I had seen and heard this song a while ago, but I hadn’t heard the explanation and hadn’t a clue what was going on. What fun!
First I’ve heard this played. Fun!
Gordon Hunt – Principal Oboe of The Philharmonia Orchestra
Celia Craig – Principal Oboe of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
Jeff Crellin – Principal Oboe of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Anne Gilby – President and Founder of the Australisian Double Reed Society
Would I want my students to use this oboe? Doubtful. I start students off with instruments that have the left F. Students end up needing that soon after starting oboe, and it’s something to get in the left pinkie FingerBrain™ as soon as possible.
Informality, accessibility, openness, a sense of welcoming–these are virtues when it comes to the public presentation of art, and this is the front classical music has been battling on for decades. But one thing classical music has lost sight of is that these also are virtues: insideriness, exclusivity, a sense of discernment, of being in on something the masses can’t appreciate. Though musicians love to high-mindedly cast themselves as the enemies of elitism, these too are part of music’s appeal. For example, Seattle, you may recall, about 20 years ago built an entire musical genre and a world reputation by overtly catering to a niche audience. It was music born in garages and divey small clubs, and repudiation of the mainstream–we get it and they don’t–was its whole raison d’être.
Classical music used to do this–better than anyone, in fact. Where it screwed up was to mix in issues of wealth and class, for decades billing itself as a path to social status and gracious living. The snob factor eventually drove away more fans than it drew, and the fight to counteract that image is just what led to innovative events like Friday night’s Seattle Symphony concerts.
Thoughts?
Life advice of the today from my prof: don’t date oboe players they’re crazy rofl dying
I really had an enjoyable time on the stage of the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts for our Symphony Silicon Valley concerts. I enjoyed the conductor, Wilson Hermanto, tremendously. I loved our soloist, Mayuko Kamio (huge WOW with her, really!). The review is good, too. How ’bout that?
It was fun to be back on the CPA stage. What memories. I first played there in 1975. Yes. Really. I played on that stage the whole while I was in the San Jose Symphony, and even after that when this new group began. The size of the hall is a bit too large and difficult to fill, in my little opinion, but it’s much easier to hear my colleagues on this stage, so it was great fun to be there.
I also liked the program. The overture to Poet & Peasant is just a bit ‘o fun fluff for the start (again, in my little opinion), the Lalo was impressive, due to our fantastic soloist, and the Dvorak was new to me so I had a good time learning it and performing it. Before I began learning it I didn’t know that the opening of the slow movement would begin with second oboe. All alone. Good old Dvorak! We often “get” to play very low pianissimo lines. We also get to play when the principal oboe isn’t playing. I appreciate that: to know that we are “trusted” to get to do something without our leader … it’s kind of nice! It’s also very rare.
Oh, and fyi: I nailed my four important solo notes. (Or at least I felt as if I did.)
Yes, I just wrote something positive about myself. Don’t worry, I won’t let it happen again. Or at least not often.
Next up: San Jose Chamber Orchestra and Tango Barroco by Michael Touchi!
