Attend Live Performances … Please!

23. May 2009 · Comments Off · Categories: Links, Ramble

I was talking to a student the other day about a recording he was listening to on the way to his lesson. He was saying that he noticed there were a couple of mistakes made by the oboist … and the oboist wasn’t just a “nobody” either. (No, I’m not gonna name names.) I explained that he was hearing an older recording. It was done prior to the age of being able to patch in little corrections. He was hearing what was nearly a live performance. Not quite, of course; I’m guessing the oboist played several takes of each movement and chose his fave. But you didn’t just go back and fixed individual notes like everyone does now.

This is one of the many reasons I want my students to attend live performances. Even the best of the best can make a mistake. You need to understand that. You also need to hear the magic of live music; while it might have an imperfection, it also has something special that you simply won’t get in a recording. Trust me. It’s exciting. It’s moving. It can take your breath away. It’s not about perfection, although of course performers want that, but it’s about making music in a moment in time.

Maybe I’ll write more on this later. Right now I need to take a nap; I have a live performance tonight!

Oh … and speaking of live performances, the Van Cliburn Competition has started, and they have a live webcast you can watch and listen to. (If you don’t have the Silverlight program you’ll first have to download and install that.)

San Diego: Oboe/English horn

23. May 2009 · Comments Off · Categories: Audition Results

I read this at the bottom of the article about Florida Orchestra I just blogged about:

Departure: Oboe and English horn player Andrea Overturf is leaving to join the San Diego Symphony next season.

Florida Orchestra

23. May 2009 · 3 comments · Categories: Links, News, Ramble

Not surprisingly:

The Florida Orchestra has laid off three staff members and instituted pay cuts for next season. “We didn’t really get hit by the recession until January,’’ said president Michael Pastreich, adding that the orchestra has had a drop-off in single-ticket sales and donations in the troubled economy.

The layoffs, which Pastreich said yielded savings of about $250,000, included the comptroller, a database manager and a ticket center coordinator, leaving a full-time staff of about 20. The pay cuts start with the president, whose $175,000 salary will be reduced by 10 percent on July 1. Staffers making $75,000 or more will have their salaries cut 7.5 percent; those making $50,000 and more, 5 percent; and those making under $50,000 will have their pay frozen.

RTWT

I wonder what the cost of living is like in St. Petersburg these days.

I do hurt for those people who were let go. I suppose it’s even worse to see the organization fold all together. When San Jose Symphony died it was devastating. It obviously hit a very large number of people. It wasn’t just the musicians and office. Stage hands, ushers, program printers … it hits a ton of people. I think it hurt the musicians the most, of course, because it was such a personal thing for us. Music is, in some ways, a part of who we are. Even now, I can get emotional thinking about what was lost.

The president of the Florida Orchestra, Michael Pastreich, was with San Jose Symphony (RIP) at some point, although he wasn’t there at the end. (I’m guessing he was smart enough to know he’d better get the heck out!) I can’t even remember his position at this point, but I’m sure a reader could remind me! I can’t remember … is Peter Pastreich Michael’s father? I’m sure a reader friend ‘o mine will fill me in on that, too! (DK? You there?)

Speaking of Peter Pastreich, there is a bit ‘o conversation going on about his new appointment. Lisa Hirsch blogs here and, very briefly, here about it, and Joshua Kosman responds to what she wrote.

I, wimp that I am, remain quiet on anything controversial. I am, in fact, holding back on something that recently really irked me. I just can’t go there. I would rather just seethe for a while.

I do wish seething helped in weight loss, though. ;-)

Classical Music & Criminals

23. May 2009 · 11 comments · Categories: BQOD, Links, Ramble

But the worst part was the plot development, when Jane goes to visit a blind woman (Alicia Witt) at her home, and learns that she knows Red John, though of course she’s never seen him. (Another cheap gag.) And what do we learn about this mysterious killer, this freak who haunted the whole first season and doubtless will do so in the second?

He loves classical music.

[...]

Not all that long ago on another cops show, Criminal Minds, a master serial killer played by Keith Carradine, who thwarts the dedicated FBI profilers, is described as a lover of Beethoven.

What is the deal? Why is elite criminality associated with a love of classical music? Surely it’s just more lazy scriptwriting, in which writers can easily telegraph to the audience that this is a criminal to be reckoned with, simply by summoning up the idea that he listens to string quartets.

In a way, I suppose it’s a complimentary stereotype: If you love classical, you must be a brainiac. That’s certainly not true; classical music is just music — of a different genre than others, but still music.

I read it here.

I saw the episode of The Mentalist that the blogger is writing about. I know what he’s talking about. And now I’m challenging readers:

Name movies and TV shows that have killers that love classical music.

Your prize? Well … um … admiration. Will that do it? But I’m thinking that there is probably a list of these killers who love classical music. And I think part of it is that the writers want to point out that the killer is highly intelligent. And of course highly intelligent people love classical music.

Or maybe I’m just fooling myself! :-)

But … well wait a minute … I just read about a real life killer and, well it says: “He is said to love classical music, poetry and art. Friends and family described him as gentle, kind and highly intelligent.”

So there you go.

Somehow I’m not finding comfort in this.

Unbelievable!

22. May 2009 · 1 comment · Categories: Videos

I simply can’t believe my ears as I watch these two play. I’m just stunned:

Okay, did that just blow you away? Now watch & listen to this:

(Thanks to Tony Clements for posting the first one on Facebook!)

