Lotsa double reed sound goin’ on here!
… just how much time I spend online. Really.
BUT … does it bring me the joy that going to the opera does? No. Does it bring me the thrill that I get when hearing some incredible symphonic work? No. Does it make me cry like a (often silly) musical does? No.
BUT …
“The maps they gave us are out of date by years.”
Yes, indeed. Things need to change. Those of us the arts need to rethink. And I hope we do it soon. We “artists” seem to be frozen in a different century. We don’t have to be.
And yes, “economic dignity” sounds good to me. I don’t need “opulence”. Really.
I do need a good reed, though.
it’s pretty cool. (I have one student – Hi Tim! – that I think will truly enjoy this, too.)
So I had heard that Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg had auditioned for the YouTube Symphony Orchestra but was rejected. Hard to believe? Not really. ;-)
Okay … these things make me laugh:
#1: “Discover how You Can Improve Your Oboe Reed Making Quickly and Easily. Do you want to make better more consistent reeds without getting an ulcer?”
#2: The background music
#3: Well, look at the cane at the start! Um … it’s a bit on the large side for an oboe reed, is it not? Look at the gouging machine, gouging flat pieces of cane. This is all for sax or clarinet reeds … isn’t it?
So this German video isn’t really what the ad is for. (Deceptive? I think so. But whatever.) The ad on the video is actually for a site I’ve seen before called “Making Oboe Reeds”. You can pay the person $29 (for now … I guess it’s usually $50) for his book. I’ve seen it. It’s fine. But I actually think you can find a lot for free out in InternetReedLand™ these days. Free is kind of nice. :-)
You can always check out this preview by Liang Wang. If only reed making went this quickly!
A fun video … from the Liverpool St Train station …
Ave Maria (Biebl)
This is one of my all time favorites. The first time I heard this, after purchasing a CD, I immediately purchased copies for some family members, I was just so blown away.
Originally a Gaelic carol, this carol is from the Outer Hebrides Islands:
It was translated into English in 1855 (“Christ Child’s Lullaby”):
Star Of Wonder
In The Bleak Midwinter
Es ist ein Ros entsprungen
Hark the Herald Angels Sing
(I think it’s nice to have some of the advent posts include singing in a more natural setting. I found this one touching.)
