Consistency

This is a reflection I wrote after a performance a few weeks ago.

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Last night we had the final show of our third Masterworks series concerts. The repertoire was heavy, starting with Also Sprach Zarathustra, followed by the Meistersinger Overture and ending with Mahler’s beefed-up version of Beethoven 5. Every program we’ve played has been challenging, but this program particularly pushed my mental stamina.

In our third and final performance, during an exposed solo near the beginning of Also Sprach, I cracked a high C. The two previous nights I used the high D key to play high C and it came out without a problem. I’ve been trying to ingrain consistent use of this fingering in my playing, but last night I let my focus go and went back to my old fingering. I was upset for the rest of the concert and woke up upset in the morning, hence this blog post.

It got me thinking more about a certain word that has also come up in the context of auditions: Consistency. Consistency is highly valued in orchestral playing. You’ll make your colleagues happy if you provide consistent pitch, consistent pulse, and consistent quality of sound.

So it makes sense that the same things would be valued in auditions. In a recent audition, I feel like I was just inches away from advancing to the final round, but on the last excerpt of my semifinal round I fumbled. Similar to my high C experience, I forgot to use a certain fingering at the end of a Tchaikovsky excerpt and as a result the last note ended abruptly. The very last note of my audition displayed a lack of consistency in my playing.

For my next audition, and for my next set of concerts, I think I’ll gear everything towards consistency. I’ll make sure my reeds stay at pitch, I’ll make sure my rhythm is solid, and perhaps most importantly, I’ll make of sure what fingerings I want to use and use them consistently.