Uh-Oh

20. March 2006 · 2 comments · Categories: imported, Ramble

It sounds as if Terry Teachout thinks my career should end sooner than I’d like. I appreciate some of what he has to say, but if concerts of the sort I do are done for, then so am I.

I’m hoping this change that so many are predicting and, it seems, dreaming of, won’t take place until I’ve decided it’s time to hang up the old oboe. And I’m only nearing fifty. I just don’t think I’m ready yet, and I know I can’t afford it. We classical musicians don’t exactly have decent retirement plans.

Maybe it’s time to start thinking about what I’ll be when I grow up? Sigh.

Second Review

20. March 2006 · Comments Off on Second Review · Categories: imported, Reviews

He liked it! (Richard Scheinin was at Sunday’s performance.)
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Music

20. March 2006 · 4 comments · Categories: imported, Ramble

Since Mondays are my day off they are also my cleaning day. I actually look forward to Mondays; I like a clean house.

So this morning I was cleaning the kitchen and I was in the mood for some music. Sometimes I want silence, but today just calls for blasting music.

I began with a CD I put together of various oboe works and one WWQ work that I’d downloaded from emusic. It began with Holmboe’s Oboe Concerto (Say who?! I’ve never heard of the guy … anyone out there know him?), moved to Lars-Erik Larsson’s Oboe Concertino (delightful!), to the Soderlundh Oboe Concertino (another nice work) and then finally the Saeverud WWQ, Tunes and Dances from Siljustol. All but one of these were new works to me when I located them on emusic. Great fun!

Then I moved on to Yo-Yo Ma plays Ennio Morricone. I guess some of my colleagues might think I’m nuts for loving this music so much. It is, after all, “just” soundtrack music. But it really love it. And it’s good to blast when no one else is here to be bothered by it.

Oh … and if you don’t like any of this music, please just don’t tell me! If you wonder why, just read my pattyo blog today. Am I nuts? Probably. But I honestly don’t want to connect anyone’s negative comments with this music. 🙂

Now that the kitchen is clean, I guess I’ll “shop around” and see what else I should work on around here. It’s quite rainy, and I don’t plan on leaving the house until I have to. Not only is Monday my cleaning day, but rainy days are for staying home anyway (whenever possible, of course).

Now I have to find something new to listen to, as Yo-Yo Ma has finished playing for me. (So nice of him to show up here on a rainy Monday morning.)

MQOD

20. March 2006 · Comments Off on MQOD · Categories: imported, Quotes

Nora Post: One of the most fascinating things you’ve said is that you feel the oboe is a lady.
Leon Goosens: Yes.
NP: And I feel that it’s definitely a man!
LG: Well, I suppose it depends upon your inclination … you notice the oboe is used on TV and on the radio whenever it’s something that is very romantic.
NP: Well, why does romanticism have to be something with women?
LG: Well, from the man’s point of view, of course it is.
NP: So you think the oboe is a woman because you’re a man, and I think it’s a man because I’m a woman! … That’s the only answer.
Evelyn Rothwell: Do you think that it can take on the characteristics of both?
LG: An androgynous oboe? I don’t know!

Conversation found in The Oboe, by Geoffrey Burgess and Bruce Haynes, p247
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First Review

20. March 2006 · 2 comments · Categories: imported, Reviews

David Bratman sure didn’t like what my family and I liked.

Ah well.