Mahler and brownies

...those two go well together. (Unless you're Playing instead of Listening to Mahler...in which case, brownies are a nice treat for afterwards.)

CRSO's first rehearsal of Mahler 1 went well on Monday night. Rehearsal #2 is tonight--mvts. 1 & 4. I think I actually have two English horn reeds that may play soft, low, and in tune! Unfortunately, I also have a bump on my tongue that makes it very difficult to articulate. I have two prescriptions for it--they come back with stress and too many salty or sugary treats. (I blame Superbowl Sunday.) The brownies were not the cause, but they are probably not helping. But I needed them. By the way, if you're looking for a fantastic brownie recipe, these are "triple chocolate fudge brownies" from "Baking Illustrated." Very easy and sooooo good.

Back to Mahler. I played principal on Mahler 1 a few years ago, and the third oboe/English horn part is almost as good. Don't expect any lush English horn solos. Mahler was one of the all-time best orchestrators and really knew how to use instruments well for colour. I'm not particularly stressed about this concert, but I am sitting next to someone who had also auditioned for my job... Even though I try not to think about those sorts of things, I can't help but feel like he just might be listening for any little mistake I make. There, I said it. My logical side says, "get over it," and I really do listen to it so that I'm not over-analyzing unproductive matters instead of focusing on the music. A few times during rehearsal though, those thoughts manage to creep in. Tonight I might take a new approach with my brain and try to convince it that I'm HUMAN and it's ok to make mistakes.

And afterwards, I just might reward myself with a brownie.