oboeinsight

Okay. But how did I look?!

I guess sex appeal is in when it comes to classical music. Or so some articles are saying, and some CD covers are suggesting. (Do you notice how you NEVER see a publicity shot of an oboist that includes playing the oboe, though? It’s just not all that sexy looking. Oh. Wait. When do you ever see a publicity picture of an oboist anyway? Never mind.) Still, some oboists have made it on to that Beauty In Music site that has pictures of the “hottest women in classical music.” (No, I’m not there. And no, I’m not surprised.) I do wonder about these hot women, though; are they also “hot players” or does that matter? And where the heck is the “hot men” site? Oh well. I’m not concerned about it, really. I’m just wondering … because I can.

But anyway, this article is about how we look. It even includes a picture of Thomas Rolf Truhitte (Hmmm. I don’t remember the “Rolf” from his years here.), formerly of Opera San José. He was an artist in residence here. It looks like he still has “that” hair. I used to call him “Hair Tom” (to myself only, of course) because it seemed like his hair was nearly as much a part of his talent as his voice. (I’m not saying he’s not a good singer, mind you!) .

I’m just glad I have my jobs and I’m not hired for my looks. I’d be in serious trouble if I had to send out pictures of myself to get the gigs. Whew!

In Other News
This article features a conductor entering the pops concert on a horse, carrying an American flag. No thanks. Not for me!

Then there’s the Symphony Of 21 iPods. No one called here to request that I bring mine. Oh well. My son is using now anyway, and would probably hate to part with it.
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I dunno, I’m not all that bothered that Cinderella’s wicked stepsisters would be portrayed as call girls and her evil stepmother as a brothel madam. I mean, the characters are horrible in the story, and this fits. But according to this story Prokofiev’s family is not happy. So the ballet isn’t going to happen. (I don’t quite understand why an opera company is doing a ballet, but I won’t go there for now.)

It’s interesting, at least to me, that the use of Prokofiev’s ballet music has to get approval. I wonder … if an orchestra was to do one of his works and, say, decides to perform it while clowns juggle, or maybe while naked (not I, of course … not in this lifetime!) or maybe while tomatoes are thrown at audience members, would they have the rights revoked? Not that I’d want any of those things to occur during a concert, but these days it seems anything could happen to draw a crowd, you know? I used to be a music librarian and I don’t recall ever being asked how we were planning on performing the works.

This year our local ballet company will be doing Prokofiev’s Romeo & Juliet. It’s one of the few ballet works I absolutely love to perform. GREAT music and, the last time we did it, an incredible ballet. I wonder if “the fam” (that of the Prokofeiv clan) has seen it, though.
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