Homepage of the Sheffield Philharmonic Orchestra

After months of being attacked by hackers we are pleased to have our new website up and running. Many thanks to Maria Ellmore for this. The new address is www.sheffieldphilharmonicorchestra.org. , and there is a link to the site in the ‘links’ section of the blog. Anyone who wants to contact us can do so via the new site, or via this blog. Both are monitored frequently.

Happy Easter to everyone.

Find out Saturday June 1st!

“Isn’t the horn the hardest instrument in the orchestra to play?” French horn players like it when people say this. But despite the ego-massage, I have no idea where this concept came from, or whether it is true. I cannot conceive of ever being able to play the violin or the piano. It is very hard to play any instrument well. Indeed, of all the things I have attempted to do in a very full life, playing the horn is undoubtedly the hardest. Despite hours of practice, it is a constant and frustrating struggle.

The difficulty of the horn lies in its length. At 12 ft, if I unraveled my instrument I could tickle my wife’s neck in the second violins. It needs a lot of wind to make the wretched thing work. Even worse, in its normal range the harmonics available for any fingering are closely spaced, so anything can (and does) come out. So playing the horn is essentially an exercise in risk management, followed closely by an exercise in damage limitation (manifest by accusing looks at neighboring players, examination of the instrument’s bell with an expression of incredulity and incomprehensible mutterings about transposition).

Which brings me to Sardinia, where our orchestra played two utterly enjoyable concerts three years ago. I had been practicing hard and the small, but intrepid, group had made good progress under the baton of Robin McEwan, despite the oppressive heat of the rehearsal venue. Towards the end of the week, we got ourselves bussed out to a prison that had been converted to a National Park centre where we were to perform, al fresco, that evening. In the courtyard, accompanied by a chorus of cicadas, we set about rehearsing Mozart’s clarinet concerto with soloist Roberto Meoni. It was in the lovely slow movement that the moment occurred. For four bars I hit every note dead centre and absolutely in tune. My tone was warm and strong and technique faultless. I swear no professional player could have played those four bars any better. Nobody noticed; it was an orchestral tutti, but that is not the point. To be completely at one with your instrument is something to hang onto and remember in difficult future times.

And why do I recount this trivial event? First because I believe others will have had similar experiences and will recognize what a special thing it is to play an instrument well, even if it is only for a brief time. Secondly, it gets to the heart of why I go on playing and why I love the SPO so much.

Benjamin Britten was born in 1913 and, in celebration of his centenary, the musicians of Sheffield are putting on a year long celebration of his work. We will be contributing The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra in the summer. Do visit the website of the festival.

http://www.aboywasborn.co.uk/

There’s no harm in congratulating ourselves on the last concert which drew a good audience and favourable feedback. One couple had gone to the Prague Symphony Orchestra the previous night at the City Hall. Whilst admitting that they were a bit more accomplished than us, for overall musical enjoyment they reckoned our concert was the better (by a considerable margin).

No time to rest, however with the Christmas concert and a busy 2013 coming up. The section on concert dates (top left of the blog) has been updated. This now includes a number of program ideas for the next 18 months, bearing in mind that 2014 is the 150th anniversary of Richard Strauss’ birth. These are obviously not ‘cast in stone’ at this early juncture.

Andy Beard has also put together a very enticing proposal for the orchestra to visit Cornwall for a week towards the end of August 2013. Details will be put before the orchestra in the new year when we will see if there is enough interest to make the trip viable, but a sneaky preview of the programme gets my vote.

The blog is now approaching 20,000 hits, but there are a disappointing number of comments. During 2013 we will be publishing short pieces by orchestral members. These can be about their experience with the orchestra and what they get out of it, or personal rants or just anecdotes. Volunteers would be nice, but if none are forthcoming the press gang will be summoned. I will kick off with “4 bars in Sardinia”! Watch this space.

D

I can offer only apologies and no excuses for the lack of activity here over the summer. The Botanic Gardens Concert miraculously managed to find a dry evening in an otherwise sodden week. The Gardens themselves were a quagmire, but just about inhabitable due to the heroic efforts of the Rotary team (all other outdoor events in Sheffield that week were rained off). Many thanks to the 2000 or so hardy folk who came and supported us and the Charities so enthusiastically.

Rehearsals continued sporadically over the summer with a concert in Howden Minster on September 1st, memorable for a fantastic performance of Brahms violin concerto by Kay Stephen.

Now we are knuckling down to Stravinsky and Rimsky-Korsakoff with a huge Mahler symphony looming on the horizon.

New musicians in Sheffield sometimes contact us about vacancies. I can redirect enquiries to section leaders from this blog. We have settled woodwind and horn sections, but there is often opportunity for bumps and deps. Violins are welcome to attend a rehearsal or two to see if we are the right orchestra for you. You will find us enthusiastic and friendly.

This year, I would like to invite players to write some short pieces about themselves and the orchestra. Volunteers please!

D