An “Ice Oboe” … or so we are told. I guess it’s an oboe because it’s using an oboe reed. So I guess that if you attach an oboe reed to anything you’ve made yourself an oboe. (For some reason I thought a conical bore was somewhat important.)
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When I read the headline I thought, “You’ve go to be kidding!” But the article was in PlaybillArts and that made me wonder. I found the article to which Playbill was referring, and I actually began to question this whole thing.
Then I looked at the date of the announcement.
Hmmm.
The Virginia Beach Symphony has decided to rebrand itself as “Symphonicity,” reports The Virginian-Pilot.
Orchestra management announced its new name at a concert on April 1. Music director David Kunkel told his audience that the 26-year-old orchestra decided to rename itself for two reasons. First, it wants to minimize confusion with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, based in nearby Norfolk and led by JoAnn Falletta.
Secondly, the orchestra will shortly move into a new and larger home at the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts, where its first concert is scheduled for November 18. It needs to attract a bigger audience and thus also requires a beefed-up marketing campaign.
Thoughts?
I’m saying it’s an April Fools’ joke. But what do I know?
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Here is a way of looking at my own evolution from beginner to sophisticated professional.
1) wanting to hear myself play
2) wanting others to hear me play
3) wanting to be paid to play
and the ultimate step
4) wanting to be paid not to play
No, I’m not saying this … you can read the rest here, at a new blog of a Chicago Symphony bassist I learned about via this blog entry of yet another blogger I’d not been aware of, The truth makes me fret.
Where am I in all of this? I dunno. Maybe because I’m not in a top orchestra, I am still at a point where I am in a combbination of 2 & 3? Hmmm. I love to play. I do like to be heard. I like to earn a living (or at least something!).
And yes, I assume the bassist is kidding around. A bit.
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I just read a blog where the writer says that the great pieces that he knows have been written by composers when they were in dire straights. (I’d quote him, but he clearly states we aren’t allowed to do so.) You can visit his site and the page I saw here. (Is one allowed to say “You can’t quote me”? What are the laws about this? And in my saying he says that I’m not allowed to quote him am I quoting him? Uh-oh.)
This reminds me of some folks in poetry who think only the suicidal can write good poetry. But what do you think? Must one live in AngstLand™ in order to write great music?
I understand what he’s saying … it does seem that a lot of composers were a mess, poor, depressed, insane … but is it a requirement?
And does it mean that a happy composer should just give it up?
What about performers? Some think one has to have experienced the depths of despair to play expressively. I was a pretty darn “angsty” oboist when I was younger. Not because I thought I had to be; I was just darn depressed. Now I’m a fairly content oboist. Do I play better? Worse? Or, because I really did suffer in misery for a time, am I more qualified to play the AngstMusic™?
Just wasting time here … because I can.
