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Musicians as Actors

PUBLISHED: January 6, 2010, Bruce Hembd

A former teacher long ago used to regularly remind me that musicians are like actors. Music is full of character and a good musician worth merit can change styles at the drop of a hat. In order to be understood from the audience perspective, French horn players are very much like stage actors. They need to speak with clear [...]

What Makes a Performance Great?

PUBLISHED: October 9, 2009, Bruce Hembd
ArtCraft

Listening to music, looking at fine art or in appreciating a great meal, what is it that makes the experience great, memorable and worthy of praise and adoration? This question leads to the topic of artistry versus virtuosity. It is one of endless fascination to me. Is it the overlap between artistry and virtuosity that [...]

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Musicians & musicianship

On Phrasing in Mozart

PUBLISHED: September 24, 2009, Bruce Hembd
mozart3rondo

Clues to look for in plotting an interpretation. In planning out a performance of a Mozart horn concerto, some theoretical knowledge of musical forms is very helpful. All of the first movements in fact, adhere to the Sonata-Allegro form and all the finale movements are in rondo form. Beyond this, analyzing some of the themes [...]

Recordings as a Guide in the Journey for Inspiration

PUBLISHED: September 23, 2009, Bruce Hembd
girl_with_pearl_earbuds

I once knew a teacher who discouraged students from listening to recordings when preparing solo repertoire. This teacher felt that it was important for the student to seek out and find their own muse — presumably through blood, sweat and tears. Exactly how or where this quest for truth was to begin was never clearly [...]

More Thoughts on Narcissism

PUBLISHED: October 17, 2008, Bruce Hembd
jc barker

Brilliant performers, lousy colleagues. A number of visitors have been diverted to this blog looking for help on narcissism disorders. I am not a doctor, but I have been narcissist fodder. From that awful experience I learned valuable lessons worth repeating and sharing. Sometimes the best way to learn what is good is through analyzing [...]

The Most Insane and Crazy Carmen Story Ever – Part II

PUBLISHED: May 21, 2008, Bruce Hembd

A bullfight during the opera “Carmen” – the saga continues. In Part I, I gave background to my ultimate Crazy Gig Story. In short, a production of Bizet’s Carmen staged in stadiums in Mexico put on an actual bullfight during the opera. After the gruesome “bloody shoes” incident, I thought the worst was over. It [...]

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Musicians & musicianship, Stories

The Most Insane and Crazy Carmen Story Ever – Part I

PUBLISHED: May 15, 2008, Bruce Hembd

When enough is not enough. A bullfight during the opera “Carmen.” Inspired by Jason Heath’s “Crazy Gig Stories,” (and his recent cartooning) this is a surreal gig story of my own – an oldie, but a goodie. Back in ’93 I was working in Mexico City with the Orquesta Filarmónica de la Ciudad de México, [...]

John Ericson & Bruce Hembd
on the French horn, brass related topics, and the field of classical music.