… I run across a child’s blog entry. This one is just too cute!
I recently enjoyed my first experience listening to the Toledo Symphony Orchestra at the Toledo Museum of Art Peristyle. In a subsequent conversation with TSO President and CEO Robert Bell, we talked about the acoustics of the Peristyle shell. Sitting in the first few rows of the middle balcony, the music was clear and affecting, but did not carry the punch or physical resonance I expected.
Mr. Bell arranged for Julie Heigel, TSO marketing director, to offer a special opportunity the next week.
I was invited to observe a weeknight TSO rehearsal of “Carmina Burana,” not just from a front row, but from a seat onstage, literally in the middle of the orchestra.
Read what he thought after his experience in the middle of the muddle here.
Next I think they ought to have him sit in on a reed making session.
I love dying on stage.
-Adam Flowers
I read the above quote here. I always enjoy reading about former Opera San José artists. I frequently wonder what they are up to. Especially the nice ones. (Adam was gracious to the orchestra. I always appreciated that.)
Done with the dentist.
Readers here probably already know about my dentist issues. So I won’t go into that.
But I will rant about the whole “talk at me while my mouth is gaping open thing” … WHY does the assistant do that? And does she really think I’m flattered when she tells me she goes to Opera San José productions and that she managed to only fall asleep once during Rigoletto? Hmmm. Okay. Whatever. Maybe I should tell her, “I was only bored during part of your conversation with me this time!” Ya think?
Now it’s clean house, practice, and teach. Tonight I’m back at UCSC for the orchestra concert.
Possibly a more scintillating post will appear here later. Possibly not.
I got home from opera just a few minutes ago. Another fine Rigoletto I think … the audience was the most enthusiastic ever, too. Nice!
I have an 8:00 AM dentist appointment. WHAT was I thinking?!
Sigh.
(FYI: Since you might not see the time stamp, this was originally posted at 11:28 PM.)
February 23, 2008
Just follow the classical music. That’s how police say they found a marijuana growing operation in Avon Wednesday.
The marijuana was growing in the laundry room of Unit D in the 700 block of Nottingham Road in Avon. Police say the homeowner encouraged the growth of his plants with classical music.
Another review is out. This time from KQED. I hadn’t a clue they did reviews. But here it is, written by Rebecca Krouner.
No mention of the orchestra, aside from saying we set the tone for the dark story in the overture. Or chorus (sorry Mike!). But an okay review.
“Playing the Strauss in Hong Kong was a historical event,” he said. The lack of expected appearances “feels exactly what it is, which is being rejected by your own people.” Wang suspected that the Chinese presenters of the Philharmonic did not see him as a soloist attractive to local audiences, compared to Westerners.
-Liang Wang
I would have thought that the New York Philharmonic would be in charge of what gets played when in China, but is this article implying otherwise? It appears so. And yet later we read this:
Qian Shijin, the artistic director of the Shanghai Grand Theater, where the concerts took place this week, said the New York Philharmonic presented several program options, but that he did not recall any of them including Wang. “The two programs have been decided by the New York Philharmonic,” he said in an interview. “So we have to accept that.” The only changes he asked for were the inclusion of overtures at the beginning to accommodate latecomers, a problem with Chinese audiences, he said.
I wonder where the truth lies.
“Truth lies” … hmmm … I don’t know ….
Last night was the rehearsal for the new music concert. I am involved in three works, two of which are by someone I knew back when I was in college. I took a couple of classes from Allen Strange (doing rather poorly, if I recall). Dan took a lot more and spent a great deal of time with him. We also did a couple of mini-vacations together (their second daughter is the same as our daughter). I got to UCSC for the rehearsal last night to find out that he had passed away that very day. Shocking. (Although I know he not been in great health.)
I had pretty much lost touch with the family after they moved to Bainbridge Island, but I did get to see and hear Pat play violin once more when she came back to SJSU to play a concert. I’m glad Dan was able to visit them last summer when he took a trip up north.
We are now paying tribute to Allen Strange at our concert. I’m sorry he won’t get to hear the delightful and charming pieces (The Duel and Wynken, Blynken and Nod) that he wrote. And I really do mean charming and delightful. They are scored for narrator and violin, cello, oboe, clarinet, sax (all three winds are playing a bit of percussion) and synth.
If you want to hear these pieces, I’ll post information on the concert later. I’ll also post any information on a celebration for Allen which is supposed to happen here sometime.
One of my strongest memories of Allen were the Indian feast parties he and Pat put on. The gang would be there, including Lorrie Hunt. Two losses I won’t forget. How sad to know they are both gone.
