I know a lot of people like to listen to recordings or even play along with them, and clearly that can be a useful tool, but I think that it can also be a crutch or a hinderance. I actually like to approach things without any interpretation or context already in my head when possible. I use a metronome and try not to slow it down too much - I think it's easy to get fixated and distracted playing tougher passages at painfully slow tempos and lose the continuity altogether. For me, looking at my parts like this creates a dry understanding going into a rehearsal, so that when they're put into a musical context things are much easier and I can focus the business of paying attention to the ensemble and playing well, and not just proficiently.
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