oboeinsight

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 ballet company will be doing Stravinsky’s Firebird in October. And no, before you start to worry, they aren’t dancing to silence. There will be music. Canned music.

So I wonder … do audiences care? Do tell! Do you expect an orchestra when you go see a ballet?

We are getting “virtual orchestras” in musical theatre productions, and we get canned music in ballet. Would opera ever move to canned music or a virtual orchestra? “Never,” you say. You think not? Try Brooklyn Opera. It was back in 2003, but Playbill wrote:

On Aug. 9, the company plans to present a one-night-only production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, using no live musicians, but only a virtual orchestra. According to the New York Times, the event has resulted in the resignation of two members of the outfit’s board, the well known opera singers Deborah Voigt and Marilyn Horne.

And reading at Andante.com I found this:

Critics who attended the performance said it came off without a hitch. Jeremy Eichler, writing in The New York Times, pronounced it “better than expected yet still rather odd, and substantially inferior to a live orchestra.”
He said the computerized performance had a surprising flexibility to it and the technology adapted nicely to the conducting of company director Jay D. Meetze. But for now, Eichler wrote, “musicians need not fear that their work will be obviated by computers; this technology still has a long way to go.”

Lest the “musicians need not fear …” sounds like a relief to some of you, do note the “long way to go” which implies to me that the reviewer (and certainly others) expect the “instrument” to get to where it needs to be in time. I’m sorry the reviewer didn’t just say “nix the darn machines”. Sigh.

Where will it go from there, I wonder? What if a symphony concert has only two speakers on stage — or hey, we can be generous and put even more speakers up there — and no live musicians at all? Will someone notice?

Sure, this seems like a preposterous idea. An over reaction on my part. Surely an exaggeration.

Of course!

But did you ever think Stravinsky’s Firebird would be performed without an orchestra?

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 break the music blogs into categories. We’ll see.

But … and here’s where readers can help … if any of you have other blogs to recommend, or if you know anything about the ones I have here that have gone stagnant, fill me in! Please?

We have Sunday’s final performance of Opera San José’s The Crucible and then it’s time to move over to Symphony Silicon Valley. Did any of my students see the opera? Have any of you purchased tickets for the Symphony? Do any of you go to live concerts at ALL?! I’m dismayed when I hear that a student has never seen a live professional concert. If you are taking oboe, which is, primarily, a symphonic instrument, why not attend a performance now and then, eh? I am thinking, in fact, of making this a requirement if you’d like to continue taking lessons with me. (Shoot, I’ve even offered complimentary tickest in the past! Rarely does someone take me up on the offer) Opera has quite the deal, by the way; go to the box office an hour prior to the performance and you can get $10 tickets for students! How can you beat that?

So think about it. And buy a ticket or two.
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Symphony Silicon Valley has launched its new website. Check it out, and then email me or click on Discuss below 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 make Opera San Jose a special place to hear still-young, already-accomplished singers on the stage.

The first quote makes me wonder a bit. I’m not sure “all sounding pretty much the same” is a good thing and “pleasant” is a word that has always troubled me. I have a feeling, though, that it’s supposed to sound like a compliment. Thoughts?
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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: it’s a very bad idea to put your reed in the reed water, set it on the stand, and THEN move the stand, thus dropping the container, reed and water on the floor, cracking the best oboe reed you’ve had recently that you were planning on using for opera.

3) During the “meet the students” scheduled hours I met no students.

But still … The Giants won. I’m attempting to focus on that. :-)

PS Any UCSC oboists … it’s not too late to sign up for lessons! Contact me here and I’ll get right back to you. I plan on being on campus on Tuesdays.

… 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 from M. Keiser, and then others, at Music in a Suburban Scene on classical music and what he calls stuffiness.

Lynn, from Reflections in d minor says “I ineptly attempt to defend seriousness.” (She’s wrong; she is not inept!) And that brings up another question; is what is seriousness to one person stuffiness to another? Oh … and is this a generational thing? (M. Keiser is a college student, Lynn and I are just slightly older.)

And are we looking for the same sort of reaction to symphonic music as, say, a rock singer wants at his or her live performance?

I’m tossing out these questions. I’m not answering them all right now.

I can tell you that when I’ve worked long and hard on a difficult work I prefer that the audience doesn’t stand through the concert, yelling, singing along, dancing and talking with friends. I’m sorry to disappoint some of you, but I really do want you to listen. Doggone it, I’ve worked hard. If you show up I assume you’ve come to listen. Listening isn’t easy. Many have lost that skill. Rock concerts are different; people go, I think, for the overall experience. They usually already know the songs. The performers seem to encourage singing along. Heck they are so amplified you couldn’t cover them up if you tried. My music? No microphones. No amplifiers. No fireworks (most of the time).

Do I care how you dress? Nope. But do please shower! Actually do that if you go to a rock concert or movie too … I went to a movie a few years back and wound up sitting next to a man that smelled so bad I was nearly gagging. With a smelly neighbor it’s difficult to breathe OR pay attention. Really.

