I purchased a CD that of flute and oboe works I’d been wanting for a while. It arrived yesterday, and I listened to it on my way to exercise today. I finally had to turn down the sound because the flute was driving me nuts. It was far louder, or so it seemed to me, than the oboe. All I could hear was flute, flute, flute, with a bunch of vibrato.
So I was ready to rant here. And then pondered … do I hear with different ears because I’m an oboe player? Do I want more oboe than I should want? Do I dislike the timbre of flute? Do flutists think they should be louder because 1) they are playing above the oboists most of the time and 2) when they are lower they think they aren’t going to come out at all? Do all flutists have to be more attractive than oboists?
Oh … wait … that last one wasn’t something I pondered because of this CD. (Besides, Nancy Ambrose King looks quite lovely.) That’s just a PattyProblem™.
But now I have the CD on at home and how about this … the balance is just great on my speakers here at home. I suppose there’s something about a car that is not welcoming to oboe or something. I wonder.
Anyway, the CD is a Boston Records disk of Amy Porter (flute) and Nancy Ambrose King (flute) and Phillip Bush (piano) with a string orchestra for the Holst A Fugal Concerto. It’s a great recording, and really makes me wish I could find a flutist who wanted to do some or all of these!
Complete program:
Madeline Dring: Trio for Flute, Oboe and Piano
Jean Michel Damase: Trio for Flute, Oboe and Piano
Alberto Ginastera: Duo for Flute and Oboe
Léo Delibes: Flower Duet from Lakmé
Eugene Bozza: Trois pieces pour Flute et Hautbois
Gustav Holst: A Fugal Concert
Any flutists out there want to do some of these? 🙂
Good News in Tooth Land:
No pain today! Just a bit of sensitivity to cold, but I’m going to see if that will go away. I’m thinking that maybe the tooth that was hurting after the dental work was merely annoyed that it received no attention after the dentist hammered on it and said, “Does this hurt?” (How can hammering on a tooth NOT hurt?!)