Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come
back to your work your judgment will be surer. Go some distance away because
then the work appears smaller and more of it can be taken in at a glance… a
lack of harmony and proportion is more readily seen.
-Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
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My cold seems to be improving more rapidly than I could have possibly imagined! (Thanks, those of you who are pray-ers.) I’m so happy to not be coughing wildly, or putting my box of kleenex, which sits there on the floor of the pit right in front of me, to much use. Whew! I’d been told by a number of people that this would last for weeks. Not so. Double Whew! (And “Thank you, God.”)
We’ve now had four performances of Les Mis. The audiences have been on their feet giving a “Standing O” every time. I’ve read, online, that it’s a wonderful production. I love listening to the singers. The prayer is especially moving, as it should be. So far I’ve been nervous every time I’ve reached my big solo. I’m sick of being nervous. I wish there were a button I could switch … to just rid myself of nerves would be so great. I realize that many of my colleagues do this with inderol, but that’s not an option for me and, besides, I don’t usually have this sort of nervous reaction. Sure, I get a bit anxious, but this is nuts! It’s just something about the preceding four measures that set me up for nerves, actually. It reminds me a bit of one of the Tosca solos. The nerves always kicked in for that as well. Stupid, stupid nerves!
But ah well … that’s life and music and all that jazz!
And it’s now 12:56 AM. Seems like someone (Who? Me?) should be in bed! Especially considering the fact that I have two shows again tomorrow. Two doubles in a row makes for a very tired oboist.
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