Rimsky Korsakov “Procession of the Nobles” 

I'm watching this because I'm in high school ensemble, and I'm listening to my part. My teacher/conductor is making me play the triangle part overwhelmingly loud, and I'm trying to convince her to let me play it quieter. Basically, she wants me to play it forte, and the music calls for piano.

@@tylermoseley935 Tyler, which triangle entrance are you addressing here? Are you addressing the entrances at measures 82 and 89? In those, the marking is piano. The triangle still has to be heard with the woodwinds and the pizzicato strings, which are marked mf and f, and if your ensemble is also performing with the choral parts, the chorus is singing there as well (although, their part is marked piano.) All that being said, dynamic markings are all relative. One conductor's forte may be another's fortissimo. Something else to consider: the acoustics of the hall that you will be performing (or recording) in. If the hall's acoustics dampen higher frequencies, you may need to play louder for the part to be heard by the audience at the proper volume. It may seem much louder to you on the stage (or rehearsal room), but it will be just the right volume when the sound reaches the audience (during the actual performance). Also, when there is an audience in the hall, the acoustics may change drastically (which is one of many reasons some professional symphony orchestras have an audience for the dress rehearsal.) Another thing to remember is that the conductor is a musician whose instrument is the entire orchestra. Every conductor has a different concept of what the work being performed should sound like, both tempo-wise and dynamic-wise. Here is an excellent example of the same work being interpreted by two different conductors. This is part of the 4th movement of Tchaikovsky's 5th symphony. Here is (my conducting mentor) Leonard Bernstein's interpretation: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_XPj7YMd48Y.html, and here is mine (from a studio recording): ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Cyp9H6PvFPI.html . You can see that I bring out more of the string runs than Maestro Bernstein does in this section, and if you listen to both all the way to the end, you will see that there are significant differences in the tempos and dynamics. Both are correct, even though they are quite different. These are things that are left up to the discretion of the conductor. So Tyler, what you should do is speak to your teacher (after the rehearsal is over) and ask her why she wants you to play the part much louder than the printed music says it should be played (and this is important to add) because you would like to understand why. (You may even add some of the reasons I explained above). Tyler, I don't know if you want to choose music as a career path or if you just want to play and appreciate good music, but your question is a very good one, and I hope that I was able to convey an excellent explanation to you. I wish you luck in your endeavors. Mark

Will check it out!

Pic can be hard! Yes, the pic here is the premier.

The conductor’s name is Thomas Wilkins.

Thanks, wanted to know. He smiles!@@pyee55

Soundtrack of my youth. My folks never missed A&Co. Plus, my Dad played viola in the NSO for almost 40 years. Our house was a bastion of good music.

And its successor, "Inside Washington" - which we watched religiously at my home (WUSA, channel 9 was our go-to for everything).

​@@dcbandnerdboth WUSA and WJLA versions

Jack White! I was in the 156th Army Band (Bossier City) when he came over to guest conduct us in one of our concerts at the Strand Theater, Shreveport. This was back in the mid/late 90's! Fabulous conductor indeed.

I was privileged to have Jack White as an instructor all the way from 5th Grade to college. He moved up at about the same times I moved up. Mr. White was an outstanding conductor, educator and person. @@usafepercman​

Conductor is Thomas Wilkins: archive.boston.com/jobs/news/articles/2011/12/04/boston_symphonys_first_black_conductor_thomas_wilkins_applies_passion/

@@joycemichel3817 very nice, thank you!

Wusa/wjla

Indeed. I miss that show (and its panellists).

The harpist has very weak tone for being a member of the BSO. No wonder she has to be on a big raised podium. I can't imagine how they hired her. She belongs in a little chamber orchestra.

Because if you're already playing fast, you can't rush 😋

Maybe because they can. Maybe R-K marked it 110 to be realistic regarding the abilities of most orchestras.

Thomas Wilkins, according to a previous comment.

Looks like it was just you.