Opernhaus Zürich Masterclass

Anne Gerstenberger, solo bassoonist with the Opernhaus Zürich, recently taught the Studienwoche Master Orchester at ZHdK.  (She has one of the highest paying positions in the music field!)  The masterclass started on Monday, September 5 and ended on Thursday, September 8 from 14:00 to 17:00 each day. Below is a list of the excerpts we worked on.

• Rigoletto
• Don Carlos
• Otello
• Meistersinger von Nurnberg
• Verkaufte Braut
• Nussknacker
• Figaro
• Cosi fun tutte
• Pulcinella
• Sacre du Printemps
• Bajazzo
• Barbier von Sevilla
• Zauberflote
• Carmen
• Liebestrank
• I vespri siciliani
• La gazza ladra

There were four ZHdK students that participated in this Studienwoche.  This class is a required course through ZHdK.  Anne had each of us draw numbers each class to determine who played first and last.  

Anne provided great feedback on each of the excerpts.  She paid particular attention to explaining what an opera audition panel may be listening for while playing each of the excerpts.  My notes from the class are below.

• Carmen 
• Rhythm, trill - make metronomic
• Need to hear all the notes
• Play both bassoon parts in the straight 16th note section
• Make sure there is no fuzz in the sound
• All registers should have the same quality of sound
• Practice with another bassoonist
• Magic Flute
• Play with a cellist, play light
• Rhythmical
• With 16th notes, play the first sixteenth a little longer 
• Piano and fortes should have the same energy
• Meistersinger
• Rhythm
• Make the notes speak all the same
• Otello
• Act 3 - Double tongue (cu - make very clear)
• fingers and tongue together
• Listen for the whole scale
• Watch air on Gb
• Play with cello
• Rigoletto
• Rhythm should be in the head, not fingers
• Don Carlo
• Legato and slurring - listened for in audition
• Finger the F# with the low D key
• Figaro
• Pitch - watch to make sure quarter note after 16th note group is not sharp
• Tempos in different solos same
• add tonguing in opera audition
• Make all notes clear, hear all the notes in the right place
• 4 bar phrases
• Make a line for yourself
• End your phrases
• Play what's on the page
• Hear the tongue, but not as an accent
• Opera setting with 3 cellos and 2 bassoons
• Not to show how big your sound is
• 274, very staccato
• Play with the lock on
• Watch air stream
• Donizetti
• Watch time with harp
• Cosi fun tutte
• Steady tempo
• Stress the first 16th
• Watch G/F#'s
• Make sure to have enough air
• Feel in 1
• Create a line
• Nussknacker
• Short
• Strive for same articulation high and low registers
• Practice slow
• Start pp
• Unison with bassoon 2

General Notes:

- Take time to change your reed