Orpheus in the Blogosphere Visit the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra's website at www.orpheusnyc.org

By Aaron Grad

Orpheus in Columbia, South America (1981)

On January 30, a blizzard descended on Richmond, Virginia. While most of the region hunkered down for the once-in-a-generation storm, some 30 musicians and staff piled onto a charter bus at 4:00 AM to drive 150 miles south to Durham, North Carolina. At eight o’clock that night, Orpheus assembled backstage at Duke University’s Page Auditorium, primed to begin another performance. After hundreds of out-of-town concerts, the seasoned veterans took the travel adventure in stride; when the stage doors opened, they marched on with the same focus and determination they bring to each concert.

That snowy journey began years earlier, when Orpheus offered its presenters touring dates in advance of the February 6, 2010 concert at Carnegie Hall. Orpheus takes almost every program on tour, whether it is a day trip to Pennsylvania or a multi-week trek through Europe or Asia. Once the concerts are in place, the orchestra counts on the Operations team of Ryun Schienbein (Director of Operations) and Aaron Dalton (Production Manager and Librarian) to arrange the budgets, flights, hotels, buses, instrument rentals, music purchases, catering, rehearsal spaces, and countless other details. Above all, Dalton explained, “I try to predict what people will need. If I’m getting yelled at, it’s something I didn’t predict.”

The musicians receive practice parts and scores about six weeks in advance, and rehearse for a few days in New York. Most tours then begin at the airport, where the group assembles to check in, get their instruments through security, and rush to pre-board so they can claim the cabin’s overhead bins (cellos travel in their own seats, and only double basses fly as cargo). On the other end, a charter bus takes the group to a hotel, where they might warm up for a few hours before the self-imposed quiet hour. Then they load back onto the bus and drive to the concert hall.

The process of adjusting to the sounds and sightlines in each venue is crucial to Orpheus’ chamber-music style of playing. Besides warming up together and revisiting the decisions made in earlier rehearsals, they test the acoustic of the hall, and take turns listening from the audience and commenting. With subtle adjustments in dynamics and articulation, they tailor the performance for the particular space, in the process honing the group’s artistic interpretation. After a quick dinner backstage, the musicians begin their final concert preparations. Unlike most orchestras, they tune in the wings, led by the first piece’s principal oboist who circulates backstage intoning the official A. After the production staff makes a quick headcount to ensure everyone is in place, the doors open and Orpheus floods the stage.

All that pre-performance time spent in airports, buses and green rooms deepens the longstanding friendships among Orpheus, and also allows the particular roster of players for each tour to get more familiar, including the soloists, who usually travel with the group. Conversations might rarely touch on music—sports and food are perennial topics—but the social bonds pay off during the sometimes rushed and tense process of preparing an orchestra concert in a new city each night. As percussionist Maya Gunji quipped, “It’s like how in a war, if you look into your enemies’ eyes, it’s a lot harder to shoot them.” The “war story” Gunji remembers best was the start of a European tour when it took more than 24 hours just to get out of Kennedy Airport, resulting in a mad dash in Madrid to make a connecting flight to the Canary Islands, and just enough time for a quick meal and sound check before playing the first concert. She remembers that they still performed at top caliber; on an Orpheus tour, “No matter how crappy we feel, or how hard the travel day has been, we are committed to putting on a great show.”

Orpheus’ musical approach relies on group cooperation and flexibility, qualities they have practiced during decades of touring. When they come home to Carnegie Hall, their musical discourse resonates with the shared travails and laughs from their time on the road. And even as the musicians disperse back to their homes, other cities around the world are already preparing for the next Orpheus adventure.

Interview by Aaron Grad

Alisa Weilerstein (c) Gerardo Antonio Sanchez Torres

You made your concerto debut playing Tchaikovsky’s “Variations on a Rococo Theme” at age 13. How has your approach to the piece developed since then?

It was the first piece I ever played with a professional orchestra, and it was the Cleveland Orchestra, so I was forever spoiled, I think. I’ve played it on and off since then, for almost 15 years. I would say the slow variations have changed the most, the third and the sixth. I relate to them in a more profound way than I used to. Not that I would say I am taking them more seriously, because I always took the piece seriously, but I think I have found more avenues of expression in them, and more creative ways of bringing out the operatic quality.

Can you say more about the operatic aspect of the piece?

Most of it is like a comic opera, five out of the seven variations. The theme is very optimistic, but it has this rare combination of wit and poise. I always used to think of the first variation like a prince’s jester dancing around and entertaining a court. Maybe there is even a circus act in the fifth variation.