“I’m not even going to try to describe the effect it had on me, other than to say there are a few cultural encounters that have marked me forever — understanding Cézanne for the first time, my Merce Cunningham epiphany, my first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth viewings of Hou Hsiao-hsien’s Flowers of Shanghai — and the Turangalîla now joins their company.”
I do think there are rules we musician sorts should abide by even while I bristled. I’ve certainly written about it.
I’ve received letters from children at youth concerts telling how much they enjoyed the music, but wondering why the orchestra looked angry, or sad. (Read here and sent to musicians of SSV because we are, I guess, misbehaving and upsetting people.)
No, I’m not sad. But sometimes I’ve just bared my soul to an audience. I’ve worked my (too large) butt off. And I’m wasted. Entirely wasted. I smile at kiddie concerts for the most part, though. Even when they are playing their “I’m gonna be the last one to clap” game.
And, okay, some musicians probably are angry; not everyone in an orchestra is always a happy camper. Go figure. Some are always angry. Some are crazy. Some are frightening. Sort of like the rest of the world.
But really. Sometimes I want to say to the audience … I just worked so hard I can barely move. Sometimes I am sad. When I’ve finished playing something that makes my heart ache I know I can’t cry—that’s what the audience should be doing—but still my heart hurts. And I’m quite weary.
But okay. I’ll try to pin a smile on my face. I can do that, although I’m really not big on smiles. (When the soprano comes out to take a bow after Madama Butterfly, by the way, she doesn’t always smile either. It ain’t just us musICKYans that react in a way that apparently doesn’t entertain the audience enough.)
As for movement … it’s true that some orchestras from other countries move more. I find it distracting. I’ve been told (but I’ve only been told; I don’t know it for a fact) that if you don’t move enough for your audition (in one European country, anyway) you won’t be hired. Of course the same country doesn’t hire people over 30 and the female population must be quite low because orchestras are mostly male. But what some other country does … does that make it better? Worse? You tell me. It’s also understood that the section players shouldn’t move quite as much as the principals; it steals attention and looks ridiculous. So we take our cues from our section leaders.
Packing up on stage? Only when we are done. I agree. (But my reed gets put away immediately and anyone who doesn’t understand why will just have to deal. Sorry. That’s not negotiable.) I knew someone who packed up during a work for all the audience to see because he didn’t play the very end. Sorry, but on stage that’s tacky. In the pit I pack an instrument if I’m done with it; it’s safer put away than sitting in our far too chilly location. The instrument is important and it’s going to be packed.
Talking? Meh. If it’s against the rules I’ll not talk while we are taking our bows, although frequently someone else is talking to me and I’m trying to answer out of the side of my mouth. That probably appears like a grimace to our audience, so I guess that’s gonna get me in trouble too. Here’s the thing, though—when we are talking we are usually smiling and we are jazzed about the concert. It’s difficult to contain that glee with silence. So I guess we need to remember we can smile but we can’t talk?
Anyway … ramble ramble … I initially bristle at being told what to do. And being told how awful I am. Most people do, don’t they? Probably writers of blogs bristle as well.
Oh. Wait. I’m a blog writer. And I have been scolded and yes, it caused me to bristle. (And it hurt. And then I worried. And couldn’t sleep. And I finally got over it.) As an aside, I never smile as I type. ;-) (But I put in these lying little emoticons for your pleasure.)
So yes, musicians at live concerts need to think about how we look. Of course. And I really do. But smiling? It’s not always natural. Moving? Depends upon the work, my position, and other cues I receive. (Conductors often can give off cues, and of course if the rest of the orchestra is still I’m not about to, as second oboist, start dancing in my chair!)
I dunno. Is any of this making sense? Does any of it matter? Probably not. But there you go. I think I need to eat. My brain is in a muddle.
PS I love what I do. Very much so. I work hard at it too. I actually probably smile more than my plumber, the store clerk, my dentist or my doctors ever do. Really. I’ve never thought that my dentist didn’t like his job because, when he’s busy torturing me, he isn’t smiling.
… at least I’m assuming it’s the final one.
It’s another mixed bag review: sort of positive, sort of not.
… to me …
Chandos has a blog. (How annoying that the radio segment comes on without one’s requesting it. Dear Chandos, can’t you change that please?) They are also on emusic now. Big time. Which is quite cool.
And I see Naxos has a blog too.
So there you go. For now that’s all I’m sayin’ … too much to do, too little time!
But more later, I’m sure.
