and bassoon is therefore very rich and full.

The principal players form a quadrat in the centre with the second players on their outside:

This formation is important for a number of reasons. The principal players communicate with one another through movement, leading with their instrument and with their breath so that the whole section can breathe together and enter as one. This is then adopted by the second players. In solo sections, such as the flute and oboe solo in the second movement of Schubert’s 5^th Symphony, sitting next to each other really helps to unify the melody.

In orchestral music the higher melodic writing is played by the principal players sitting in the quadrat, with the lower register music being played by the second players. Therefore, the balance of the woodwind section works well with the higher register music and, often, melodies being played in the centre of the section and with the lower register counter melodies or accompaniments being played on the outside of the section.

As a principal player you have to be virtuosic, soloistic and fluid in the upper register but also be able to blend when harmonising with the other instruments.  When playing ‘second’, you have to be secure in the lower register able to accompany the first player in solos but solid particularly in intonation (or tuning) as you tune to the bass note within a chord. The second players will often be able to double when there are larger orchestral forces. In general, the flute doubles the piccolo, the oboe doubles the cor anglais, the clarinet doubles the bass clarinet and the bassoon doubles the contra bassoon. These allied instruments definitely add colour, character and depth to the sound. The piccolo (which sounds an octave higher than the flute) adds extremes of tessitura in chords and intensity to finales, but is also very dexterous and can be used in technically demanding passages, for example Rossini’s Overture ‘The Thieving Magpie’ and Brahms Symphony No 4. The cor anglais has a beautiful mellow sound, being pitched a fifth lower than the oboe (in F) and is often used in mournful and haunting solos eg ‘The Swan of Tuonela’ by Sibelius and Dvorak’s ‘New World’ Symphony. 

The bass clarinet adds a wonderfully deep, rich and gravelly sound, is pitched an octave lower than the B flat clarinet, and is notable in works such as Ravel’s ‘Daphnis and Chloe’ and MacMillan’s ‘St John Passion’. The other member of the clarinet family occasionally used is the E flat clarinet, which sounds a minor third higher than written. This mini clarinet has a striking and distinct sound that is used to great effect in such works as ‘Symphonie Fantastique’ by Berlioz and Strauss’ ‘Till Eulenspiegls’.

Finally, the contra bassoon is an extraordinary instrument sounding an octave below the bassoon and provides what can only be described as a ‘meaty’, full and reedy sound. It really feels like the ground is shaking below you when its lowest notes are employed in dramatic chords. However, it can also be quite cheeky and playful – such as in Ravel’s ‘Mother Goose’; very surprising when you see it arrive in its case before the rehearsal which can be the size of a coffin!

I am often asked what it feels like to play in an orchestra. My musical journey began at the age of 11 when I started the oboe and I went to my first concert in Salisbury Cathedral, and was completely blown away by the whole experience. From this moment I knew that orchestral playing was something I wanted to do in the future. I worked hard at school studying the oboe, piano and voice and went on to Music College, where I gained a BA Hons and MA in music; then, my dream of performing professionally started to become a reality. It is hard to put into words the satisfaction and fulfillment you gain from producing a great performance alongside friends and colleagues, and it is this feeling that keeps me coming back for more. For me, playing with Southern Sinfonia is exciting, challenging yet overall enjoyable, as it is wonderful to be part of a team. We all know each other well, play together regularly and respect one another and this is why it works!

Southern Sinfonia has some fantastic concerts this week which feature the wind section. Tonight, Friday 28^th, we perform at St Lawrence Church in Hungerford. Rachel Broadbent will perform Handel’s Oboe Concerto No. 1, followed by other well-known works by Handel, including the Arrival of the Queen of Sheba and his Water Music Suite No. 1. Tomorrow evening, Saturday 29^th March, Southern Sinfonia perform Stravinsky’s Mass for wind instruments and choir and Mozart’s C Minor Mass in Bath Abbey with Bath Choral Society.

