Britten - Four Sea Interludes

bftrumpet · Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2023 6:51 pm Post subject: Britten - Four Sea Interludes

I'm playing Britten's Four Sea Interludes in the orchestra for the first time coming up soon. I've only ever worked up the third trumpet excerpt for auditions (on piccolo for those wondering). I'm playing the principal part and my question to those of you experienced orchestral performers is, what horn do you play the second movement (Sunday Morning) on? As you know, the "solo" is split between the first and second parts while the third plays the entire time. My thought is that it would be better for the first and second players to play on larger horns while the third plays on piccolo. What is typically done here?

Thank you!

CodyMac90 · Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2023 8:12 pm Post subject:

I’m not sure what the "normal" would be. However, when we played this a few years back, I(assistant 3rd tpt) played picc, and the other guys played C.

Recently, I’ve acquired a great D trumpet, and that has been what I’m using for excerpt practice, and I plan to play it in the orchestra on D.

If you have a good 3rd trumpet player, let them have their moment on this one, and you act as their support. You’ll get all the other bows, but they deserve a chance to shine on stuff like this. If you don’t have a reliable 3rd trumpet, maybe just play what you’re most consistent on.

In any event, have fun!

nltrumpet · Posted: Sat Sep 16, 2023 5:46 am Post subject:

I got to hear Jim Wilt play principal on this piece at a festival this summer. He says when he does it in LA, Tom Hooten plays the 3rd trumpet part and he takes 1st. Not saying that’s normal or what you should do, but I found it interesting.

I saw another professional orchestra do it a few years back. For the second movement, all three players chose to use piccolo. They said it was because they were unhappy with the intonation not agreeing between the 3rd player on picc and the 1st and 2nd on larger horns. It’s an option if your section finds itself in the same predicament.

trombahonker · Posted: Sat Sep 16, 2023 9:56 am Post subject:

Tpt 1/2 - c trumpet
Tpt 3 A picc
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Irving · Heavyweight Member Joined: 11 Feb 2003 Posts: 1828

I don't think it makes much sense to double the part, even though that is how it is written. As long as the lst and 2nd players are strong, then let them carry the line. They can use whatever trumpet they want. Otherwise, there will be intonation problems between the 3rd trumpet and the other guys. Let the 3rd player lay back or lay out, since at the end he has that scale that goes up to a high D, and I might add, it is very awkward on a piccolo, and he is all alone. I can't tell you how many times I have heard guys mess it up on a piccolo. The D trumpet is much better suited to playing the scale, as well as the last movement. The conductor won't say anything. He will just want to hear the tune.

brianfrood · Posted: Sun Sep 17, 2023 2:15 pm Post subject:

We performed and recorded this in Kansas City several years ago. The first two players used their C trumpets throughout the piece.

As the third/utility player I used my piccolo for the second movement and Eb as well as C in other movements. I visited Ken Larson at his home near Interlochen to have a Malone-style conversion of my Bach 239 Eb/D that really helped with this piece.

If we were only to have performed this I may have used D alone for the second movement. But, I was glad I used the piccolo. During the recording sessions—after we had run Sunday Morning 6 times—the recording engineers said, "okay, we ready now!" I believe we had 13 takes of the brass stuff including the run near the end. One does what it takes to get the job done.

Good luck and have fun!
Brian Rood/Kansas City Symphony Emeritus
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MrClean · Posted: Mon Sep 25, 2023 11:35 pm Post subject:

martin mc hale · Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2023 3:32 am Post subject:

Completely irrelevant I suppose, but in the opera parts as opposed to the interludes suite, the third part is written as C trumpet with D trumpet written in brackets. Possibly , as the compositors were preparing the parts it was still wartime they didn’t have the time or resources to transpose the part.

Irving · Heavyweight Member Joined: 11 Feb 2003 Posts: 1828

Interesing. I played the 3rd part in the opera and the part was written in D for D trumpet. Different edition I suppose.

Athos · Posted: Sat Oct 21, 2023 8:25 pm Post subject:

FWIW, trumpets 1 and 2 used larger trumpets, while I played 3rd on picc last time we did it here. The larger trumpets provide depth, while the picc makes it survivable when playing the entire opera, and facilitates the scale. The 3rd playing it all the way through can help give continuity to the line, while the alternating 1st and 2nd players could provide help or support.
As I recall, I used four different trumpets for the complete opera. Whatever makes it work.

andybharms · Posted: Sun Oct 22, 2023 4:46 am Post subject:

Hey, Ben!

The times I’ve done it it’s been picc on third of course and C on 1 and 2. I think one time the principal swapped to D for the last movement. It sounded just as good. It’s one of my all time favorite works. Have fun! Might have already happened… if so, I’m sure it went very welll.

Andy
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