Reviews are in, and they are fairly positive. No mention of yours truly, but I only had one true “solo-solo” so I’m not at all surprised. I still think I played well, but you know me and those doubts! I’ll always have ’em. It’s in the blood.
I do think the program worked. When I saw Ellington on the program I wasn’t thrilled, but this work is, in my little opinion, really wonderful. It was new to me, and I loved sitting there enjoying the first three movements before playing the only one with English horn in it. (And even in that movement I played less than I expected; there was one solo that the maestro said shouldn’t be in my part, so I sat there watching it go by. No one else played the line, so I’m not sure what that was about. It certainly wasn’t in his own score, though, which he used rather than the rental score.) My part is actually in the second oboe part, but we “split the book” which saves symphony a doubling fee. (Aren’t we nice to save them money? I think so!) Then, following the fourth movement, I sat through three more movements. In some ways I feel like such a fool just sitting there, but I do have one of the best seats in the house!
Hi Patty,
Glad you enjoyed the Quatuor Ebene! I’ve just ‘tagged’ you in a little game of internettag, I’m afraid, so to find your challenge please visit: http://jessicamusic.blogspot.com/2008/09/er-right.html
Enjoy… 😉
Thanks for posting the links to these reviews! (I was curious what might have been said.)
I was curiously underwhelmed by both reviews for some reason I cannot quite define.
I especially wondered what David Bratman meant specifically about the “SF symphony learning something” from the SSV performance of the Prokofiev.
I’m glad that credit was given where credit was due, though, with respect to Maria Tamburrino’s playing throughout the evening. It was luminous!
To be fair, Mr. Bratman’s isn’t an official review, but a blog entry. I thought Mr. Scheinin’s review seemed abbreviated. I wonder if some of it was cut, or if it had to be kept short.
Just wondering ….
Soon to be answered, Jessica! 🙂
(And I went ahead and totally embarrassed myself, too.)