Thank you so much to Natasha for writing this week's guest blog. 

To contact Southern Sinfonia and find out more about our work, please visit our website, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram profile.

A summer of reflection through music – World War I remembered at Festivals

By Chris Billingham 

While it doesn’t seem that long ago that the wonderful Julia Hudson discussed the team’s favourite seasonal pieces, the world of music is now gearing up for the summer, with amongst others, the Edinburgh International Festival who announced its 2014 line up earlier this week. Taking place August 8^th – 13^th, the Festival is renowned globally for bringing “the very best in classical music, theatre, opera, dance and visual art from across the globe to Edinburgh for three exhilarating weeks”. This year’s festival will see more than 2400 artists from 43 countries will take part, as well as the departure of Jonathan Mills, who steps down as director of the Festival after his eighth year. 

The line up boosts a number of exciting and unique performances; Jonathan says the Festival “bring[s] together cultures from around the world to present an intense three weeks of intimate and epic theatre, dance, music and opera. [They] are working to bring performances from around the world, from New Zealand to South Africa, ensuring the Festival retains its unique mix, which makes it an unmissable date in the global cultural calendar.” 

The opening concert features the Royal Scottish National Orchestra performing pre-war works from Schoenberg, Scriabin and Debussy, Sir Andrew Davis will direct the Philharmonia Orchestra in a performance of Britten’s War Requiem and The Kronos Quartet will perform a special recital to complement its film project ‘Beyond Zero: 1914 – 1918”, which also plays at the festival. The film brings together the quartet, acclaimed Serbian composer Aleksandra Vrebalov and filmmaker Bill Morrison to “journey through the turmoil of the First World War”. The Festival logo also features bluebells tangled in barbed wire.

Is it right that so many performances will focus on this historical event? Many criticised Mills last year when he ruled out material dealing with the current independence debate. He stated at the time: "we would not wish our festival to be anything other than it has always been, which is a politically neutral space for artists. It is important that it remains that". Those who refuse to wear a poppy each November might argue that remembering smacks of celebration, not commemoration. Himself a pacifist, Britten said of his War Requiem that he merely wanted “to make people think a bit” yet requested no applause at its premiere. 

I feel that there is indeed a place for remembrance through music, and closer to home, The Southern Cathedrals Festival will also commemorate the First World War. Festival Director Andrew Lumsden has stated that he wants to reflect “not only on the darkness of war but that, through the darkness, can come light”. Southern Sinfonia will be performing at the festival on Saturday 19^th July, playing a range of pieces including Elgar Elegy for strings and Barber Adagio for strings. 

The Festival will be a wonderful opportunity to reflect and remember. Other performances include a late night concert that sees Festival Director Andrew Lumsden, Malcolm Archer and friends presenting a programme of music and readings evoking life in 1914. Additionally, the boy choristers of Winchester Cathedral and local school choirs performing songs and music from the National Theatre’s production based on Michael Morpurgo’s War Horse in a joint concert and workshop. 

You can find more information about the Southern Cathedrals Festival and purchase tickets here. To contact Southern Sinfonia and find out more about our work, please visit our website, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram profile.

Our first job is to let the music speak - An interview with James Sherlock

By Julia Hudson 

This week we welcome pianist extraordinaire James Sherlock to the blog, ahead of his Café Concert performance this Friday.

One of the most engaging and versatile pianists of his generation, he performs internationally as a soloist and chamber musician. Friday’s programme features the music of Bach and Chopin through to the jazzy ebullience of Richard Rodney Bennett.

We’re so looking forward to welcoming you to the Corn Exchange next week for a solo recital. You are a multi-talented musician, conducting and accompanying as well as playing alone. Do you feel that this enriches each type of performance?

For me it certainly does. It's only in recent generations that musicians have tended to specialise in one discipline, which is of course a great thing and has given us many of the world's finest instrumentalists. I have always rather admired the composer/pianists such as Rachmaninov or the great figure of J.S. Bach, playing numerous instruments and writing music for all arenas. I personally find, on a much more modest scale, that all the different domains feed each other and help one find numerous channels into the music.

