University Recital Jury Notes: Year 3

Here are the notes made by my jury in my Third Year Recital for Performance Flute at the University of Western Ontario! These notes will go along with the third year pieces here. Be sure to have a listen. I thought this could be very interesting for studying flutists. The two jurors thoughts are listed below. Enjoy :D

Relax! (yes, this is the first thing the juror wrote down! It’s very good advice.)

Telemann:

Nice singing sound, quite big. Good timing and nice phrasing. Watch phrase endings — not too abrupt. 2nd movement maybe a touch too fast; a little scrambly at times. Nice sense of direction. I would prefer trills to start on the upper note. Don’t rush in florid passages.

I: Some lovely phrasing … careful not to cut of the phrase endings. IV: In the first 2 movements you used effective dynamic contrasts, Why not do the same in this movement? Again, careful not to clip phrase endings. Give yourself a moment to “Frame” the beginning and end of each movement. (Ask me to explain.) (which I do remember asking and him explaining! It was a great conversation.)

Vocalise:

some pitch problems – control on last note – singers are an excellent resource for developing a mature sense of musicality. Study the greats.

Well done. This would have more scope, however, if there were passages (esp. at the beginning) which were more hushed in mood. Expressive and well thought-out.

Divertimento:

Good fingers! Don’t let the technique wash out the style and rhythmic pulse of the piece. Each of these movements has its own character, which needs to come out. You could have done much more with the Allegro’s rhythmic drive for example. – 4 again good technique but play more with bringing out the line and character. Both 3 and 4 have contrasts between articulated and legato which need to be made more obvious to the audience. – It’s a flashy ending, tell that to us with body language.

1. Brilliant passages are well played, but sound a little rushed and lacking therefore in clarity. 2. You have a nice, big, sound and a lovely vibrato. It would be nice if you would work also on making a beautifully focused, tiny sound also, if only for the sake of variety. (I agree wholeheartedly – this is a goal this year) Intelligent playing. 3. Charming and skillfully executed. 4. Very good. Again, a little lacking in clarity.

Burton:

Kim, you play well, but the body language you are telling suggests that you are quite insecure. (hmmm… I wonder about now! ;)) If you videotape yourself, you’ll see what I mean. Stage presence is as essential as good technique, style, tuning etc…. Careful of pitch as you become fatigued. Technique is getting a bit sloppy at times here. DRIVE through trill right to the end.

1 and 2. Your big, well-sustained sound is particularly appropriate in the piece. Again, work on developing the softer side of your dynamic range as well. You will sound even more expressive. mp to ff is very good, and there are convincing climaxes. Overall, not much p. 3. Spirited and quite secure. Some busy passages sound scrambled. I would prefer greater clarity at the expense of a metronome notch or two. Convincingly played.

Mendelssohn:

Again, think like a singer. You’re missing a lot of subtle possibilities within phrases. You must be much more aggressive (esp. with dynamics) in this style. Put every ounce of your being into the end.

I would appreciate a much more intimate and focused sound at the opening and a more quietly expressive tone. The word “Innigkeit” comes to mind. This doesn’t mean that you can’t still build. In the allegro I think you can explore the expressive capabilities of staccato more. It could sparkle more.

Overall:

In general the modern works are less comfortable than the Telemann and Mendelssohn. (wasn’t that the truth! I’m getting much more comfortable with modern works these days than I was 10 years ago.) Well prepared recital. Huge sound, need more p. Thank-you