The isle is full of noises

Last night's Proms were quite amazing. First up was the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, whom I love, with Norrington being a tremendous tart at the helm and Joyce DiDonato singing.

For non-classical types: the OAE are Britain's premier period-instruments orchestra, which means that every piece they play they play is played on instruments from the same period it was composed. For an example, check out this Wikipedia page on the violin. Gut strings, rather than modern nylon, make a huge difference: there are few things lovelier than the sound of proper Baroque strings, like silk veils falling through space.

Period brass is a whole different kettle of fish. Valves (those finger keys you get on modern brass instruments) are a nineteenth-century thing; earlier than that, a brass player needed to produce all the notes using only airflow and lip tension (and, for horn players, one hand in the bell.) You're also limited to the specific key your instrument is in; you can only change key by attaching different lengths of tubing, called crooks, to your horn. This can be tiresome, but it has its moments: slide on an extra-long crook, and your Baroque horn becomes an instant tuba!

So basically, early brass is REALLY hard to play well. Watching the OAE perform Handel's Water Music last night, with the natural brass doing all those rapid fanfares in thirds, I was awestruck by how glorious and easy they made it sound. (When they got around to Mendelssohn's Scottish symphony, THAT was when the unholy farting noises began.)
( So how was the concert? iPlayer links below. )

The isle is full of noises

Last night's Proms were quite amazing. First up was the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, whom I love, with Norrington being a tremendous tart at the helm and Joyce DiDonato singing.

For non-classical types: the OAE are Britain's premier period-instruments orchestra, which means that every piece they play they play is played on instruments from the same period it was composed. For an example, check out this Wikipedia page on the violin. Gut strings, rather than modern nylon, make a huge difference: there are few things lovelier than the sound of proper Baroque strings, like silk veils falling through space.

Period brass is a whole different kettle of fish. Valves (those finger keys you get on modern brass instruments) are a nineteenth-century thing; earlier than that, a brass player needed to produce all the notes using only airflow and lip tension (and, for horn players, one hand in the bell.) You're also limited to the specific key your instrument is in; you can only change key by attaching different lengths of tubing, called crooks, to your horn. This can be tiresome, but it has its moments: slide on an extra-long crook, and your Baroque horn becomes an instant tuba!

So basically, early brass is REALLY hard to play well. Watching the OAE perform Handel's Water Music last night, with the natural brass doing all those rapid fanfares in thirds, I was awestruck by how glorious and easy they made it sound. (When they got around to Mendelssohn's Scottish symphony, THAT was when the unholy farting noises began.)
( So how was the concert? iPlayer links below. )