Practice involves much more than sitting in a practice room working on music. For classical orchestral musicians, studying the score is vital. Some musicians, like mezzo soprano Joyce DiDonato, spend as much or more time studying the score than they do in “actual” practice (said toward the end of a wonderful BBC radio clip on practice here).
Want to learn more about the best ways to practice? Get an e-mail with a discount code when The Practice of Practice is published (June, 2014). To learn more about the book, check out a sample from The Practice of Practice.
This interactive score of Petrushka from the Ruhr Piano Festival Foundation is a gold mine for anyone interested in the piece. Stravinsky wrote Petrushka when he was 28 years old, in 1910-11. It’s a wonderful piece of music, and even if you’re not a classical musician, this site is a feast for the mind and the ears. Follow along in the highly interactive score, learn about what the different parts represent, learn about the historical context, and listen to commentary from music luminaries on the piece. There is something for everyone here: players, teachers, and even young children. Learn more about this project from the Ruhr Piano Festival Foundation here.
To have a listen to Petrushka in its entirety, I’ve included the 3 videos below by the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Valery Gergiev in 2010.
Want to learn more about the best ways to practice? Get an e-mail with a discount code when The Practice of Practice is published (June, 2014). To learn more about the book, check out a sample from The Practice of Practice.
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