You can purchase your Met tickets now. This year they are going to be showing the productions at more movie theaters. Check it out here. Included are three listings for San Jose. Nice!
The experience of seeing a great orchestra or chamber group perform live is a potentially powerful, even religious experience. Unfortunately, most concert halls have all the energy of a geriatric home, and are just as sterile. Here are some things the folks at Lincoln Center and Carnegie might want to try:
1) Lose the tuxes and replace them with something more contemporary (i.e., black suits and shirts)
2) Amplify the sound so that listeners in the rear of the orchestra and balcony have the same aural experience as those in the $100+ seats
3) Offer open seating at select concerts
4) Allow patrons to take pictures during curtain calls and at intermission (without flash)
5) Dim the house lights and use stage lighting, or even projections
6) Generate buzz through blogs, message boards and other forms of word-of-mouth marketing
7) Encourage applause between movements
8) Play more non-dead composers
9) Sell CDs for no more than $10
10) Ditch the stagehands;/blockquote>
I wonder how many of you can guess which I like and which I don’t. Hmmm.I found the list here.
I had every intention of going to the SCU orchestra concert tonight. After an opera rehearsal, though, I had to change my plans. I knew that after I taught my 5:00 (45 minute) student I’d never be able to handle going to a concert. Sad. But true. And I really am having to pace myself for now. It’s that low energy thing I’ve got going.
So home I will stay. I do apologize to those I said I’d be hearing tonight. 🙁
Alumni Recital Series: Richard Woodhams and Friends
Wednesday, November 14 at 8 p.m.
Field Concert Hall
Richard Woodhams, oboe (’68)
Christoph Eschenbach, piano (guest)
Juliette Kang, violin (’91)
Lisa-Beth Lambert, violin (’93)
Che-Hung Chen, viola (’00)
Yumi Kendall, cello (’04)
Michael Shahan, double bass (’62)
Corporate sponsor: Commerce Bank
SCHUMANN Drei Romanzen, Op. 94
LUDWIG The Catherine Wheel
KRENEK Sonatina for Oboe Solo
BRITTEN Phantasy, Op. 2
BEETHOVEN Adagio for Oboe and Strings, elaborated by Renate G. Rosenblatt
Principal oboe of the Philadelphia Orchestra since 1977, Richard Woodhams has been called “a marvel of this tough instrument” (Philadelphia Inquirer). He has appeared as a soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra throughout the United States and Asia and has collaborated with such artists as Emanuel Ax, Itzhak Perlman, Andre Watts, and the Guarneri and Tokyo string quartets.
Single tickets: $28, subscriptions $95; Curtis Ticket Office, 215-893-7902 or www.curtis.edu. All artists donate their services, and proceeds benefit current Curtis students.
Or not.
Earlier today, for instance, the Schumann Duo performed a selection of lighter classical fare ranging from Handel to the twentieth century. Clarissima played piano, and Kahuna oboe, English horn and Stanley Handyman saw — quite well, too. (RTWT)
I don’t really understand this whole Second Life thing (isn’t one life enough?), but whatever. I wouldn’t mind making only virtual reeds. That part would be quite fine. But I guess if you are “performing” on the thing you are actually playing in “First” (real) life. So I guess a good reed is still a good thing. Initially I thought it was completely virtual … no actual playing, but some sort of fake thing goin’ on … ah well.
