BRAHMS, Johannes

Akademische Festouverture (Academic Festival Overture) for orchestra in C minor op. 80

Juanjo Mena, guest conductor

Orquesta Sinfónica Freixenet de la Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía

Maestro Juanjo Mena talks about the importance of tempo and dynamics in pp, that must be well controlled for the themes to be heard. It is important to do a good legato but without slowing down the tempo and singing the phrases much more. To emphasize that a new phrase begins, Mena recommends a subito piano. They work on a separate passage to clarify the role that each instrument plays in the ensemble. The main theme is too lively, it should not be trivialized, the character must be controlled. The timpani should play more mysterious. The first violins should control all the time not to accelerate the seconds violins and the violas. They work on the articulation of the last two bars, the sound is more concrete. Instruments that have the design of two linked quarter notes should emphasize the first note within a pp dynamic. Mena gives directions to the timpani so that it does not play above the winds.

Language: Spanish