Now I must admit that if you are going to a huge premiere of a “classical something” and paying $200 bucks a ticket, dressing up is probably recommended. That’s just the way it is most of the time. It’s a big shindig. Don’t wear your thongs (the feet kind) t-shirt and jeans.

All in my opinion, of course.

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 lets motorists plug in all manner of portable digital players — not just iPods — and manage their tunes and podcasts on a dashboard display.

… makes me say “Yes!” (along with “Finally!”).

More here.

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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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I think I’ve located more reviews for this opera than ever before.

Here is one from San Jose State University’s paper, The Spartan Daily. The last paragraph made me smile (and sort of cringe):

If you’re not already an opera fan, then two hours of singing might be much to handle, but the familiar story line is easy to follow. The actors do an excellent job on both their theatrical and vocal performances, but if you’re not a fan of opera than you might not enjoy everything the production has to offer.

Ah well. I’m assuming this is a student writer. (But I’m also assuming someone reads these things and helps edit. Perhaps I assume incorrectly?)

Then there’s Paul Hertelendy’s review which begins with this:

Last Saturday operaficionados had to decide between two opening nights: Either catch yet another go-round of the San Francisco Opera’s “The Italian in Algiers” (borrowed from the Santa Fe Opera), or catch San Jose’s new production of an arresting 20th-century opus. The San Jose company’s budget is not one-tenth of the SFO’s. And its opener offered not one-tenth the troy-weight of jewelry in view, either.

The choice proved to be a no-brainer.

One of the tautest evenings of sheer theater in the 22 seasons of Opera San Jose, surged from Robert Ward’s “The Crucible” (1961), which opened at the magnificently restored California Theater.

Reading that, I made the assumption he went to our opening night performance. But reading the entire article I came across this:

The voices Sept. 11 were loud, perhaps an instance of oversinging as a result of opening-show energy.

Oh. So the “no-brainer” was to go to San Francisco Opera’s performance on opening night and go to ours the next day? I don’t know if that’s what he did, but he reviewed Sunday afternoon’s performance rather than opening night. Am I totally stupid, or did other readers come to the same conclusion as I after reading the first paragraph? (I can be awfully slow, I know!) Go ahead … let me know if you think I’m stupid. I want the truth. I can (sniffle, sniffle) handle the truth.

Still, it was a very positive review. I enjoy those! And don’t think for a minute that I believe all reviewers should go to opening night, either. I just didn’t understand the opening paragraph.

(Hmmm. Perhaps I’m entering the danger zone here, eh? I don’t mean to be reviewing the reviewers. Honest and true!)
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Included in The San Francisco Chronicle review:

Even for a first-time listener, “The Crucible” holds few real surprises. It is cloaked in agreeable, mildly spicy tonal harmonies and lyrical melodies that soar in just the direction you expect them to go.

I’m not sure this is true. I talked to a friend who attended last night’s performance. She didn’t enjoy the singing parts much at all, although she appreciated the orchestra music (she said it reminded her of Wagner). She missed the arias of older, traditional operas.

But she doesn’t care for Sondheim either. :-)

She also said a lot of audience members left after the first half. That surprised her; she said even if something doesn’t totally appeal to her she’ll stick it out. (Hoorah for her!) So my guess is that the work is “too modern” for some folks. It was, after all, composed in 1961. That’s newer than me, which must mean it’s VERY new.

Me? I like the opera. I like it a lot. I think the staging is wonderful (I saw it at a piano tech). The lighting is great and costumes are just right. I think the majority of the singers do an excellent job. But I’m ready for it to be over. There isn’t one light moment in it and it starts to weigh the body down. (I’ve checked, I weigh more now.)
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In the pit, Anthony Quartuccio kept a sure hand on the vivid orchestra and the complex action as stage-directed by Timothy Near of San Jose Repertory Theatre.

And yes, the Metro reviewer comments on the singers too. Guess that’s fairly important, eh? So click on this link if you’d like to read the whole thing.

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Someone on the IDRS list sent this scam email:

Hello,
How are you doing today?My name is Janet jacson, i am greatly intrested in learning hammered dulcimer Lesson but I am currently out of town now, so please do let me know the firm price monthly tutor per month becuase it is my company that will pay for the expences.
This is a little you could know about me: I am 26 years of age, long hair.average eight, slim, I love swimming, dancing, I don’t smoke, but I tolerate smokers, so if you smoke it won’t be a problem, I love chating with people with positive thinking, I like giving to the needy, I love swimming,I love going to cinemas.My dad calls me the best thing that can happen to anyone.
Oh!, I almost forgot, I am single.
So get back to me as soon as possible…
Regards,
Janet Jacson

Is that hysterical or what?!

I must admit that some of these scam emails are pretty darn entertaining. Still, I wish they’d stop. How stupid do they think we are?
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