Monday 18 March 2013

Spring Concert 2013

On Saturday my orchestra performed its Spring Concert.  I think it went reasonably well.  We were playing in a lovely local church.  It is quite small but very beautiful (and incidentally our local ABRSM music exam centre).  I think the orchestra took up as much room as the audience but we had a reasonable number of attendees - there were very few empty seats.

Our programme was:
Rossini - The Thieving Magpie.  This went better than I expected and I was very glad to get it out of the way first.  Stamina and speed wise this was the most challenging piece of the evening for me.  I am quite glad not to have to play this again. 

Warlock - Capriol Suite.  I quite liked this in the end, even with all the strange discords in it.  It was fun to play.

Bizet - L'Arlessienne Suite.  Possibly the most well known of the pieces we were playing.  It always reminds me of my school orchestra, but it is not actually as easy as that may suggest.  I think we got through it in tact though.  Though the afternoon rehearsal was, in truth, much better than the performance.

INTERVAL

Schumann - Symphony no 1. I grew to actually quite like this - especially the first movement.  We seemed to have settled down a little more in the second half and, I think, played much better. This was definitely the best we had ever played this piece.  So it was a triumphant way to finish the programme.  A couple of people said they thought it was the most difficult symphony we had ever played.  I am not sure whether that is true or not. It is hard for me to judge when  my playing and orchestral skills are improving.  I found everything we played much more difficult a couple of years ago.  But there were some tricky moments in this one - especially around tempo and time signature changes - some of these we got right for the first and only time on the night! 

It was an enjoyable evening,  my reed worked,  I managed to get through the programme without my lip going and overall I was pleased with how I played.

But most of all I am REALLY looking forward to some new music at tomorrow's rehearsal!

Monday 11 March 2013

Catching up

It has been a while since I've been able to write anything - the rest of life intervened for a while.   Oboe practice was also erratic for a couple of weeks but is but I feel like I'm bakc on track this week.

A few things that catch up on:

Royal Academy Of Music museum.

I had a weekend in London and popped into this tiny little (free) museum - handily located just a few minutes walk from Howarth. It doens't take long to get round but is incredibly interesting and has a lovely music shop on the ground floor.  They also currently have an oboe exhibition on showing how oboe keywork has progressed from baroque to current day - finishing off with the new keywork developed by Christopher Regdate.  "Exhibition" is probably too grand a word (did I mention it was tiny) but incredibly interesting and well worth a look if you are in the area. It's on till the 28th March.  I thoroughly recommend it. 

Royal Academy Museum

Howarth visit

Well obviously I had to pop in there too.  I bought a book of studies recommended by teacher (they look very hard!), a micrometer (NEW TOY!!!) and some cane which was on offer.  I also had my reed knives professionally sharpened at the Japenese Knife Store nearbyas recommented at the Big Double Reed Day.

Howarth

Cameo Orchestra Playday


Yesterday I went on a play day organised by the Manchester Camerata.  There were around 60 amateur musicians there and, conducted by a member of the Camerata (I think, though he didn't actually say who he was!), we worked through Mendelssohn's Sympony No 3 - the scottish.  It was a good day.  We had an initial run through as a group. a sectional (wind and brass together), a second whole orchestra rehearsal before doing a final run through of the piece as if it was a performance.  It was a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon but the website did claim that we would have "expert coaching from Camerata Musicians" which I don't think they really delivered.   Aside from the conductor, no other members of the group seemed to be present - even our wind sectional was not lead by a wind player.  It was very much like the day rehearsals with the local orchestra that I sometimes play with - a chance to play with very good amateurs with a professional conductor.  Overall I enjoyed it but I don't think I would go on one again (unless they were playing something I was desperate to have a go at!).

Play day

Lessons/ orchestra etc

I'll say more about what I'm doing in lessons later in the week.  Orchestra concert is next Saturday - I will be glad to get rid of this programme it feels like we've been playing it forever.  There maybe some exciting Cor Anglais news in the next couple of weeks.  I've also been invited to join a Wind Quintet.  So some interesting oboe times to come!