You Tube Auditions

24. January 2009 · 2 comments · Categories: Ramble

I am definitely not going to review the oboists who put their videos up you YouTube for the YouTube Symphony Orchestra audition. I think, no matter the playing, they are brave people. Or very innocent. Or perhaps extremely confident.

No matter. Some are pretty darn good, and some definitely have issues. Some aren’t following the rules; it appears a few don’t know it says no accompanist. Some have more than two videos up at YouTube … time lapse … but now I’m realizing that perhaps they haven’t actually submitted them to the contest*. But what fun to hear these players, even while I have reservations about the YouTube Symphony Orchestra.

Beginning tomorrow I will post the videos I find here with no comments. (You can comment all you want, but please remember these are people. Most have feelings. And they’ve put something up that multitudes of people will watch and listen to.) I’m unsure if these are officially submitted to the contest or not — it’s just what I’m finding out in YouTube land.

These videos will be put up in no particular order. I’ll probably only put up one per player, and I’m thinking I’ll skip the Tan Dun work (it’s just not that meaty for the oboe). So you’ll be hearing the solo work they choose. Enjoy.

(Side note: I’m almost always annoyed, disgusted, or angry by comments that folks write on videos. I hope people go easy on these auditionees.)

*If you go here and click on “view” you’ll see only one oboist and one English hornist have actually submitted a video. I wonder if the others think they have? Hmm.

BQOD

24. January 2009 · Comments Off on BQOD · Categories: BQOD

Utkin’s oboe playing is superb; strangely he did not seem to have to do all that housekeeping that you see other oboists do, fiddling with bits of paper, or the mouthpiece – maybe he just has a better quality of oboe?

I read it here.

I don’t think a “better quality of oboe” keeps one from having to use paper (most people use cigarette paper. I use end paper, which you can buy at a beauty supply shop; I don’t like to use cigarette paper if I can help it) to clear up water issues. As to the mouthpiece (reed): some oboists really fuss a lot with their reed, handling it, squeezing it open, that sort of thing. I don’t like to see the squeezing thing, and I only do that with dead or near dead reeds and only when I’m totally giving up on a reed. I’m usually just making sure it’s straight (well, my kind of straight … I do have it slightly crooked compared to a lot of players, I think). Some fidgeting is merely habit and nerves.

Take The Key and Lock Her Up

24. January 2009 · Comments Off on Take The Key and Lock Her Up · Categories: Links

On An Overgrown Path has a very funny story about a certain pianist being locked in.

Oh Those Crazy Opera Singers!

24. January 2009 · Comments Off on Oh Those Crazy Opera Singers! · Categories: Read Online

There are some times when I’m pleasantly surprised, I come across something and go, “Wow! Ahhhh!!” Two summers ago, I was on bike patrol over by Lord and heard a guy singing opera — this was at around two in the morning — singing opera very well. Great singer. I come around on my bike, and he’s walking down Tuck Drive completely naked, singing opera. Don’t see that usually, hopefully I’ll never see that again.

I read it here.