I’m hoping to get to this:
Francaix Quartet
Chamber Music Sundaes Series
April 10 at 3PM at St. John’s Church
Berkeley, California
Tickets are $20-25 415-753-2792
… and now you can get to it too!
Yes, I’ve heard of Bruckner, but NEVER had I heard of Abendzauber before. Get this: “Among his most unusual and evocative compositions is the choral Abendzauber (1878) for tenor, yodelers and four alpine horns. It was never performed in Bruckner’s lifetime.”
Conductor: J. Böck
Soloist: J. Gisser
Vienna Vocalists, Ensemble of the Vienna State Opera Chorus
Horn ensemble of the Vienna Symphonic Orchestra
3 Sopranos: Yuan Ming Song, Özlem Bulut, Jozefina Monarcha
I must say, though, that those don’t sound quite like yodelers I’ve heard before!
Putting the law aside for a moment (which actually isn’t so novel these days), the internet has taught us that it’s very difficult to monetize what you cannot ‘exclusivitize’. Any content that can be fixed in digital media (music, video, article, photo, software, etc.) is easily replicated and swapped and is therefore difficult to monetize. If Range Rovers could be cut & pasted or dragged & dropped they too would lose their value.
What isn’t replicable and what our fans do value is our time. And theirs. Our fans are schoolteachers, bank tellers and doctors. They fold t-shirts at the GAP, bag groceries and drive tractors. They make $8/hr, $20/hr, $500/hr and beyond. To them, time is money.
The notion of doing something once and then cutting and pasting it (like a record) isn’t easily analogized by our fans. They can’t fold one shirt or fill one bag of groceries and then cut and paste it. They can’t do one spinal surgery and cut and paste it. Every task requires them to be present in the moment and each has its own inherent risks. Our fans recognize the value of our time and appreciate our individual efforts.
I appreciate Evan Lowenstein’s thoughts. Do read the whole thing!
I think the one problem, though, is that so many people (usually not in any arts field) think any art should be free or at least cheap. Many think we should get “real jobs” ‐ fold shirts, bag groceries or whatnot — and do our art for free in our free time. Those that think that way don’t realize that we spend hours preparing: practicing, studying the part and/or score, listening to works, making reeds, and of course we have extremely expensive equipment we provide. Or they know this and think that’s the way it is with any “hobby”.
Sometimes those folks and others also think that what we do is “fun” and “fun” isn’t worth money and many hate their own jobs ‐ be they minimum wage jobs or six figure jobs — and the fact that we find our job fulfilling and, yes, sometimes even fun seems wrong. I am blessed to have this job I have. I sometimes do marvel at the fact that I get paid to do something I truly enjoy (most of the time). But enjoyment of a job doesn’t mean it’s worth less. At least I hope not.
Practicing oboe. I sound like a cancerous duck -___-
I’m not nearly as well known as Robert Orth, but I once wrote a wacky bio too. Sadly I threw mine away. You would have loved to hate it. Really. But his is online (just click the link). Enjoy!
Franz Joseph Haydn (March 31-May 1809)
Thanks for writing so much fab music, and for including English horn, even!
4 days of playing oboe = not fun. the only way i got through it was the girl beside me’s last name was anthony :)
Board members of the Muncie Symphony Orchestra decided to cancel the final performance of the school year because of recent budget issues.
The concert was scheduled for April 30 in John R. Emens Auditorium, which would have cost the orchestra $35,000 to perform.
The not as horrible news is they plan on returning:
“No one wanted to do it. It’s the right decision, as far as financially. We feel horribly that we are in this position,” he said. “On a positive note, we need to let the world know that we will have a season next year.”
Elissa McDonald, executive director of the symphony, said that although the decision was a difficult one, it ensures that the symphony will have more seasons.
These are sure tough times. I hate reading this kind of news.
… but don’t worry, I’m not dancing! Now that would be even worse than my singing!
We had our first rehearsal for the ballet set tonight, in the less than wonderful rehearsal hall. The lighting in there is horrible, not terribly bright fluorescent lighting. Fluorescent light can trigger migraines, so I now know to think ahead and bring a stand light. I’ll also take some meds tonight that might help me if I am in borderline migraine country.
Below are a few photos I took. The ballet company was rehearsing with taped music while we were downstairs rehearsing our parts. I did a couple blurry, flashless photos and I hope I wasn’t breaking any rules, but I love to post a “view from the pit”. You also see the crummy rehearsal hall and a poster outside the hall.
In a sign that the financial woes at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra are not unique, the Syracuse Symphony voted Tuesday night to suspend the rest of its 2010-11 season as well as all business operations.
The upstate New York orchestra recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. On Monday, it will lay off its staff.
“It’s tough,” said symphony spokeswoman Vicky D’Agostino. “Ninety-three people lost their jobs last night.”
RTWT
I just received an email (with Santa Clara University stationary on it for some reason) that began:
Dear Voice Professional,
I can’t tell you how hysterical that is.
Well, if you’ve heard me sing you already KNOW how hysterical it is, though!
I have a few hours before I teach, and then I head on out to the first ballet rehearsal. I’d be watching a Giants game, but the darn things aren’t going to be on a station we have all that often this year, it appears. Rats!
So instead I guess I’ll relax and kick back and all that jazz. Or spend hours on the computer. You guess which. ;-)
Meanwhile, check out Matthew Curran’s blog entry about last week. I always love it when there’s another blogger out there writing about events I write about; it’s fun to read other people’s perspectives and all. And he, after all, was one of the stars of the “show”!
[name here] is being ‘treated’ to a new and interesting development at this apt complex. A child in an adjoining apt has taken up the horn (sounds like an oboe), and is treating the near neighbors to renditions such as Three Blind Mice, and other songs we learned in school. At least he/she is playing in tune, albeit with enthusiastic volume. It’s nice to know the old classics from my childhood are still around.
From Northeast Thailand:
Why an A isn’t enough. (No, not the pitch — which of course is what I thought this was about at first! — but the grade.) A thoughtful talk from a thoughtful conductor.
No, this isn’t a professional group and yes, it still isn’t “perfect” … but you get the idea, don’t you?
