oboeinsight

Magritte’s Apple will be hosting a Carnival of Music on February 13 and is, in fact, the new host of CoM.

What does this mean to me? Eh … just that I’ll check it out, of course. But if anyone wants some blogattention that’s one way to get it. I’ve never submitted anything. I’m waiting to post something so exquisitely perfect that it has to be submitted. I suspect I’ll be waiting long, long time. But forever is such a nice time to wait. Or maybe not. 😉

In other news … I’m at my Santa Cruz coffeeshop again. Some folks think I drink coffee all the time simply because I blog from here once a week. Not so! I never drink coffee at home—it’s all about hot water and an occasional hot cocoa at home. (Yes, I really do drink plain old hot water. Like an old lady.) But I like this place, and it’s especially fun today as they are playing all Beatles. I look around at people who are, I suspect, younger than I, and I wonder if they know these tunes like I do. (They do if they have a daughter like mine‐hi Kelsey!—who loves The Beatles. Now our younger son, Jameson, is enjoying them as well, and, in fact, will be singing versions of The Beatles’ music at this week’s Java & Jazz concerts.) Anyway, I’m enjoying myself.

Soon it’s time for the drive up the hill. I need to take a look-see once more at the Boheme part, and I brought Barber’s Canzonetta along with me since I enjoyed it so much yesterday; perhaps I’ll get to perform the work someday, so I want to see how it sits on the oboe. I was thinking about practicing Cage’s 4’33” but I’m just not sure I want to give it the time today. That work, actually, would be perfect for you apartment dwellers! You’ll not hear anyone complaining about your practice time, right? (Note to my students: NO, you may not practice that and include it on your practice charts. So sorry!)

For those of you who might think I’m making fun of Mr. Cage, please know I think there is merit to what he did. I think many of his works aren’t just about the musicians and what they do, but the audience and how they react. I tend to think of some of his stuff more as performance art than pure music. (Sure, I can be wrong about this, so you can tell me so if you want.) So while I might be funnin’ with you right here, I’m not entirely dissing the man. I can’t say I like all his stuff, but he causes people to think. And thinking is good. Don’t you think?
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Most of the hits at this site are due to fairly predictable searches. Some are looking for oboe auditions, some for oboe teachers, and some are searching on a double reed player’s name (I wonder how many of us searching on our own names?!). I rarely see searches that don’t make sense, although I sometimes run across a doozy and then of course I have to share!

Today the odd searches can’t qualify as doozies, but here are a few with comments:
the simpsons theme song for oboe (um … there are a whole lot of instruments in the theme song so I’m having a rough time hearing it for solo oboe, but if the searcher found it do tell!)

sleeping on the job (No, I’ve not ever done this. I’ve felt like it on occasion, but it’s too difficult to play oboe and sleep at the same time.)

hertelendy blog (If you are looking for the reviewer, Paul Hertelendy, go here. He doesn’t seem to review anything I’m in any longer. I wonder what’s up with that?)

oboe stuck swab (Come for a visit! I have a swab remover and I’ll gladly help. I recommend using a soft cotton swab that can’t pull all the way through the top joint. It will never get stuck! I use one that is a t-shirt like material. It’s quite nice. Silk ones knot too easily and they also don’t absorb much moisture.)

learning through music quotes (Well, I don’t know what you’ll learn, but you’ll find plenty of music quotes here!)

oboe finger picture (Hmmm. Which finger? We use more than one, you know? Perhaps you mean Fingering Chart?)

making knife tutorial (Sorry. Can’t help you.)

hate oboe (Awwww. C’mon.)

where do the musicians stand in the orchestra (We sit. In most groups, anyway. And it differs … if you go to orchestra sites sometimes they show you pictures which might help.)

grove music password does anyone know (Um. Wouldn’t that be illegal?)

orchestra stereotypes joke (If you find it, let me know!)

symphony for oboe (Gee, a symphony just for oboe!? Cool!)

Keep up the searching. And if you land here, drop me a line! 🙂
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jiggity jig!

(Don’t know the poem? Well, maybe I’ll rewrite it and give you my oboe player version in a moment.)

It’s good to be home. And safe. The roads weren’t too bad driving to Napa, but coming home was something else. The rain was the sort that doesn’t allow one to see very far … but some fools were still driving with their lights off, which amazes me. I had planned on having a salad somewhere on the way home, planning on finding, as well, free wireless so I could relax for a while and spend some time checking out my favorite blogs. But the bad weather just convinced me to keep driving and get home to avoid any traffic jams that might occur. I managed to do just that until right when I arrived in my very own city. Kind of figures, doesn’t it? And of course the day I remember to bring my camera is the day that snapping pictures would have been pointless. Ah well.

