I’m not sure I want to play heavy, challenging music all the time. This week we’re also playing another easy concert program which consists of Bernstein’s Broadway music. Again, many friends of mine will attend this concert. They’ll love it, and I’ll probably enjoy hearing as we play it. But it’s a mental vacation for me, and this concert requires no extra preparation on my part. The orchestra can just sight-read through this stuff, and the rehearsals are mostly to get the tempos right. Am I looking forward to the concert? No, but I’m looking forward to having an easy week.
This is from a post over at John Floeter’s site. You can read the entire entry here.
I can relate, but I have to confess that sometimes I DO look forward to the gig. I frequently like the music. Sometimes I even like playing the music. (Some of it is so poorly arranged or written it’s just embarrassing, of course.) I remember doing one job where a trumpet player, during a break, talked with me, grumping about the job. I had to be honest. “Well, I kind of grew up with some of this stuff and I’m enjoying it!” He looked baffled and I don’t blame him. I’m a classically trained oboist. I’m supposed to be picky. And sometimes I am, but sometimes I’m just loving the fun job. Sometimes I get a few juicy little solos. You know the type—the ones in the movies that make you cry. I’m good at that sort of thing. And I like to do it.
Of course I’ve mentioned before that I like musicals as well. That’s a really bad thing to say as a classically trained musician. I’m supposed to despise them, or at least see them as lower than my opera and symphony work. But heck, I like a good meal that costs me a bundle, but sometimes a cheap chicken sandwich (I don’t eat red meat so I won’t go so far as to say “burger”) and fries just fits my mood.
In any case, what Mr. Floeter describes is quite accurate. Sometimes it’s easy stuff. Sometimes it’s noise. Sometimes we are there, as far as I can tell, for “decoration” or, dare I say it, to make the event seem more “classy”. (I just read an article about a youth symphony playing for some rock concert and the reviewer even said “Adding class to the show…” so I’m not just being an idiot by saying that. Am I? 😉
