oboeinsight

I should also mention that the Neue Galerie is piping music into the galleries where “Klee and America” is hanging, a practice for which vulgar is not even close to the word. Yes, I like Schumann’s Carnaval, but I’m damned if I know why anybody thinks the paintings of Paul Klee profit from being viewed with Carnaval playing in the background.

I agree with Terry Teachout on this one (not that that was what his post was about, primarily); we don’t need music in the background when we see art. But for me it goes both ways. When I’m listening to music I don’t need anything else, and I certainly don’t want anything else to interfere. I’m guessing a lot of composers prefer we “just” listen as well. I suppose some might have written a composition and said, “This will go great in Macy’s when the crowd is milling about.” Or perhaps not.

In Other News
Today is a lovely, warm, sunny, blue-sky day. I guess the rainy season has ended. This means reeds will be different (again). We reed players are always dealing with change, it seems. Of course this means we always have an excuse, so I should look on that bright side, eh?

I have no opera until Friday. This is the long, somewhat uncomfortable final week break. I’d prefer everything happen closer together. I guess, though, that this is better for concert goers, as so many prefer attending on weekends. So we have the final Friday and Sunday shows, and both with the same cast. The other cast has finished up for the season and this means, for many, that they’ve finished up with the company. Next year will bring a good number of new faces to the company. I can’t wait to (almost) hear and see them. Oh. Wait. We can’t see them anymore. Sigh. I knew the faces of the past year because they were with us in Montgomery, where we could see the stage. How strange it will all be when I only (barely) hear voices and see no singers in my mind’s eye when the voice drifts down into the pit. Maybe opera should have a little get together prior to the start of the season, to let us connect at least a wee bit. That might be nice!

Next week it’s Debussy, Piazzolla and Berlioz. I like the program, and I look forward to the work, but I’ve never played the second oboe/English horn part, which is the way it is written, for Symphonie fantastique so a part of me is apprehensive about that. In the past we’ve always had three players on stage. Two oboes, and me on the EH. I would then assist the principal once I finished with the third movement English horn solos. That worked extremely well for both me (kept me working and not sitting through multiple movements) and the principal oboist, who has her work cut out for her in that piece. But, alas, times have changed. Now I have to manage to go from second oboe to the English horn solo (not difficult, really, since I have a movement to prepare), then back to oboe for the middle section of the third movement, and then back again to EH to play the end of the third movement, with only a few measures to get back into EH solo mode. I’m hoping the Maestro will do things in order so I can get comfortable with the transitions. Sometimes conductors don’t do things in order until the dress or, believe it or not, the first concert. It does keep me on my toes, of course!

I love Debussy’s Petite Suite—I find it very charming. Piazzolla’s Four Seasons of Buenos Aires is strings only. I really enjoy Piazzolla, and find this particular work fabulous. The Berlioz is great. (Sorry … such weak descriptions of the works. I need to take more time to describe them better, but that will have to wait for another time.) I think the program is well worth coming to hear. If you don’t have tickets yet, I’d suggest you head on over to the Symphony Silicon Valley website and get some!
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