It seems appropriate that you think of dance, since Tchaikovsky was such a master of ballet music. Is there anywhere else you sense that aspect of his music in the variations?

The first variation for sure, and the fourth variation as well. The fourth variation is a very flirtatious dance—very upright rhythms, and at that the same time very free and unpredictable. Maybe that is what makes it so great, that you have that dichotomy of being slightly outrageous and yet, in a way, quite serious. I enjoy playing around with those two ideas.

You are playing the Fitzenhagen edition of the Rococo Variations, rather than the original Tchaikovsky version. Why do you prefer that edition?

At the risk of offending Tchaikovsky, who apparently really hated the Fitzenhagen version, I think that it works better as a piece. The structure is more sound, and the order of the variations makes a lot more sense. Normally I am a bit of a purist, and I like to stick to what the composer originally intended, but in this case I feel that the Fitzenhagen version just works better as a cohesive whole.

Did your Russian History studies at Columbia University influence your thinking about this music?

Yes, absolutely. My specialty in history was more the 20th century, so not as much Tchaikovsky, but I took every 19th-century literature and drama class that was offered. Reading the literature informed me quite a lot.

Is there a particularly telling detail of the culture Tchaikovsky lived and worked in that you would point to?

I think you can find it all in Tolstoy! He gave a very good window into that.

Something striking in the video from your performance at the White House earlier this season is how engaged you are interpersonally. Your eyes light up at whomever you are playing with, whether it is Joshua Bell or an eight-year-old cello student. Can you speak to that sense of egalitarian dialogue in your chamber music playing?

I am not even entirely aware of that, because I don’t know how to play chamber music in any other way. I enjoy the interaction and the dialogue so much, and the spontaneity that occurs when you are really attuned to each other. I cannot imagine playing without that, just staring at my score or looking down at someone and not engaging them. You can’t achieve spontaneity without interacting and really empathizing with the other players. I actually try to make my concerto performances similar, whether with a conductor, or, in this case, with no conductor. So I really look forward to having that sort of experience with the Orpheus players. I am quite sure they would share that.

For all that you have already done in your career, is it still exciting for you to be playing in New York at Carnegie Hall?

Absolutely. I haven’t played with an orchestra in Carnegie Hall since I was 15; I have played onstage a few times, and I’ve played in Zankel Hall, but it is still very special. Also, most of my friends are in New York. It is my hometown – not the place where I grew up, but it is home. And to play at home is always harder in a way, because you are playing for people who really know you. But to feel the love and support of people I am close to, there’s something really nice about that.

A sigh-inducing piece. This footage was taken on day #1 of the tour: Richmond, Virgina: Rehearsing Dvorak’s String Serenade.

Deicing the wings of the plane, and other tour memories

It snowed quite a bit in Durham, North Carolina. But snow never hinder laughter and smiles!

Karl Doty is a former of student of Orpheus bassist Don Palma. There’s also a sneak peek of Sea Orpheus towards the end.

As my internship at Orpheus is coming to an end, I only wish that I could be staying longer! The staff at Orpheus has been more welcoming and helpful than I could have imagined, and the experience I have received has been tremendous.

I am a junior at DePauw University majoring in music business, and came to Orpheus for a 4-week internship during my school’s “winter term” in January 2010. A large portion of my time was spent with Beth in the Marketing department. She was extremely helpful in always explaining the different aspects of marketing, and why we were doing things instead of just giving me instructions and sending me on my way. I got a lot of valuable hands-on experience, and always felt like what I was doing really mattered.

I also had the opportunity to work with the Operations and Development departments. In Operations, I helped with practical issues about rehearsals and touring, and also got to help out with the Access Orpheus education program. I helped out any time they needed an extra hand in development, and was always told my work was greatly appreciated.

I really enjoyed learning about all aspects of Orpheus, and witnessing first-hand how everyone worked together towards their upcoming February concert. I also attended a few rehearsals, and watched the musicians’ fascinating process of conductor-less performance. Orpheus was recommended to me by a fellow student who was a previous intern, and she was definitely right that it was an incredible experience!

–Colette Novak, DePauw University Class of 2011

visit http://www.orpheusnyc.org/employment.html to learn more about our internship opportunities.

But we won’t count that 6th one against her…there were no violins in the score.

Let’s hear and see some music making! Angela Hewitt rehearses Bach with Orpheus for the first time.

What does Mary Gould, a long-time subscriber and donor, has to say about the first rehearsal of the Bach concerto and what she’s looking forward to on February 6 at Carnegie Hall?  That’s not the only place we’re taking this program. – come to www.orpheusnyc.org/hewitt.html to learn more about this program and the tour.