You’re performing a range of repertoire that encompasses a wide variety of styles. Is this more demanding than a concert showcasing one composer, or is it more fun?

Each great composer has absolutely their own world, and it can be a difficult thing to present so many styles, both for the performer and for the audience. The physical sensation of playing one composer may be completely different to that of another, and one notices this most with the jump from German music to French. But a carefully thought-through musical journey can also be highly rewarding, and the substantial works in this programme will allow the audience to live inside each of these extraordinary worlds of imagination.

To which piece do you have a particular affinity, and why? Do you think this comes through in your performance?

Pianists are fortunate people because our instrument has a richer body of literature than any other. I think we are all drawn to particular works, even if we don't often know why, and I think that each of these pieces compelled me towards them. We do sometimes have to play things we understand or like less, often a request or a commission or whatever it may be. But I am happiest when I can choose works, such as for this recital, that I feel at one with.

In terms of the music itself, are there any moments in the pieces you have chosen which we should be listening out for specifically?

I think that in the works for this recital the music speaks clearly for itself. The Bach Chaconne is the grandest possible set of variations, spun from a short four bar "Chaconne" theme heard at the outset. Rather than expanding the original violin work for the piano, I feel Busoni has rather orchestrated the entire composition for symphonic resources, and then reduced this vision to the medium of the piano! 

The Barcarolle by Chopin is a Venetian boating song, with a love duet floating atop rippling waves. Chopin's contemporary and great admirer Schumann had one of the greatest lyric gifts of any composer, and we hear him today with two of his most beautiful melodies, one a song without words for the piano, the other Widmung, an eternally popular Lied, transcribed here with the usual finesse by Liszt. 

And finally, the Excursions of Richard Rodney Bennett, one of the foremost British composers of the last century. His death on Christmas Eve in 2012 was a great loss, but he left behind a vast and eclectic output: these three pieces were modelled on the well known set of Three Preludes by George Gershwin, and are a real tour de force.

There has been a good deal of coverage in the media of late, discussing a style of playing which some might call ‘over performing’. While we all know giving a performance is a crucial part of a recital, what relation does this have to the notes?

Well our first job is to let the music speak, and as we are daily involved in bringing to life the music of other composers, we first have to seek to understand and channel as much as we can of that composer's vision into our music making. Some performers are naturally extroverted, others quite the reverse: variety is a blessed thing, and each way is equally valid. I suppose "over-performing" in this context is when the performers feel that the music itself is not sufficient, that they need to impose something of themselves onto it rather than let the music release something within them. We're all capable of getting in the way, but through an open and honest approach to music we hope that something of our true selves, something universal, can shine through.

What is the future of solo recital? Will a piano and a person soon stop being enough?

Recitals started in the drawing room as domestic activities. With the age of Liszt and Paganini they grew in size and grandeur, and right now we are seeing across the world (and particularly for new audiences in Asia) a huge wave of enthusiasm for this medium. I wouldn't dare to predict the future of concert-going, but I can't see the original appeal of the intimate recital ever losing its place.

What would be your dream performance? Programme, venue… the lot?!

If I had to live with one composer only it would be J.S. Bach, and over the next two years I will be playing his Well-Tempered Clavier, two sets of 24 Preludes and Fugues, one in every key. My dream is to record these works, beginning with the first book, which I have recently played in the Edinburgh and City of London Festivals. The most wonderful acoustic I know for intimate music making is Wigmore Hall, so it would be perfect eventually to present these pieces there. I'm sure there are many more dream projects in my imagination, but this one will continue consume me for the foreseeable future!

To book tickets to this Café Concert, click here (be quick - they’re selling fast!). To find out more about James Sherlock, visit his website. You can also get in touch with him (@JamesPSherlock) and us (@sinfoniasouth) on Twitter. For more information about all our Café Concerts, visit our website.

