Which is the correct term to describe the oboe part? Loud? no? yes? it seems loud
That day I learned one can simultaneously feel sadness and hope all while being bewildered. That music can – and does – speak of immense immeasurable things that are the very meat of our humanness and experience is what makes it a truly special to share.
-Lynn Harrell
I read it here, at TAFTO (take a friend to orchestra). If you look to the right of Mr. Harrell’s entry you will see links to other contributions from this year. Check ‘em out!
… and she may be the new Supreme Court Justice. And I’ve read these things over and over. The oboe thing is brought up in every single article.
Sun Times
New York Times
Bloomberg
Wikipedia
… and may I just state plainly here that I am tired of hearing about the oboe playing. What we really want to know is: Can she make a good oboe reed? Does she shape her own cane? If so, what kind of cane does she use? And A-440? 441? Say what?
C’mon. Let’s address the reed issues. And address it NOW.
(And how in the world do we trust an oboe player?)
How do I stay in tune while playing oboe?
Okay now this situation has been really getting my last nerve, and I would like some advice from an experienced oboist… or someone of that sort.
So I have been playing Oboe for about a month now, and I can not get the dang thing to stay in tune.
My electronic tuner goes from sharp to flat, from flat to sharp, it is just ridiculous. If I attempt to play a phrase the tuner will just wave back and forth. It is frustrating me because eventually I really hope to develop a nice, natural vibrato. but that’s kind of impossible without being in tune.Details:
I am teaching myself to play oboe. This is because my high school band teacher isn’t an oboist, and private lessons really aren’t optional because for one thing we don’t have enough money for that, and another reason is that there simply aren’t any teachers for that in the small town I’m living in. I currently play trumpet, but I wanted to switch instruments because trumpet just isn’t appealing to me anymore ><
I'm using a Student Model Selmer Oboe, and Jones Medium-Soft reeds.
Please, any advice could help.
Read here.
The Omniscient Mussel is doing the opera plot thing again. Here’s some info (and wow … Jonas Kaufmann is the judge this year!):
OPERAPLOT 2010 – The Lowdown
Dates: 9am EST Monday 26th April to midnight EST Friday 30th April.
Judge: Jonas Kaufmann
Headlining House: Opera Theatre Company based in Dublin is offering two tickets to their Marriage of Figaro production in May, 3 nights hotel stay and up to 1000€ towards flights.Other participating houses (full details here – updated as new houses join)
Atlanta Opera, Edmonton Opera, Fort Worth Opera Festival, Opera Australia, Opera San Jose, Portland Opera, San Francisco Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Scottish Opera, Seattle Opera, Vancouver Opera,
Other prizes
Universal has put CD and DVD sets of Wagner, Haydn and Mozart into the pool. In addition to be fantastic in their own right, these prizes help solve the problem of opera houses not being especially portable….a bit of a snag in a global competition. Tickets for the Vancouver aren’t very useful to a winner living in Atlanta.How it works:
Anyone can enter. Contestants must have a Twitter account.
The idea is to summarize the plot of an opera in 140 characters- the Twitter maximum – or less.
Each tweet must carry the #operaplot tag, so everyone can follow along.
Contestants can enter up to 10 times.
5 winners will be chosen by Jonas. They will each get to choose a prize out of the pool in a randomly selected order.A few facts about last year:
32 opera houses in 4 countries
Over 500 entries
Danielle DeNiese judged the comp
It ended up with Priscilla Barrow, an inner city school music teacher in DC, getting an Opera Ball fairy tale courtesy of the Washington National Opera and #operaplot winner Stephen LlewellynCompressing the plot wasn’t enough of a challenge for some. By the end, people were writing haiku, limericks and even doing the whole Ring cycle in one tweet.
Top 5 from 2009
@leboyfriend – There was a young lady called Fricka Who . . . who . . . *snore* ‘Wake up — it’s over.’ It’s good, I just wish it were quicka. [The Ring]
@wordsmusic – Here’s my castle. Are you afraid? No, I’m going to open all those damn doors! Are you afraid? No, let me in! Who’s that? Oh shit. [Bluebeard]
@musicbizkid – Let me get this straight: unfathomable treasure if I betroth my loopy daughter to a ghost? Deal. She’ll meet you by the fjord. [The Flying Dutchman]
@DrGeoduck – Who wants to live forever? Me! No, wait, i changed my mind. *dies* [The Makropolus Case]
@voxdixit – Monk: Repent, courtesan! (Meditation) Courtesan: Okay! Monk: Wait, there is no God after all! Courtesan: Too late, I’m dead! [Thais]A bit about me
A freelance classical music journalist and ghostwriter from Toronto. I write a lot of books on business as well as arts journalism for the Toronto Star, the CBC and Sony. Online, I am Miss Mussel of TheOmniscientMussel.com. I’m doing this mostly because it’s really fun. Opera fans are usually pretty nerdy and love to play games, so #operaplot is a really good fit.
So … if you aren’t already on Twitter you might want to sign up and start having fun on April 26!
