I thought last night’s Symphony Silicon Valley concert went well. Pam played beautifully in the Bizet and got a well deserved bow. Much to my surprise the conductor had me stand after Pam. It’s true that the slow movement solo gets passed to the second oboe, but it never entered my mind that it would be noted. I’m afraid I didn’t stand immediately, as I couldn’t fathom that he was acknowledging me! One thing conductors might not realize is that we can’t always tell who they are looking at. (I always like it when they mouth the name of our instrument—then it’s quite clear.) I usually know when I’m to stand, as a solo is fairly obvious. But oh well … a moment of unprofessionalism on my part. Sigh.

The conductor, Martin West, is excellent. He said some things during the rehearsal that made me want to stand up and cheer. I do hope we have him return!

In Other News
I’d love to be able to hear this “new” old music (music that was taken from Germany by Russia after WWII). It’s to be published, so I guess eventually some pieces might make their way to some of our stages here in the US. I’m a fan of Telemann. I feel as if he’s one of the often neglected composers, and I’ve always enjoyed playing works by him. They seem to sit well on oboe.

Say What?
Read at a “food media blog”:

The interplay of taste, aroma, texture, and visual appeal is irreducible. Umami is just one instrument in the orchestra; it sounds lousy in solos but improves the rest of the orchestra. Understanding how an oboe enriches a symphony is important knowledge for any composer, but it would be absurd to choose your music based on minutes of oboe time.

Now wait a minute! Is this person implying that some orchestral instrument sounds lousy in solos? To which instrumnet is he or she referring? Seeing the oboe mentioned in the next sentence has me worried. Goodness me! We are the best when it comes to solos, are we not? (You may answer this if you know the correct answer! Otherwise just keep those opinions to yourself! 😉
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