(I’m not sure I’m into the video … not getting its purpose. But I’m slow sometimes!)
Lukaszewski: O vos omnes
proMODERN
O all ye that pass by the way,
attend and see if there be any sorrow like to my sorrow.
Chesnokov: Let They Good Spirit
Te Deum Chamber Choir; Matthew Christopher Shepard, Conductor
Let thy good spirit lead me on a level path!
(Ps. 143:10)
Hallelujah!
Aaron Hill’s response to the horror in Manchester was to improvise. Thank you, Aaron.
Franz Schubert: Psalm 23
Saints Alive from St. Cuthbert’s College; Megan Flint, Conductor
Jesus Lay Your Head in the Window, arr. Moses
Winston-Salem State University Choir
(I’m sorry there was no mention of the soloists so I can’t name them here.)
… but who doesn’t?!
Oh. Right. All those people who don’t play a reed instrument. But how boring are THEY?!
From Eastman oboists … very fun!
David van Kampen: Benediction
L.A. Choral Lab
Jean Berger: The Eyes of All Wait Upon Thee
National Taiwan University Chorus; Huan-Wei Lin, Conductor
Opera San José is pleased to announce its new resident company for the 2017-18 season. The new company includes soprano Amanda Kingston, soprano Katherine Gunnink, former guest artist and tenor Mason Gates, tenor Dane Suarez and baritone Trevor Neal.
I read it here.
You can also read about them on this Opera San José page.
Here are snippets from the two women:
Amanda Kingston and Dennis Jesse perform “Tutte le feste” from Verdi’s Rigoletto with the Jefferson Performing Arts Society
… and Katharine Gunnink (no more info provided so I can’t tell you the orchestra or company)
My students know why the markings you see on the music below are a HUGE no as far as I’m concerned.
In this case, due to the repeat of the “D” it’s a NO-NO, actually!
Those are E double flats. They are not Ds. Learn to read music. Not only that, but why in the world, if the oboist marked the first one, was the second marking even necessary? But, truth be told, neither should be there. Period.
We have to understand notation. Our fingers should respond immediately to the notation and finger the note. Adding those silly letters above is a hindrance. It adds and extra step for processing, for one thing, but it’s also just plain wrong. There is a reason for an E double flat rather than a D. Sometimes these double flats (or sharps) drive even me bonkers (and I’m already bonkers so I guess that puts me over the edge in bonkerland), but there you go. We have to deal with it!
I had to do a ton of erasing with my Mahler 5 part, and much of it was due to things like this. My colleagues and I assumed that the last group to play it must have been a youth orchestra. I can assure you that my students would still be erasing those letters and learning to read music if I saw anything like this.
And now my Mahler 5 concerts are over.
This past symphony set will remain in my mind as a “quite the joy, quite the sorrow” sort of set. My colleagues — and especially the brass — really showed themselves off in a fantastic way. The music was wonderful. The conductor, Tatsuya Shimono, is one of my favorites to work with and for.
So why the sorrow?
I’m older now. Every time I play something I think, “This might be the last time!”
It’s how this business works. So I try to wrap myself up in the wonder of it all — the beauty of the music and the joy of working with people I love. What a blessing my career has been and continues to be! Someday it will all be over and I hope I never forget weeks like this past one and moments like the end of the Mahler when the brass come in and my heart breaks just a little bit because of just how glorious it all is.
