Wow … This is the First I’ve Heard of This

01. March 2012 · Comments Off on Wow … This is the First I’ve Heard of This · Categories: Conductors, News

In July 2011, a successful Mexican musician residing in Germany was abducted by gunmen while on holiday in northern Mexico.
36-year-old Rodolfo Cazares is a Mexican pianist and symphony conductor, leader of the Bremerhaven city orchestra in Germany.

While visiting his parents in northern Mexico, Rodolfo Cazares was sleeping in bed with his wife when masked gunmen burst into the house and shook them awake. Within hours, the gunmen kidnapped 18 members of the same family. The children and the conductor’s wife Ludivine Barbier were released a few days after the crime.

RTWT and if you want to read more there are links below that article.

Truly horrible.

And to think I worry about “Schalltrichter auf!”

01. March 2012 · 8 comments · Categories: Videos, WWQuintet

I have to memorize anything for this weekend’s Mahler 4 concert that has lovely command “Schalltrichter auf!” because I can’t see my music when I raise the oboe that high. But hey … how dare I whine, eh?

Ligeti Sechs Bagatellen played by Carion:

Movements 1 & 2:

Movements 3 & 4:

Movements 5 & 6:

I’ve played this (or at least I’ve attempted it. Who knows how we sounded … it’s been eons and I can’t remember! But Carion woodwind quintet does things by memory. And they move around.

Yeah, I’m impressed by their ability!

Or was that depressed about my inabilities?

Hmmm.

Pondering ….

FBQD

01. March 2012 · Comments Off on FBQD · Categories: FBQD

In case you were wondering which instrument plays the ice cream truck music, it’s an oboe.

Mozart Youth Camerata

01. March 2012 · Comments Off on Mozart Youth Camerata · Categories: Concert Announcements

I received an email about a free concert. I’m sorry to miss it, but I’ll be out of town. Perhaps some of you would be interested, though. Please let me know if you attend … I’d love to hear all about it!

MOZART YOUTH CAMERATA
FREE CONCERT

Mar 11, 2012
4:30 PM – 6:30 PM

Works by Brahms, Andriasox and Mozart

Pre-concert surprises at 4:30!

Berkeley City Club
2315 Durant Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94704

To sign up for a ticket or two go here.

Funny, although …

01. March 2012 · 2 comments · Categories: ACappellaAnyday™

… I don’t have a clue what they lyrics are! I do know this is about Petter Northug, a Norwegian medal winning cross country skier. Maybe someone will fill me in?

TQOD

01. March 2012 · Comments Off on TQOD · Categories: TQOD

the foggy honk of the bassoon (& to some extent the oboe) is what i imagine everything sounded like in ye olden medieval times…

ReedsInCase

01. March 2012 · Comments Off on ReedsInCase · Categories: Reeds, Tools

I received a lovely email from Ryan Walsh, the owner of the company ReedsInCase, and he sent me a sample reed and a Tool Kit Reed Case made by Jen Case. The latter is quite clever, and wonderful way to carry both reeds and tools in a lightweight case. My Landwell won’t fit because it’s handle is a bit too thick, but the Jende barely works, and my Vitry knives fit easily. The reed plays well. I really should purchase a few others from Ryan just to see about the consistency of them, but I was impressed. It’s a rather long reed (over 71mm), and I did a wee bit of carving. It’s not uncommon to need to fine tune a reed, especially when it was made in another part of the country, so I have no problem with that. I may end up clipping the tip a bit, but we’ll see. I’m going to take some time with it to allow it to adjust to California. After all, it’s had a long trip!

Here are some photos … both sides of the case, and below that the reed in the case:

There are other reed cases as well, so be sure and check out all their products!

Thank you, Ryan and Jen, for your wonderful generosity! I think your products are great, and I hope your business is very successful!