oboeinsight

Meachem takes the remote mike to greet the students. “How many of you have seen an opera?” Only 20 or so hands are raised. “How is it different than, say, a musical?” he asks again.

Someone in the audience shouts out the proper answer. “That’s right — it’s entirely singing,” says Meachem excitedly. “Not like musicals, where there are some spoken parts.”

And that makes Les Miserables an opera. Same with Evita.

Full article here. (It’s not really about what makes an opera an opera, btw. I just pulled that from the thing.)

I’ve often said it would be fun to review reviewers. But of course I’d never do it. I’m too wimpy to ever take that chance, even while I’m just a small time oboist. But go here and you’ll see that someone else has gone ahead with it. This page has some folks rating New York classical music reviewers. I’m gonna have to read this more carefully when I find the time 🙂

In Other News
I shaped some cane. I wound and began some reeds. I worked on some others I had going, and destroyed some that were clearly rotten. And I just sharpened my Landwell knife.

Now it’s time for a break!
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You know how you should never leave a reed sitting on a music stand if you are leaving the area? You know how teachers—teachers like yours truly—warn against this? You know what can happen to a reed sitting on a stand if you bump the stand?

Yeah. That.

So I do have more than one reed of course, but the one I was most pleased with is the one that fell. Of course.

Gee. Guess what I’m doing today?

While I do that I’m listening to oboe recordings. How is it that every oboist I’m listening to sounds as if he or she has the most perfect reed? Hmmm. How annoying of those musicians flaunting their good reeds on their recordings.

Back to work … back to work …
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