My listening for the trip was of many of my recent emusic purchases. The first was this CD which contains Dvorak’s Serenade for Winds, Enesu’s Dixtuor, and ends with Mladi by Janacek. That nearly got me all the way to Napa, but not quite. It was followed by a Barber CD. As you can see if you visit the link, I heard Capricorn Concerto, which I mentioned earlier, and then went on to hear many works I had never heard prior to this CD purchase. The first was A Hand of Bridge (a nine minute opera), followed by Mutations From Bach. After that it was his Canzonetta for oboe and strings which is incredibly beautiful, and the Intermezzo from Vanessa. I’ve played that opera, but I have to confess I don’t remember it at all. Is that sad? Yes, I suppose so. Finally, from that CD, I heard Fadograph of a Yestern Scene. (What DOES that mean?! Guess I’ll have to read up on it! Because I had room to put two more works on the CD, I added his Summer Music for Woodwind Quintet (played by the Bergen Woodwind Quintetand Dawn Upshaw’s recording of Knoxville, Summer of 1915. (Her recording includes other stunning works as well and I highly recommend it.) Talk about enjoying myself … what a good listen this was! When those were completed I listened for a short time to NPR, but then decided I needed something light to get me through the storm. So Bing Crosby crooned for me until I was nearly home. Then it was news. I could have done without that last choice, but oh well!

Anyway, here I sit, with a bit of clam chowder. Yeah, I was craving salad while on the road, but getting into the cold house convinced me that hot soup would do quite nicely.

And the oboe? The reason for this long trip? The oboe is fantastic! I can’t recommend Mark Chudnow highly enough. He does beautiful work. And he’s a nice guy, too. So if you are looking to have your oboe repaired, or if you are looking to purchase an oboe, or if you need supplies, do check his place out! Napa is a very nice place and you can even spend some time wine tasting or shopping at their outlets (that center is quite close to his place; I skipped it because finances aren’t allowing shopping these days, but eventually I’ll get there!). Next up for repair is the English horn, which has its appointment set in March. I can’t wait to see (and hear) what he does with that, since it has needed a good going over for quite some time.

I did ask Mark if he fixed the oboe case so that every time I opened it I would find a new, good playing reed. He did not. I suppose I can’t have everything.

Note of minor interest: gas is around ten cents cheaper up in Napa.

To Napa, to Napa
to pick up my horn
home again, home again,
tired and worn.

Sorry … I’m not even giving you a second verse. And if I were a true poet I probably would have been able to find something in the second line to rhyme with “jiggity jig” right?
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Today is oboe collection day. No … I’m not driving around town collecting oboes! I’m driving back to Napa to pick up the oboe that has been in the shop for three weeks. Mark said he thinks I’ll really like what he’s done with it and I can’t wait to see and play it! So I will exercise (I’m attempting to get in five times a week … a challenge, to be sure, but it’s possible!) this morning and then I will do the two hour drive to Napa. By the time I get home I’m sure I’ll feel as if I’ve lost a whole day. I did burn a new CD (I downloaded a Naxos recording of Barber from emusic and I’m really liking what I’ve heard so far (and now I want to play the Capricorn Concerto … maybe San Jose Chamber Orchestra would be up for it sometime?). I have plenty of other CDs recently obtained through emusic that I can also listen to. I’m even bringing a camera in case I see something I want to snap a picture of. (Nothing like Dan’s work, mind you.) So I think I’m set.

Beginning on Wednesday it’s La Boheme. In Italian. Sir Edward Appleton would be happy, I guess.

I’ve heard many English speaking people suggest that opera should never be in English. Some have some legitimate reasons (something about our language and its unmusical nature or something, I think), but if it’s just because they don’t like hearing what the singers are singing I say “Bah!” Do they think Italians didn’t know what Verdi or Puccini wrote? I just want to hear operas in their original language.
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Well, what can I say? I had a blast! Sometimes concerts just feel right, and this one did. (Granted, I only played the first and last works, and I couldn’t hear the others.) But I enjoyed the music, and loved what Cynthia Baehr and Eleanor Angel did with the Sinfonia Concertante. They were just great!

Of course who knows what a reviewer will say? IF we even get a review. (Lately it seems that San Jose has fallen off the map for many reviewers.)
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