oboeinsight

in the music biz, things are just so bizarre you wouldn’t believe it. Really. But I can’t say more.
Too bad, eh?
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Veering toward a visual expression of my creativity has allowed a new
freedom to soar in my music-making. I like to let certain subjects in my paintings
shimmer, as certain notes in a melody vibrate, lighting up canvas or phrase
from within.

-Marsha Heller (1939) American oboist and painter (student of Harold Gomberg)
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San Francisco Opera premieres John Adam’s Dr. Atomic tomorrow night. Dan and I will be attending the opera in 8 days. I’m counting down now. The Rest Is Noise blogger Alex Ross has an article in The New Yorker which gets me even more excited about the work, and aworks provides some good links to [...]

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I really hate having to listen to other people’s music because it’s on so loud. Especially when I’m driving or sitting in my own family room.
But today I bought a double CD set of Bach Cantantas. I suppose I need to apologize to the world, or [...]

I need to buy a recording of Un Ballo in Maschera. Anyone have any recommendations? I’ll gladly listen to your advice. I can’t believe I don’t own a copy already; maybe I borrowed a library copy the last time we performed the work. (Yes, I’ve only done it once before.)
Opening night of this opera [...]

There are some fiction books that have to do with music. Some are hysterical because they are so bad — clearly the author did little or no research on what our lives are really like. Others are fairly good and worth the time. (Actually I enjoy reading the good and the bad; the bad are [...]

There’s an article by Richard Scheinin in the San Jose Mercury News about the upcoming Symphony concert. Unfortunately the front page link at the news site took me to a review of the band Green Day. Hmmm. You might click on my link instead … it’ll get you there! (I’m guessing that they’ll eventually find [...]

I liked the idea of working with community orchestras. They’re there because they really want to play music, not make a lot of money.

-Joan Tower (composer)
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With our children getting older and moving out, I will soon have a studio to call my own! This is a first, and I’m pretty darn excited about it. It won’t be my “dream studio” but it will get my students and me out of the living room so the family won’t have to traipse [...]

To be fair, I have to include a response from one of the performers in Sweeney Todd that I found over at Talkin’ Broadway. So go here and read what the woman has to say.
Do I believe that all ten performers are accomplished musicians? Well, I’m skeptical is all. I can’t tell you how many [...]

If you recall, I wrote about the new production of Sweeney Todd a while back. The actors/singers on stage will also be instrumentalists. Each and every one. (Not that there are very many; they’ve reduced the number of performers to ten.) I have reservations about the production. I find it difficult to believe that they’ve [...]

Jason Sudduth was the second oboist of San Jose Symphony (RIP). He’s now the English hornist of the Honolulu Symphony. I read a review just now in which second to last paragraph says this:

Shimada opened the program with Berlioz’s “Roman Carnival Overture,” a youthful work of operatic origins, filled with drama, melody, and rousing sentiment. [...]

Marc Lifschey had an incredible sound. I remember hearing him play Stravinsky’s Firebird at De Anza’s Flint Center. When he played the solo, I nearly melted. He filled the room with this velvety oboe sound and made it sound effortless.
He’s no longer with us, but I ran across this site where you can buy [...]

Yep. The Crucible is over. It was a good run, and today’s audience was the most appreciative. I’m extremely glad we did this opera. It’s always fun to do something new, and this was a very moving work.
So Symphony SIlicon Valley, here we come. October 1 and 2 are our opening concerts for the season. [...]

“An artist has got to be careful never really to arrive at a place where he thinks he’s at somewhere,” he says at one point. “You always have to realize you’re constantly in a state of becoming. As long as you can stay in that realm, you’ll sort of be alright.”

-Bob Dylan (found at [...]

Without music, you would not have a whole lot of ballet. Hmmm. Would you have any ballet? I don’t know of any without music, but I suppose it could exist. Shoot, music exists without music … look at John Cage’s 4′33″, after all. But those exquisite works are few and far between.
But anyway, a local [...]

I’ve been putting it off, but it’s really time to update the right side of this page; some of the blogs I’ve listed haven’t been updated for so long I’m assuming the blogger has left the planet. I think, too, that I may think differently about how to list the blogs — I might even [...]

To be passionate in today’s world is not politically correct… Nowadays we
are supposed to cope. This was not Mahler’s problem. He saw it, he heard it,
and he expressed it. He was a kaleidoscopic, Olympian figure.

-Lorin Maazel
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Symphony Silicon Valley has launched its new website. Check it out, and then email me or click on Discuss below (membership to this site required) and let me know what you think!
And hey … buy a ticket or two to our upcoming concert!

The San Francisco Classical Voice has their review of the opera.

In the pit, Anthony Quartuccio presides over a hardworking orchestra, which does equally well with the score’s variable nature, be it symphonic, folk, the blues or Broadway — all sounding pretty much the same, and very pleasant.
-and-
Rubalcava, the Detwilers, and many of their colleagues [...]

Some days are good. Some days are bad.
Today?
Well, not entirely good anyway.
1) At the UCSC meeting for freshman the chair of our department asked for oboists to raise their hands. Heh … even one hand would have been nice. :-(
2) I had a rehearsal with some other UCSC faculty after the meeting. Warning: [...]

… and is classical music stuffy simply because no one “dances in the aisles” or boos or hisses? Does this really imply “smugness”? In addition, is stuffiness what results in some people dressing to the nines to attend a concert. Should people dress up for a concert?
It’s been interesting to read thoughts about this [...]

I own an iPod, but right now it’s on semi-permanent loan to our 16 year old son. Why? Because I can’t use it in my car very easily. (Those radio hook ups don’t really work all that well.) So reading this:
With digital music players becoming more ubiquitous, Volkswagen AG is offering a stereo component that [...]

Listening to the breathtaking music Howard Shore created [for "Lord of the Rings"] is like seeing the movie time and time again. You just close your eyes, open your ears and the whole film unfolds before you. Howard’s work is incredibly visual, evocative and narrative.

-Paul Broucek, Executive Vice President of Music at New Line Cinema
(Go [...]

Found another review.
Again, it’s favorable. Nice!
At this point the Detwiler’s should be pretty darn happy. They have received a good number of very positive reviews. Very cool! (I happen to think both of them are absolutely marvelous.)
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