Ticheli Blue Shades

What does this excerpt show an audition committee? It shows us that you can bend notes, that you have command of your high register, and that you are willing to put yourself out there like a soloist. In this excerpt, style is more important than strictly adhering to every detail in the score.

Rhythm/Meter: notice that some measures imply 6/8, some 3/4, and even a few measures (mm. 333, 334, 358) imply 2/4. Meanwhile, the accompaniment stays in a strict tempo 3/4. If you listen to a recording, you can hear that 50% of the interest of the solo is how it rhythmically plays against the fixed accompaniment. So I recommend studying a recording, just to learn which passages to most bring out the rhythmic dissonance. 

Here is one recording on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbkR_y_QMnw

(solo starts around 8:05)

Stravinsky Firebird Variation

Stravinsky Firebird is a BALLET, thus the purpose of the music is to support dancing. How does affect your preparation? Your priorities are steady tempo (both the large pulse and evenness of the streams of slurred 32nds), and dynamic shapes that make this excerpt sound like a magical bird in flight. In terms of being successful in an audition situation, the most important piece of advice: do not push tempo beyond what you can handle, in terms of keeping the rhythmic elements as clean as possible.

Consider it this way, if you choose your tempo wisely, you will have a chance to score a 7 or greater on this excerpt. If you play faster than you are ready for, you will disqualify yourself on this excerpt, scoring a 2, 3, 4, or 5 instead. Don't try to be fabulous, just try to be respectable, go for a 7.

If you want a metronome number, I would aim for something between 60-70 for the dotted quarter.

On this excerpt, recording yourself is a must. For some reason, most players are especially blind when it comes to our own rhythmic inequities. My experience has been: I have never won an orchestral audition that I didn't do lots of recording myself.

About altissimo fingerings: some people use open or alternate fingerings for the leaps up to the C-sharp, D and D-sharp midway through the first page. C-sharp=overblown throat F-sharp, D=overblown open G, D-sharp=overblown throat G-sharp. I myself use regular fingerings here because they sound better.  And for the passage between rehearsal 17 and 18, you might use open fingerings for C-sharp and D, and you will need to come up with good fingerings for high F-sharps and Gs. Each player I have talked does these a little differently, but you probably want to use a long fingering for both most of the time those notes appear. Suggestions for F-sharp: (1) long fingering, T/R, 1 2 o / 1 2 3 E-flat, or (2) regular fingering, using both forked B/F-sharp key and A-flat/E-flat key in the right hand to bring up the pitch. I use long for the first F-sharp, and the regular fingering for the second one, I think because it speaks well on my clarinet. You will have to decide for yourself what works for you and your instrument.

Here is one youtube recording:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mz6ZdzqxoyM