Over the past few days we have begun work on the Winter Concert of January 5 with the ICNT Orchestra.

On December 17 we met with the orchestra principals to decide the bowings together.
On December 18, with part of the winds, we read through the entire program.
On December 20, with some of the strings, we went through all the music again and fixed the bowings.

These are often the most demanding rehearsals.
We stop frequently, discuss, and try to reconcile solutions that are never automatic. When original markings by the composer exist, I always try to respect them or at least to understand them, even when they may seem unusual at first glance. There is almost always a clear musical idea behind them, and it deserves to be questioned before making a decision.

In this work I rely greatly on the musicians’ experience. They know their instruments deeply, and our choices emerge through discussion rather than predetermined solutions.

With the winds we focused mainly on articulation, intonation, and ensemble, even though the full group was not yet present. It was important to establish a clear common language, which can then develop further in the full rehearsals.

Now Christmas arrives.
A time to rest, to be with loved ones, and also to study calmly what we deliberately set in place before this short pause