Appreciating Earth with Music, Words and Space – A conversation with June Boyce-Tillman

By Chris Billingham 

“I dream of a garden that grows from the waste,

Where everyone can rest and play

Of roses that clamber and seeds in dark clay

I dream of a garden that grows from the waste”

The powerful words above capture the message that runs through Stories of the Great Turning (edited by Peter Reason and Melanie Newman) the book that composer and academic June Boyce-Tillman has turned into ‘The Great Turning’, a new piece of music that June will premiere in Winchester Cathedral with Southern Sinfonia and Winchester-based community choirs and children. Orchestrated by Alex Fryer, Southern Sinfonia is honoured to be a part of this educational project, building on our long-standing relationship with Winchester University and June herself.

We spoke to June to discuss the project, starting with the challenging task of translating the book into music. June revealed that the first part of the process was to get to grips with the source material, analysing the themes and ideas that flow through the text. June describes how “the book talks about how we need to look after and appreciate the earth. If we don’t do this, there won’t be an earth left; it’s a very powerful message. Throughout the world there is an uneven dividing of resources and this is where rebellion happens”.

Ideas surrounding capitalism and appreciating nature run through the book. The question is: how are these practically turned into music? When discussing her process June explains that she “began to mark passages that would be suitable to turn into verse. The dialogue and language used is fantastic and a number of passages were already written in a rhythmic way.” When discussing the passages that weren’t already written in this manner, June’s challenge was “to use imagination and transfer prose into poetry”. 

When these passages and fragments of text had been selected, the next step was to add music. Before sadly passing away, Sarah Morgan (described by The Guardian as “a linchpin of the English traditional folk scene”) provided “a wonderful folk tune that has been incorporated into the piece”. As discussed above, natural musical movements could also be found in the text itself. June animatedly explains that “one of the book’s five sections, ‘Daring to Dream’, has a chorus that repeats the phrase ‘reduce, reuse, recycle, rethink’ and that comes straight from the book. The words have a beautiful rhythm that could be a verse”. The text also conjures up images that inspire – “there is a particular passage in the section ‘encountering the darkness’ where there is a young woman in Hong Kong surrounded by traffic. It made me want to paint the image of rush hour traffic with the orchestra.” 

One of the most exciting elements of this concert is the stunning venue. As discussed in last week’s article, Winchester Cathedral has a rich history and, as one of the largest cathedrals in England, provides a sense of grandeur to performances. June comments, “It’s a huge privilege to be able to use a space with such great acoustics. You need a whole day to look at the venue and plan the performance”. Considering the venue and space that a piece will be performed in is one of the most important aspects of a production. Once composition had been completed, the setting and performance style had to be designed. June explains, “we’ve lost touch with the importance of space. I’m fascinated with how space can interact with the music.” 

Without wanting to spoil the many surprises that await the audience, June hints that “the evening will be very visual; the children will be scattered around the venue at the beginning of the performance. They will tap stones together and create sounds that represent different rocks and the earth itself”. The music and the performance elements exist to transport the audience somewhere new, and it is clear from talking to June that the idea of taking the audience on a journey leads to dedication and passion within the work.“As a theorist of music, the most important thing to do is transport people. All the elements of a performance, the musicians, the singers and the space are all part of that. The prime aim is to take the audience to another space.” 

When talking to June, you can’t help but feel her enthusiasm for using space, music and words to create an evening with an important message. The premiere of ‘The Great Turning’ is sure to be a very special evening; unavoidable, when so much heart and thought has gone into composing and performing the piece. As June hopes, the audience will be transported to a place that not only entertains, but also hopefully allows them to consider how we can work together to create “a garden that grows from the waste”.

Click here to book tickets for 'The Great Turning', taking place on March 27^th at 7.30pm. 

To find out more about Southern Sinfonia, our work and other upcoming concerts, please visit our website, Facebook or Instagram.