I’d never seen this before. A friend (David Hoffman) mentioned it so of course I had to look it up!
… and one more … with Miss Piggy
… has concerts this weekend and it’s my final set of the year. We do have another set scheduled, but it conflicts with Mary Poppins and I will be involved in that so I had to cancel out of the true final set.
Gregory Vajda is returning to conduct Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra and Brahms Symphony #2. I’ll be playing English horn and third oboe in the Bartok. I do love that work!
Saturday 8:00pm May 12, 2012
Sunday 2:30pm May 13, 2012
You can read about our concerts here.
Whenever I hear an oboe, I think of Tatooine. That’s totally normal, right?
… nope, we don’t have ninjas here either.
Too bad.
A New Zealand Symphony Orchestra violinist has learnt a painful lesson about checking his phone while navigating steps.
However, the nasty tumble heralded a nice surprise this morning.
David Gilling – assistant sub-principal second violin in the orchestra – fell down a flight of steps at Civic Square, rupturing the tendons in both legs which connect the quadriceps to the knee caps.
At 11am today, a portion of the orchestra’s brass section turned up at his Kelburn house to lift his spirits with a surprise performance.
Confession: I was texting or checking a Giants score or something one day on my way from the hall to the car a few years back and yes, I nearly did a face plant. The sidewalk was uneven and of course I wasn’t looking and I tripped. Fortunately I caught myself before going all the way down but it was a close call. Since then I’ve rarely texted while walking. I really should stop doing it all together. Maybe publicly writing this will get me to be a better girl. I sure don’t need to break any bones!
Sitting outside listening to my daughter’s oboe lesson. It brings back good memories and how I am very grateful to have great music teachers
We are done with Faust. And I was done with Faust after the first couple of rehearsals. I’m sorry to admit this, but it just doesn’t feed my soul. The music is, to me, ho-hum.
There. I said it.
I know I”m in the minority, since it’s one of the most popular operas, or so I’ve been told. But really, as easy as it is for oboe, it was more tiresome than many because it wasn’t my sort of thing. That doesn’t mean, of course, that I can relax about my playing; no matter if I like something or not, I still have to give it my best. (Even with the bad reeds I have at the moment!) But really … this work is very popular!?
The singers were good. It’s not about that. The orchestra was fine. It’s not about that, either. It’s just about the music. It doesn’t do anything for me. And I’m self-centered enough to want that.
I also wonder about what I read in reviews. In this production Faust, after making that deal with the devil, still gets to ascend with Marguerite at the end. Hmm. Sort of changes the whole idea, doesn’t it? I guess you can sell your soul to the devil and then not lose it after all. Who knew?
So now I move on to Bartok’s Concerto For Orchestra, where I will be playing third oboe and English horn. If I’m remembering it correctly from times past, it’s a fun work to play!
Prior to the Ring Cycle you can watch a documentary, Wagner’s Dream, at your local theater on Monday, May 7. Yes. Today.
The complete Ring cycle will be shown in movie theaters beginning May 9. I know it’s at CineMark at Santana Row. You’ll have to check for your own local theater.
May 9 Das Rheingold
May 14 Die Walküre
May 16 Siegfried
May 19 Götterdämmerung
