…or Don Juan and Erotica as one of my friends mistakenly read when I sent off an email about what I was playing this weekend.
So the concerts are over. It was a joy to play Don Juan and Eroica and I’m glad I had the opportunity to do both of those works. (Clarification: I’ve played them before, but I’ve never played principal!)
Playing on stage can be quite different from pit playing. I play much softer in opera (we have young singers that require a bit of volume control from the pit), and I have to convince myself I’m not too loud on stage. This particular conductor, in fact, had me playing what I consider forté for parts marked piano or pianissimo. No one seemed shocked by the volume, so I guess it was fine, but it sure felt loud. The tempi for the Beethoven weren’t exactly to my liking, but I’m not in charge of tempi,and I just do what I’m told. (I wanted the Scherzo faster, for one thing.)
I’m glad I played this set for the challenge … but the music was beautiful too, so that makes it even better.
I’m also glad I have some free time this week with a mini-vacation next weekend!
Next concert is at the arboretum at UCSC with New Music Works, and then there’s one more Symphony Silicon Valley set. After that … well … you’ll have to wait for the news. Nothing to say quite yet! Keep checking my performance schedule for updates!
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