André Previn: Trio for Oboe, Bassoon and Piano
Third movement: Jaunty
Shih-han Chiu, bassoon; Sophie Mok, oboe; Kwokwai Michael Lui, piano
Shih-han Chiu, DMA recital, University of Colorado at Boulder, College of Music, Yoshi Ishikawa Bassoon Studio
Well that concert was….interesting. I’m going to be cocky for a moment and say my oboe solo so enchanted the band that they fell apart and THAT’S why we had to stop and start over. But really, I think it was just a combination of factors that led to our brief disaster.
A Japanese Mouth Organ
I just read this online at On An Overgrown Path:
Could the following information help eliminate the maddening problem of serial coughers during concerts? In the recovery period immediately after stomach surgery coughing is exceedingly painful and possibly dangerous. During my recent stay in hospital a helpful nurse told me that coughs can be suppressed by gently pinching the windpipe at the base of the neck. I can confirm it works, apparently because it derails the small spasms in the windpipe that cause the cough. Surely worth including in concert programmes? Now perhaps someone can tell us how to pinch a mobile phone’s windpipe?
Wow … next time I have to cough I’m going to try that. It’s especially frustrating when I’m on stage and trying to play, but of course if I’m playing someone ELSE would have to reach over and pinch my windpipe! Hmm. Wonder what the audience would think about that.
This is a beautiful song…. the oboe breaks my heart
It breaks the concentration of the performer and the audience and breaks the spell and bond between them. Some people text, others leave their phones on silent but they light up at a call or when checked for messages. That is equally distracting and discourteous.
While the vast majority do remember to switch them off there are those few artistic terrorists who ruin it for everybody. These people should be fined. It is an act of vandalism as far as I’m concerned and should be punished as such.
Sir Peter Maxwell Davies
Ah well … at least those types of terrorists aren’t killing off music entirely. Now the ones who believe we are just a frivolous unnecessary thing, and those that think we don’t deserve a smidgin’ of funding are truly murdering music.
A couple of weekends ago, a friend and I went to a Sunday morning concert at London’s Wigmore Hall. With a free glass of sherry included, it’s a refined way to deal with the excesses of the night before, and naturally the quality of the music is excellent.
My friend had never been to a classical concert before and she enjoyed the first movement, so much that when the music finished she started to clap loudly. My neighbour glared, the lady in front swivelled 180 degrees to raise her eyebrows and loud shushing came from behind. My friend slunk low in her seat, mortified. “Why don’t they put up a sign,” she whispered. “How was I meant to know?” It does seem peculiar that hacking, coughing and spluttering are permissible, but clapping – a gesture of support and goodwill – will apparently distract musicians and audience so much it’s unacceptable.
Thoughts?
