As the autumnal winds start blowing through the trees outside my apartment, I am reminded that indeed the season has started. Of course - the (painfully) sudden onslaught of practicing, part-making, rehearsing, meetings and emailing has also provided a clear cue as well.
Though I am having a tougher time than usual making this shift from summer to fall, I have particularly enjoyed our rehearsals so far for "Kalas". Having a brand new piece in front of you to discover is always exciting....especially when it is written for you and someone close to you in mind (clarinetist/hubby is my partner in this piece...and also in life).
It has its challenges as well - it's very much like having a mess of puzzle pieces in front of you... some fit, some look like they might fit but you can't figure out how they relate to the puzzle as a whole, and some you just have no idea what to do with them.
Thankfully, the composer Mohammed Fairouz lives just downtown from us, so we had the luxury of working directly with him to help realize the shape and nuances that are often impossible to really notate in the parts. Mohammed has a clear vision of what he wants and sings it for us (which thankfully saves us a lot of rehearsal time to be spent guessing what would be best). For those pieces that are not yet fitting, we play and play again, while also spending time brainstorming how to better interpret or amend what is on the page.
Having said all this, Ben and I are now looking forward to going back into the "studio" and making this piece truly our own as well as Mohammed's. Hope you can all make it on Saturday to see the premiere performance!
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