Trip excitement!

I have a few pieces in particular that I'm "ready" (whoever is completely ready?) to play for Ray Still on Saturday. Mozart Oboe Concerto, first movement, Schumann Romance #2 (but I'd put this last, so we probably won't get to it), and a few excerpts including Bach Brandenburg #1 (mvts. 1 & 2), Tchaikovsky Symphony #4, Brahms Symphony #1, and Beethoven Symphonies 3/6. At least I'll have plenty for him to choose from. I wouldn't be surprised if we only got to one of all those pieces. That can be true of any lesson though.

Robin and I have tickets to see the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center on Friday night. Yeah! I'll spend the morning getting my reeds ready and practicing, do some sight-seeing in the afternoon, and go to a concert at night! I'm very excited. Here is their program.

Need to work on reeds! They are coming along, although they changed big time with this drop in temperature we've had. It went from 60F to 10F in a day. The weather here is almost as crazy as Calgary! It's been really windy too. We've lost one shutter and several shingles. The tornado siren went off today, but there was no weather alert on the radio. It was about this time last year when my parents were visiting (and we bought our house one year ago this Saturday!), they came to a concert of mine in Pella, IA, and the concert was interrupted because of a tornado warning. The audience, orchestra and choir all marched down to the basement. That was fun. Well, my parents didn't think so at the time.

OK, bye!

Mahler 1

Concert went pretty well last night--not the best of the year. It seemed like everyone had problems. Response issues, particularly in the first movement. The orchestra seemed tentative until after the repeat (that first page in my part takes forever!), when we finally seemed to relax and flow. I had to sneak-tongue my low B (slur from low E to low B, pp, as my first entrance), but nobody seemed to notice. I was really disappointed with my reeds--and my playing in general. It's really frustrating when there's absolutely nothing you can do as you're sustaining a long note and there's a rattle in your sound (no, this is not spit). Thankfully, the last solo I had was the best I'd played it (third movement). The rest of the piece? Not my best playing. I felt like writing a letter of apology to the conductor; I then talked myself out of this. We can be so hard on ourselves, and chances are those little imperfections went unnoticed.

I noticed though, and I'm a little down today.

My English horn is acting up--another frustration because you really can't tell if it's a problem with your instrument, your reeds, or you. I can leave it with a repairman pretty soon. I've been called in to fill out Simpson College's band for some rehearsals and concerts, so I'll need it then, but otherwise I don't have anything coming up until JUNE!! Can you believe it? This was my last symphonic set this year! I play a pops concert ("Freedom Festival") at the end of June, and then nothing until September. Oboe is a little different, with the whole lecture-document and all. But my schedule has never been this clear. If I was dependent on this income (it's supplemental), I would not be able to survive. I would be playing oboe on street corners. (Then it would crack in this cold, and I would just be homeless with a broken oboe. The crazy oboe lady.) I'm very thankful that Dave is able to support us both. My teaching and playing help provide the comforts in our life. More playing, and of course more money, would be nice, but there's something to be said for health insurance, a steady paycheck, and a home. Not that I'd turn down any gigs. Please send them my way! I need to keep playing, for my spirit...and my chops!

Gouging to La Bohème

(Cane, that is, not eyes...)

I generally don't listen to music while making reeds, for a few reasons. 1) You can't concentrate fully on the reeds. 2) You can't concentrate fully on the music. 3) Too much starting and stopping when it comes time to try out the reeds.

I do listen to music in those rough stages of reed-making though. Today was gouging, and hopefully I'll have enough cane to last me through into Spring. I then thought, "one of these pieces may play a lesson with Ray Still," and "one or more of these may be the reeds for my doctoral lecture." That's a lot of pressure for a little piece of cane.

Today's music: "La Bohème" on the Met radio broadcast. I have fond memories of playing this opera, subbing (extra-ing?) with Eugene Opera the first year I lived there. There are so many goosebump moments, and it's one of the funnest operas in which to play second oboe. The single-best note we get to play in this opera is a SOLO low B-natural (I think) in the third act. Not the scary solo low-B-natural either, but full-voiced, go-for-it B-natural glory. The English hornist in that production had the choice of playing EH or oboe 2 (as they only have two players in that orchestra); she would give me a foot-shuffle every time I played the note, and she would lean over and tell me that she regretted choosing the English horn. Teehee!

Well, Mimi's dying, so I'd better redevote myself to listening. Have a great weekend!