What more can I say?
I have to choose between playing principal oboe and English horn for next week’s Symphony Silicon Valley concerts. Now if i had a ton of time to work on the music, I’d probably not hesitate to take the principal position. But it’s Tuesday. The rehearsals begin a week from tomorrow. Between now and then I start teaching at SCU, I have three opera performances, and of course my regular private students. In addition I’m just a wee bit stressed for personal reasons.
So what to do, what to do?
Not choosing principal … will it make me appear to be a wimp? Maybe I am a wimp anyway? The English horn parts—the David Amram world premiere (with a nice, expressive English horn solo, or at least it’s marked solo) and Jancek’s Sinfonietta—look like fun and non-stressful. The oboe parts? Well, the Janacek oboe part has a passage that’s quite technical and is going to take some time to learn. The Amram looks like fun, while there are a few challenging parts. But challenging is good, yes? And then there’s Beethoven’s 6th. So a lot of good music.
And a difficult choice. I’d gladly let someone else tell me what I have to do. But of course that’s not how this works!
… did you?
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra has a blog.
I only just found this out. Am I just behind the times or what?
Or maybe I don’t want anyone to answer that last question. 😉
It does seem that every review I’ve read of Lucia di Lammermoor says we have a hit on our hands. This review* is no exception, and especially raves about our new soprano, Khori Dastoor.
It appears this may be a very good year for Opera San José.
*article no longer available