The Oscar-nominated screenwriter will direct a new production of Berlioz’s The Damnation of Faust.
ENO’s artistic director John Berry said: “He is a great storyteller and opera is all about telling a story.”
Ten performances of his work will be staged at the London Coliseum in Covent Garden from 6 May 2011.
Probably my fave Gilliam flick:
I HATE YOU SO MUCH FOR GETTING OBOE AND I GOT STUPID VIOLIN.
Randall Thompson: Suite for oboe, clarinet, and viola, 1st movement
(I’m not sure if the other movements will be posted. If they are I’ll put ‘em up.)
What depresses me is the way that classical music is constantly chasing after techniques of the pop sector, and ending up, like a paunchy middle-aged man squeezing himself into a pair of tight blue jeans, looking a bit silly and terminally uncool. The interesting kids I know today with open musical minds aren’t the slightest bit interested in the charts: they have the confidence to listen to what they like and explore without reference to such crude and naff indicators as “the Top 20” – something they rightly think of as granddad culture.
Why can’t classical music learn something from that confidence in one’s own taste? Why must it jump up and down and dress itself up and pretend to be what is isn’t? Why can’t it stand aside from hype and ephemera and the silly business of judging success by numbers, and instead focus on its deepest strength – feeding a deep and serious appetite for art in which quality isn’t judged by its place in a weekly sales list?
-Rupert Christianson
Thoughts?
Well, at least I practiced my oboe for the first time in 80+ years…
Many thanks to David Mankin for this!
The oboe was used in mainstream music throughout the 1960′s, and then in the 70′s and 80′s things got a little weird. The oboe was still used in some pop music, but in the rock genre the use of the oboe only seems to aggravate the ridiculousness inherent in new wave and glam rock.
You can see the entire slide presentation here. And you can see some pretty crazy looking people, too.
Love the green outfit:
Here’s another band (Japan) using oboe (at 1:44 if you want to skip the rest):
Man … coulda been a rock star.
Or. Um. Not. I look bad in that shade of green anyway.
Camerata Pacifica — Beethoven, Quintet for Piano & Winds, Op. 16, 2nd movement
I recently discussed this issue with a friend and colleague. Now I see we aren’t the only ones pondering:
Sometimes it’s a bit puzzling to reconcile all that suffering with what I do, but I’ve learned over the years (and with many thanks to all your comments and observations) that music, is in fact, vitally, profoundly necessary and relevant to the human spirit. So I’ll keep singing whilst I can…it’s the small contributions that add up over time, right?
-Joyce DiDonato (read here)As a music student, I often felt selfish for pursuing a career in music. I watched as my closest childhood friends grew into adults and took their places in the world community, and marveled at their accomplishments. One dedicated her 20s to an organization called Operation Smile, traveling throughout the developing world helping children in need connect with doctors to get the treatment they were so desperately in need of. Another has chosen a career in promoting cancer awareness and educating communities how to better take care of their health. One is now a Psychiatric resident in New York at Cornell, caring for many mentally ill patients and researching the mysteries of how the brain works. One is a college professor who has dedicated much of his research to education policy. One used her law degree to provide legal aid to youth in need in New England. One is finishing her Ph.D. in anthropology, researching many of the mysteries of how we evolved to be as we are today. Educators, researchers, doctors, volunteer coordinators – it was easy to see how these people who have inspired me my whole life are giving back to society, each trying in their own way to make the world a better place.
As a young musician, it’s really easy to forget why what we do is important.
-Nicholas Phan (read here)
I think I blogged about the discussion I had with my friend a short time ago. I’m too darn lazy to find it though. But one thing I said (and I sure hope this doesn’t sound arrogant) is that “the wealthy deserve to be blessed too.” He had been saying that, for the most part, only the somewhat well off could attend our concerts, due to the prices.
So dare I say that the music we make can bless people? I hope people don’t think I’m being snobby by saying that. But I know that I have been richly blessed by attending concerts these past few years since Dan and I have finally found the time (because it’s not only the money that’s an issue for many) and income that allows us to purchase tickets.
I also think that what we do — our gift — is just that. It’s a gift. To be shared. And shoot, if we are given a gift should we feel guilty about using it? Perhaps we even have a responsibility to use and share it.
Of course one of my other gifts is laziness. So now I’m going to take a little nap.
(Small PS: Of course there are many other benefits to music, and it doesn’t just benefit the wealthy! I don’t mean to be saying that. But I’m tired and I don’t want to continue writing at the moment.)
Really. I never say that. I might say “break a leg” on a very rare occasion. (I don’t really want you to break a leg when I say it though, so it’s sort of like lying! Hmm.) I might say, “Play well!” I’ll frequently say, “Have fun,” or “Make good music.” But I do not say “Good luck.”
I don’t believe in luck. My faith teaches me that everything has a reason and purpose and it’s not about luck. But that’s not really the “all of it” for no “Good luck” from me.
I believe in practicing. It’s not about luck. It’s about preparation. It’s about hard work. It’s about good practice habits. It’s about good instruction, a dose of talent, and even more hard work.
Just so you know. :-)
