If you go here you can hear (and watch) some of Martinu’s Fantasie for oboe, string quartet, piano and theremin. The oboist is Heinz Holliger (which you will know the minute you see him, of course) and the theremin is played by Carolina Eyck.
If you can’t view that high speed video, go here and you’ll see one for modem speed or just an audio sample.
After taking my little reed making lesson from Cooper, I have thought I really should go over my tutorial and make a few changes. But … well … I’m too lazy for that. So never mind. 😉
But I did run across this flickr account that includes a whole lot of reed making photos, beginning from the very start of the adventure. Check it out!
For the first time, Dan and I have season tickets to San Francisco Opera. I bought a very small season of four operas, all taking place in October and November. We’ll be going to Wagner’s Tannhäuser, the new Philip Glass opera, Appomattox, La Rondine (a Puccini opera with which I’m completely unfamiliar) and The Rake’s Progress by Stravinsky.
After surprising Dan with the (birthday present) tickets while on our mini-vacation (well, my maxi-vacation as well, since that’s it for this year!), I was even more excited about the operas. (And I managed to surprise Dan, too. He figured I’d be getting Appomattox tickets. Hah!)
Then, just a week or so ago, we received a mailing from the opera. Not only do we get to see four operas, but they send along a few perks as well: a CD covering all the operas and some passes for a few special things, including a dress rehearsal we can attend.
I’m totally impressed! You can bet we’ll want to buy more tickets to SFOpera. The company—or is this all David Gockley?—knows how to win us over.
Of course now I’m looking at Samson and Delilah and thinking, “Hmmm. Great oboe solo in this one, and I’d love to hear the new principal oboist play it*. Double hmmm.” (I don’t know much more than that, to be honest; I know the operas I’ve played, and that’s not made the list.
*The winner of the principal position is not yet listed on the roster. I know who it is, but am I allowed to name him? Triple hmmm …?
Last night Anthony Quartuccio, the conductor of Lucia, took care of my book. Whew. It is finally nearly correct. (It’s Kalmus, so completely correct isn’t something I’ll ever write!) Still, it shouldn’t have been Tony’s responsibility; we need a librarian!
Lucia di Lammermoor isn’t much of an oboe opera, as anyone who has heard it knows. I have one nice little solo. That’s about it. The flute rules of course.
Speaking of flutes … I wore a skirt to yesterday’s rehearsal. It has a split in the front. Well, when sitting down I was just a bit uncomfortable. Too much leg showing for yours truly. So I was fidgeting and fussing with it. The flutists both said they liked the skirt and that it was sexy.
Ah-hah!
THAT was the problem.
I’m an oboe player. Duh. So I took the skirt twisted it around, and put the slit on the side.
Without a single stitch sewn I managed to turn an FluteSkirt™ into an OboeSkirt™! 😉
Oh … and to whoever was searching on “English horn Lucia Lammermoor” … nope. No EH at all in this one.
