Sound Off

"Give it more vowel," Assistant Artistic Director Michael Davis implores the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir.  "A little longer - really full," he coaxes.  "Keep everything going." 

This past Tuesday I found the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir hard at work, preparing for next week's Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra performances of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9.   Watching them, I was struck by how much time and effort goes into preparing for a work as grand as this one.  

The work starts weeks, months, and in some cases, years before the performances.  It really begins with the hours of work all musicians put in to learn their craft, but more specifically it involves individual practice on the Beethoven, to make sure all the notes are learned.  The orchestra puts in time with their parts, the chorus learns text and music, the vocal soloists coach the roles with their own staff, and the conductors study the score, playing it through at the piano and analyzing the form and structure.   

Finally, when we get close to the performance, the chorus gets to work first, rehearsing on their own, as I found them this past Tuesday night.  They then meet with Maestro Raymond Leppard, the Indianapolis Symphony's Conductor Laureate, next Tuesday before finally getting with the orchestra on Wednesday.  Don't forget the chorus consists entirely of volunteers who give their time and energy to our performances.  Next week they will be rehearsing or performing six out of seven nights.  Many of them come directly from a full day work and still give 100% through the three hours of warm-up and rehearsal.  We couldn't perform these great choral masterpieces without their dedication! 

Once we get everyone together, the hard work is out of the way.  Since everyone knows their own parts so well, Maestro Leppard will then be able to take the time to mold the 200 or so musicians into one unit, as well as put his own interpretation on the work.  By Friday night everything will be set, and we can relax (hopefully!) and enjoy the fruits of our labor.  

Next week we have an extra challenge of playing in two very different theaters, the Hilbert Circle Theater and the Palladium.  Because the sound is so different between the two, the players have to make adjustments on the fly, using their best judgment as they hear the sound coming back to them in the room.  Luckily, we do have an extra rehearsal in Carmel since this is the first time Orchestra and Chorus will perform together in the Palladium.  Wherever you choose to hear this performance, you won't want to miss our season finale!  The ISO and ISC perform Beethoven's Symphony Nos. 8 and 9 conducted by Raymond Leppard June 17 and 18 at the Hilbert Circle Theater (7:30 PM) and June 19 at the Palladium (7PM).