Go here and you can listen to a radio interview and some oboe playing too. Enjoy!
The oboist below recently won the principal oboe position of Pacific Symphony. And yes, there are a few “oops!” moments. It’s live music, folks. “Oops!” happens!
We had two kiddie concerts this morning. The house looked nearly full, and the kids were incredibly well behaved. I’m sure some of that is due to teachers (please, take the time to thank teachers; they are overworked, underpaid, and currently getting pink slips), some due to parenting, and much of it is due to the conductor Peter Jaffe. He just knows how to get and keep their attention. Today were learned about the fugue and theme and variations and sonata form, along with more. (But you don’t need the complete lesson … or do you?)
Now I’m sitting at Caffe Trieste, enjoying a light lunch and the very necessary double non-fat latté. And then it’s back to the California Theatre (if you’ve not been there you really should try to get there. Check out these great photos!) for the second rehearsal for the upcoming Symphony Silicon Valley set.
Double service days (“DSDs) don’t happen very often for me. They are the norm for those who are working for a group full time, but the groups I’m in are far from full time gigs. Unfortunately for me, these DSDs have one service during the afternoon, and this means I had to cancel a total of six students. I actually take a bit of a monetary loss. But that’s life in the music world. Sometimes this happens. It’s not all about the money … mostly I just miss my students!
Okay … time to get back on stage. Glière (not exactly my fave) and Prokofiev (always a fave) await!
… is very big. It’s grandiose, don’t get too close …”
So, speaking of kiddie concerts, this looks like fun!
… it’s such a problem to shampoo!
Having no young children, this is new to me, but I have a feeling you with younger children are probably well aware of this stuff. And one family makes videos to the this and other songs from the same guy. Too darn cute!
Here’s a bit of Carmen for you:
Schubert’s Trout:
Okay. I’ll stop now. 🙂
Oo seal’s kissed by a rose just came on the radio! Best pop-rock oboe solo everrr…
(Yeah, I went to YouTube and listened. Um. No comment.)
I only wish they had not used the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra as a real-world example of fine interaction, as opposed to the isolation of mental illness. It makes a nice story that there is a conductorless orchestra. But still one should ask, what has the result been all these years? The Orpheus’ conductorless gimmick has produced, to my ears, really nothing but colorless, contourless performances. The sad, unavoidable truth of life is that someone has to be in charge. Hopefully the person in charge has lots of talent and leadership charisma which commands respect. and having people skills is great too. But the Orpheus Orchestra only shows the folly of having no leader in a group beyond a few souls. It produces superficial, bland results.
So … any thoughts from musicians out there who have recordings of Orpheus, or have heard them live? I have certainly enjoyed their recording of Respighi’s Ancient Airs and Dances. It didn’t sound superficial or bland to me. Obviously the anonymous blogger quoted above disagrees. (I still say if you’re going to blog don’t do it anonymously. I prefer that bloggers be accountable. But of course I’m just an oboist. What do I know?)
We are doing kiddie concerts this morning. I think the children are in third grade or close to it. I enjoy these, although the noise is sometimes a bit much (I have my earplugs at the ready). BUT …
It’s not over ‘til the fat baby sings. Scottish Opera is attempting to reach beyond its normal audiences of middle-aged music buffs by launching a series of concerts aimed at infants, aged between six and 18 months.
The experimental performances, to be staged at venues across the country, will feature no lyrics, narrative or plot. Instead, classically trained singers will create baby-friendly noises, such as Wellington boots splashing in puddles, buzzing bees, quacking ducks and the fluttering of feathers.
Um. Okay then. 6 and 18 months, eh? That’s one stinkin’ concert, if you ask me. 😉
