The Eventuality of Auditions

As I've once said, I'm a good Boy Scout and I try to be prepared for any situation.  I have a whole closet of horns I never play, but in the eventuality I'll need one, I'll have it at my fingertips.  Yes, I'm a little delusional.

One eventuality I have never really thought of but need to face is the eventuality that someday I may have to audition for something.  It could happen.

During my Hot Dog days, I had a whole library of horn literature under my fingertips, ready to go at a moment's notice.  Nowadays, not so much.  So lately my thoughts have gone to updating my skills and learning (or re-learning) some solo literature.

Now, me being the former Hot Dog, I can't just pick up a Mozart concerto and be happy with it.  Oh no.  I need to stretch to the far boundaries of my limits and play the hardest, flashiest piece I can pull off with confidence and, more importantly, consistency.  Another thing to consider is that horn solo literature seems to have evolved a little since my Hot Dog days.  Not a lot, but enough to make me sweat a little.  So I need to find something with a little more flash and pizazz than the average Mozart concerto.

Don't get me wrong -- I could play a mean Mozart #2 in my day.

So, where to look?  My heart is with Charles Fernandez's "Scherzo," but it remains just a little out of my reach.  Sad.  I'm liking "The Glass Bead Game," but I find the solo part a little fragmented for my taste.  And what about the John Williams Concerto?  Have you heard it?  Definitely out of my reach right now.

I could also take a step backwards in my history.  I used to kill on "Hunter's Moon," but it seems now a little too easy.  Then there's "En Foret," which is a kickin' piece and I can play the crap out of it -- or I will be able to with a little practice.

And then there's Richard Strauss.  I love Strauss (as does almost any horn player).  I played his 1st Horn Concerto a lot, both in High School AND in College.  The 3rd movement won me 3rd place in the New Orleans Symphony Youth Auditions back in the 12th Grade, and I did the whole concerto for one of my recitals in college.  But what about the 2nd Horn Concerto?

Back in high school I was blossoming as a Hot Dog and thought I could take on the world.  Also, I had no social life, so I had plenty of time to practice.  I took on the first movement of the 2nd Horn Concerto and pulled it off quite nicely.  In college I worked on the 3rd movement but never used it for anything.  Could it be time to give it another try?  With some work I can definitely pull it off.  The key is consistency.  Can I pull it off every time I play it?  That's what remains to be seen.

I have no auditions on the horizon, and none likely.  But I need to be prepared for that eventuality.  Mr. Strauss, for now you are my new friend.  Mr. Fernandez, this ain't over.