… will it make me annoyed? I wonder.
“August Rush” tells the story of a charismatic young Irish guitarist (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) and a sheltered young cellist (Keri Russell) who have a chance encounter one magical night above New York’s Washington Square, but are soon torn apart, leaving in their wake an infant, August Rush, [...]
Go dance in your own room, bud.
-Pillage Idiot (RTWT)
We just had a mighty strong earthquake here. (Or “earthquack” as I wrote first.) I had to run to the doorway … the family room was swaying just a bit too much for my taste. Turns out, though, that it wasn’t as strong as the 1989; the epicenter (epicentre?) was just closer to us. And [...]
Pizarro: Early opera star, soloist reunited
By Sal Pizarro
Mercury News
Article Launched: 10/30/2007 01:58:04 AM PDT
When Symphony Silicon Valley honored longtime supporter John Tyers on Saturday, it also created an unexpected reunion.
Tyers and his wife, Helena, were early stars of Broadway and opera and moved to the Bay Area later in life. John Tyers, who helped recruit [...]
Miller opted for a replacement question: What other instrument does an English horn resemble? Choices included the trumpet, French horn and oboe.
On television, Miller said she was in band at school, but she had no clue, finally going with French horn.
Alas, Vieira informed her an English horn looks like an oboe. (RTWT)
Another item Father Christmas always seems to have with him is an English horn. (RTWT)
Do you think the writer meant “French horn”? I just can’t remember a Father Christmas holding an English horn before.
Rats. I wish they would. I’m not disgusted by my playing, but I’m not exactly blown away either. Double rats. (Hah! I think I might have just heard a Jameson cough on the recording. Hmmm. I’ll have to ask him if that was his “voice”!) I guess I should have a less harsh ear listen [...]
So the BQ for today is: once I hear Sunday’s recital will I still be saying it was a good concert?
One never knows ….
Off to UCSC!
We all have to figure out what we like doing for its own sake, rather than for the attention it gleans us. The college years are an optimal time to explore different studies and immerse oneself in activities that not only broaden horizons, but also kindle a whole new idea of what we may want [...]
Hi Folks!
There’s some great chamber music coming your way.
The Willow Ensemble will present concerts on November 9 and 10 at 8PM within the intimate confines of the Grace Church Chantry on 10th and Broadway.
On the upcoming program:
Rossini: Sonata VI for Woodwind Quartet
Beethoven: Woodwind Quintet in E-flat, Op. 71
Haydn: String Quartet in D minor, “Quinten,” Op. [...]
…we were playing the ever-popular “Guess Who I’m Thinking About” at the dinner table. As it happens, the person I’d chosen was Mike Lowell. Daughter of MMmusing had already made several guesses to determine gender, grown-upness, famousness, etc. Then, she said, “Is he a composer?” I said, “No,” to which she responded, “Oh, that’s [...]
Daniel Levitin thinks that audiences should get up and dance to classical music performances.
While I understand that the stiffness and formality of a concert bothers some people, I wonder about the listening that can take place when people are busy dancing away. Or does listening not matter any more?
Using history to bolster his [...]
I’m not sure how I missed the SLSO Marc Thayer blog entries in the summer about music in Iraq, but they are now here.
In addition, there is this article about the “world’s bravest orchestra.” Indeed.
I feel much more comfortable being surrounded by people who are much more talented than I am.
-Steve Carell (when asked if he’d do a one man show)
Carell continued to say things that often run through my own head. Funny how that works, eh? Not that I’m suggesting that I’m as talented as he, but I [...]
A musician’s life is full of questions, strains, uncertainty, and utter splendor.
-James Roe (found here)
So the recital is over. And I’m pleased with how I played. Really. Saying that is, for me, one huge deal. But I had fun, and I do believe I played well. I felt as if I was making music … and that is the #1 most important thing of all, yes? (I don’t mean [...]
… needs adjustment. And I know it. But there you go.
I’m not going to post something twice, so if you want to see “where I’m at” at the moment, just go here.
Nerves are a rotten thing.
Sigh.
I just read this: “Getting young children started on music is a great way for them to have fun and develop early mathematical skills.”
I was never good at math. I have frequently read statements similar to the one above, and I don’t get it; some of my “math whiz” oboe students couldn’t count (and had [...]
… or is it “sort of live but not quite but it will sound stunning”?
The oboist’s query
He drops by the control room after the performance to consult with Neubronner. The night before, Bennett’s first note in a key solo had been a mite flat. He wants to know how it came through tonight. Neubronner [...]
Esoteric as it may seem, the supposed fraud shows up the flaws of a classical blogosphere that trades in unchecked trivia. Classical blogs are spreading but their nutritional value is lower than a bag of crisps. Unlike financial blogs, which yield powerful and profitable secrets, classical web-chat is opinion-rich and info-poor. Until bloggers deliver hard [...]
Before the performance, Lady Macbeth had been interviewed by the local radio station about the forthcoming production. The interviewer had said words to the effect “Isn’t it rather presumptuous for an amateur company to be putting on Verdi’s Macbeth?” In answer, Marion just opened her mouth and sang. The interviewer was silenced. (RTWT)
… and I MEAN that. There is a big difference between a bassoon and an oboe. But I guess not everyone knows that!
Many thanks to Guanaco (from Cellomania) for the picture.
(The guy in the pink is particularly stunning, don’t you think?)
The book is pulped.
Kinda makes you wish you had a copy, doesn’t it?
Or maybe not.
Jason Gresl once attended a youth concert in a school where the superintendent asked the students beforehand how they would applaud at a sporting event.
“They hooted and hollered,” he says. “Then he said, ‘How would you applaud at a symphony concert?’ They gave that polite golf clap.”
Enter Gresl in his role as the education programs [...]
The remarkable oboist Alex Klein, who grew up in a small Brazilian town with limited musical possibilities, attended an orchestra concert as a little kid and heard the oboe; he pointed to the instrument and said, “I want to play that one,” and was motivated enough to travel a seven-hour bus ride to his lessons.
And [...]
