I always enjoy the 5 minute period before a symphony when all of the instruments are being tuned and the musicians are limbering up for their pieces. It seems random - but I found that in good symphonies - it is often quite structured and beautiful. It is also influenced heavily by the specific pieces for the concert.
There is always a rich sound where you can pick out each instrument and then it seems to always build to a crescendo where everyone is tuning until the first violin taps on the podium. A rush of chaos before the perfect order of the note "A".
I would love to get a CD of many famous symphonies warming up for various pieces and revel in the nuances of each warm up.-- dweeb, Jun 25 2003 (?) Favorite Intermissions: Music Before and Between Beethoven, Stravisnky, Holst http://www.delaurenti.net/music.htmBaked! [calum, Jun 01 2007] It would certainly add some "you-were-there" authenticity to concert recordings (though I would have thought that some people already did this).-- DrCurry, Jun 25 2003 Well, the Beatles did it on the beginning of "Sgt. Pepper."
This is a good idea. I would want this.-- snarfyguy, Jun 25 2003 When you go to the Proms the audience usually applauds the warm-up (as well as giving a huge round of applause when the first violin strikes the piano to tune to when there's a piano on stage).-- Gordon Comstock, Jun 25 2003 [DrCurry] True - some recordings include the warm up. However, I'm would like a CD of warm ups only - where each warm up is unique based only on the symphony and the intended piece they are about to play. Sans the actual pieces.-- dweeb, Jun 25 2003 No, I understood that, and you got my +.-- DrCurry, Jun 25 2003 I'd rather have it be uninterrupted - just ambient warm up sound, like a field of crickets.-- snarfyguy, Jun 25 2003 do you want a track of the tenor gargling? +1-- po, Jun 25 2003 Especially good if the dust jacket lists the orchestra, the venue, and what piece they are preparing to play for each track.-- AO, Jun 25 2003 In our band we used to occasionally have a rendition of 'Tuning up Blues'. Unfortunately this usually meant detuning to start and then retuning afterwards. A Croissant for the memories!.-- gnomethang, Jun 25 2003 When they were remastering the 1966 album "Sinatra at the Sands" in 1998, they discovered on the master tapes several instrumental numbers the Count Basie Orchestra played to warm up the audience (and themselves). Since they had recorded five nights, and they played different warmup numbers each night, there was enough material for another album. This was released as "Live at the Sands", the first album of new Basie material in many years.
Not really the same thing, but any chance I get to mention Count Basie, I take it. Something about that horn section gets me going.-- krelnik, Jun 25 2003 [Krelnik] <Derek & Clive> Probably the whole F*@king Horn Section. They give me the F*@king Horn.</Derek & Clive>-- gnomethang, Jun 25 2003 Baked on many sound effects CDs. That's where the Beatle boys got it.-- waugsqueke, Jun 26 2003 At the very end of the 30th-anniversary edition of King Crimson's album "Islands" they have about three minutes of an orchestra warming up. You can hear the strings players making lots of niose as they sit down and fuss with their music stands, and the oboist plays his entire part ridiculously fast just for fun. I understand that this isn't exactly what you have in mind, but it's kind of a step in the right direction. +-- Rubi, Dec 08 2003 Love the idea. Especially if for example Aphex Twin makes a remix of it. It does remind me of a prospective John Cage piece -- which he may never reached about to get composed... He did however composed <4'33''>, consisting of a piano player sitting at the piano -- without playing or anything -- for four minutes and thirtythree seconds.-- jstf, Jan 14 2005 Tsk....I thought you were talking about the Marty Friedman / Jason Becker speed metal duo from the 80's....:o(-- DaveW-H, Jan 14 2005 random, halfbakery