Sure, it was in-the-90s hot. But, after all, these are world class
musicians and their artistry reflected it.
On Sunday afternoon, the first rehearsal of the 16th season of the Sun
Valley Summer Symphony was held on the Sun Valley Esplanade.
At 1:30 p.m., about 90 musicians, mostly from American orchestras,
gathered under the big white tent to renew friendships, enjoy the Sun Valley ambiance and,
of course, to play great classical music.
Their casual hot weather dressmany in shorts and
T-shirtsbelied the fact that they would have to wear formal attire for that
nights concert.
To be sure, not all of the musicians thought the summer heat was stifling.
"Compared to the East Coast, this is nothing," said Mark Paxson,
38, a violinist with the Boston Pops. "I love the mountains. I love being out
West."
The musicians said, though, they have to be aware of the heat and
the altitude to make compensating adjustments on their instruments.
Actually, the rehearsal schedule was more challenging than the weather.
Thats because theres only one rehearsal before each performance. Sunday
evenings program featured Mozarts Symphony No. 34 in C Major and Elgars
Enigma Variations.
Even though almost all of the performers had played the selections many
times during their career, scheduling but a single rehearsal can make for a daunting
experience.
"Its still very challenging," said Alasdair Neale,
associate conductor of the San Francisco Symphony, who is in his sixth season as the Sun
Valley Summer Symphonys music director. "Were hitting the ground
running."
Jaci Wilkins, the symphonys executive director, observed it was
impressive just how much was accomplished at each practice session.
"Its the mark of a true professional," she said, "to
be able to put this together in one rehearsal."
Declared Linda Lukas, principal flute player for both the San
Francisco and Sun Valley symphonies, "one rehearsal makes you focus. You dont
have time to obsess about every little thing."
Ron Soble