oboeinsight

… 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 hesitates; he doesn’t like to criticize performers immediately after a performance (it’s when they are “most vulnerable,” he told me earlier). But, pressed by Bennett, he concedes the note was a little sharp.
Bennett is OK with this; he had wondered and needs to know. Because in this high-level performance world, the idea of realizing the score, even for an instrumentalist of Bennett’s stature, is an ideal that’s hard to reach and a matter of subjective judgment.
“Subjectively, there’s no way you can know how well you played,” he tells me a few minutes later. “Like last night, I felt really great after the concert, and I didn’t talk to Michael” – Tilson Thomas – “because I didn’t want to burst that bubble in any way.” (RTWT)

Richard Sheinin has been doing a series in the Merc about the live recording sessions of SF Symphony’s Das Lied. It’s been quite interesting.

Live performances aren’t exactly what some might think these days. There is a lot of “cutting and pasting” so to speak. What they are striving for is the “perfect live performance”. Of course hearing recordings one hears all the little problems that don’t come out as strongly in a concert hall, or don’t really matter in the concert hall as they might on a recording. (I suppose it’s kind of like Dan’s pictures; what he puts together is what he—Dan, correct me if I’m wrong—sees in his mind’s eye … what he remembers to be the truth of it all. It’s not dishonest, but it’s not just a quick print from a photo either.) I’m sure some will disagree with me. But that’s not unusual, is it? :-)

Anyway, read the articles and you’ll get a glimpse into the recording studio of the SFS.

Part One
Part Two
Part Three

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 coordinator for the South Bend Symphony Orchestra. He wants children to give more than a “golf clap” when they hear classical music, and he wants them to become performers, too. (a href=”http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071026/Ent/71026062/1038/Ent”>RTWT)

I remember when there used to be a speech before our opera open dress rehearsals that students could attend. Someone would tell the children that they couldn’t whistle or go crazy like they do for other events, but that they could say bravo, brava and bravi. The speaker explained how to use each of those, having the children repeat after her, “bra” (they’d giggle and say “bra”) and then “vi”. (Or “vo” or “va”.) As far as I was concerned we’d just told the kids not to have fun. It always mad me sort of sad.

I say hoot. Holler. Cheer. Whatever works for you.

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 I have parents who say that a fifteen minute drive to my home is too far!

The article “How to give your child a lifelong interest in music” might interest some of you.

Questions I might add: Ask about the cost of choosing the instrument you’re considering. Does the instrument itself cost a lot? Does it lose value (in case you decide to sell)? Will it need replacing and, if so, when? With a reed instrument, how long do reeds last? What do they cost? You might also ask about the frustration level of the instrument. Some instruments (piano, for instance) at least provide sound no matter what. For some, playing oboe takes a bit of time to get a sound at all, and longer to get a decent sound.

Just some other things to think about.

Would you consider adding me to your list? I promise to be a good girl.

(I used to be on the Bloggnoggle classical music blog list but I’ve been deleted. I’m feeling … oh I dunno … as if I am disappearing. Or don’t exist at all.)

:-)

… who have to leave the stage during a performance.

Guess it’s that time of year, yes?

The Met has an interesting way of dealing with singers who get ill and their covers. Some might grumble. (The covers, for instance.) Others might cheer. Who knows? But it does keep people alert, don’t you think?

Hmmm. Having been exposed to the flu on Thursday might I have to leave the recital stage tomorrow night? Hope not! I think I’m only the second oboist to play the Freihofner, so I doubt anyone in the audience could jump in. (It’s not technically difficult at all, but there’s a bit of counting to be done that might throw someone on first read.) Of course prior to tomorrow evening I do have two Symphony Silicon Valley performances, but considering I only play the first ten minutes or so I suspect I could hold out until I finished the work. Maybe.

But no. I’m not going to get sick. It’s not on the calendar! (And I have a very fun visit with our daughter planned this coming week!)