Tomorrow Night’s Concert

22. May 2009 · Comments Off · Categories: Links, Ramble

There’s an article about tomorrow’s concert in the Santa Cruz sentinel. Nice. I didn’t get my usual google alert because they left out the “Emerson” in my name. Oh well. I’m sure they have limited space for these things. I really like to keep the Emerson part of my name because I did begin as an Emerson and I think my parents deserve a little credit now and then, you know?

Of course if I get a bad review they get to share in the bad credit, too. (Sorry, Mom!)

How Much Should I Share?

22. May 2009 · Comments Off · Categories: Ramble, Videos

I know some of my students read this. So those ones are already “in the know” when it comes to my fears and foibles. But not all students read this. And I frequently wonder, “how much should I expose about who I am?”

Do I tell them I still find performance stressful and scary some of the time? Do I tell them that I fear failure almost daily? Do I admit that I’m not a great reed maker and that I struggle with that? (Well, okay, everyone knows about me and reeds!) Do I tell them that sometimes I want to run off a stage screaming, “I can’t take it any more?!”

Naw. I guess not. I guess it’s best to keep them thinking I’m a confident oboist who doesn’t worry much.

Of course if they listen to what I say during lessons they’ve probably figured much of this out!

But I also try to make it clear that I absolutely love this crazy business. I love being able to make music and to move listeners (and sometimes even colleagues). I love baring my soul … at least that’s how it feels at times. Music brings me tons of stress, it’s true, but it also brings joy and great rewards. I can’t imagine doing anything else.

And now here’s a little oboe playing (not by yours truly) for your enjoyment:

TQOD

22. May 2009 · 1 comment · Categories: TQOD

I have just been woken by the jaunty warblings of an oboe lesson next door. Wish I was still asleep……

Faux is … well … faux

21. May 2009 · Comments Off · Categories: Ramble, Videos

faux [foh]
–adjective
artificial or imitation; fake

So is faux good? Maybe sometimes …? But an orchestra?

You can listen to the “fauxharmonic” yourself right here and decide for yourselves. (Some of the instruments don’t sound quite right, as you may notice.)

Oh, I just found some YouTube clips, so you can watch too:

Hmmm. A bit of Adagio for Strings in there. I’m sure it’s deliberate as it’s far too obvious not to be. Funny.

This next one sounds, at times, a bit like those old switched on Bach recordings or something … is that just my ear?:

These might be handy to work with, but musically it just doesn’t do it for me. I would think a conductor would get little satisfaction from it as well. It seems like it would be a faux experience only. It’s amazing to me, what technology can do, though. And it’s probably an ego trip for someone who could never actually get a real conducting experience. And no wrong notes, no missed attacks, no bloops … now that is truly a faux experience!

But the conductor can’t scowl at anyone either. Poor conductor.

Heinz Holliger

21. May 2009 · 10 comments · Categories: Birthdays!, Videos

Today is Heinz Holliger’s 70th birthday. When I was in high school he was one of the oboists we all sort of watched. His sound isn’t what many of us in the states were aiming for, and his reeds, I’m sure, were not what we were striving for, but the guy could play anything, it seemed. Since then so many other oboists have popped up, and I rarely hear about him any more. But here it is, his birthday.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Holliger!

Here is a video from quite some time ago, I’m sure (considering the hair!):

Here is a 1993 video:

And this short clip is from 2005, and is what I think of Holliger more for:

Finally, a work that requires no good reed at all, from 1971:

TQOD

21. May 2009 · 2 comments · Categories: TQOD

Just picked up my oboe after nearly a decade of inuse… can still play a a# scale.

Where I Perform We Have Scent-Free Rules

21. May 2009 · 5 comments · Categories: News, Opera

But I guess this particular opera can’t:

Mr. Laudamiel, a French fragrance designer who has created perfumes for Clinique, Estée Lauder, Ralph Lauren and Michael Kors, is collaborating on a “scent opera,” a new performance art that pairs music with a carefully orchestrated sequence of smells, some pleasant and some real stinkers. The opera, titled “Green Aria,” will test the boundaries of scent art when it opens at the Guggenheim Museum in New York May 31.

RTWT

Reeds … You Just Never Know

20. May 2009 · Comments Off · Categories: Ramble

My call for the rehearsal tonight was 7:30. I just assumed that the rehearsal began at 7:30, so I thought if I got into the church at 7:00 I could check out the nine reeds I had going to see which would be best in what I knew would be an boomy and probably echoey hall. Since I always allow even more time than necessary I got there at about 6:50. The conductor was surprised I was there that early. (Guess she’s not used to oboists!) I was surprised that they were rehearsing a piece before me, and the rehearsal was starting at 7:00. I was ever so thankful I was there ten minutes earlier than planned.

I had dipped the reeds in water before leaving home, and then placed them in my case in order, from easiest to hardest.

Typical: what I thought was the winning reed was at one end of the reed case and the actual winning reed was at the other end.

This “hall” (church) simply requires a reed with very little resistance. So there you go. Easy reed it is.

The rehearsal went fine … I think! With my left ear still not working there’s a bit of a question mark, but I do think it’s okay. Thing is, I asked a friend (the concertmaster) to let me know if things weren’t right, but of course we are friends and I’m guessing she is too darn kind to be brutal if necessary. Ah well. I will try to trust my instincts and say I think it’s okay.

Some Mighty Fast Moving!

20. May 2009 · 3 comments · Categories: Oboe, Videos

The oboist below moves quickly enough that the camera can’t keep up!

The not-really-Haydn Oboe Concerto, part 1 of the first movement:

Part 2 of the first movement:

TQOD

20. May 2009 · Comments Off · Categories: TQOD

Interviewed 10 women w/ interesting hobbies-cheerleading, opera, oboe, acting, ballet, coaching softball. The actress may get the job.

« Older articles
Newer articles »