Someday I really want to do these. I own a recording of this with a male voice (it was referred to as “alto” on the CD … I’m assuming that’s a countertenor?) and English horn. Loved it!
“My worst nightmare was doing pop ballads with an orchestra playing whole notes behind it,” he said. “It’s just so boring; it’s done so often. So I wanted arrangements that would challenge the orchestra — not technically but certainly rhythmically, using the orchestra as a rhythmic, pulsing machine.”
Asked if any of the orchestral arrangements of his music surprised him, Sting said: “There are some songs that weren’t a surprise that they worked with an orchestra, where I’ve actually stolen pieces of classical music. They worked surprisingly well.”
For his song “Russians,” he said: “I stole a piece of Prokofiev for that. And the arranger stole a few more. We start that song off with the opening notes of ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ then it goes into the Lieutenant Kije Suite. So things like that work extremely well.”
Elaine Douvas, how do you manage to make the oboe sound sooooo glorious.
I have discovered that it is enough when a single note is beautifully played. This one note, or a silent beat, or a moment of silence, comforts me.
-Arvo Pärt
This video makes reed making look enjoyable, and these reeds look so pretty!
The Art of Making Oboe Reeds, Jennet Ingle from Paul Hamilton on Vimeo.
Mine aren’t quite as nice looking … and I’ve never thought of reed making as fun. Oh well!
