Happy Halloween!

As I write this post, I am working at the front desk of my residence hall on Halloween. In honor of this momentous occasion, I am providing, as always, the highest quality classical music for Halloween.

The playlist has been as follows:

- Night on Bald Mountain
- Bach: Tocatta and Fugue in D minor (both of them!)
- Orff: Carmina Burana (entire work, not just the first track...)
- Carter: String Quartet No. 2
- Crumb: Black Angels
- Verdi: Requiem (selections)
- Mozart: Requiem (selections)
- Zimmer: Pirates of the Carribean 2: The Kraken
- R. Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra - Opening
- Shostakovich: festive overture
- Wagner: Ride of the Valkyries
- Bizet: Farandole

Happy Halloween to all!

How do YOU make music?

What's your philosophy of music making?

Stravinsky was a fan of simply playing the notes and dynamics and "the music will take care of itself."

Others might take issue with Stravinsky and say that emotion and musicality comes first as opposed to the rigidity of simply focusing on producing notes.

I have written a blog post about this before, but as I focus on re-learning a new range of the horn for the new principal horn position I have this year at school, I am beginning to agree with Stravinsky. It seems that just creating what is written on the page has a unique character and musicality. Perhaps just letting the music speak for itself is enough.

What is your philosophy? I'd love to hear!

Auditions today for Symphony Orchestra and Wind Symphony

Today I partook in my fifth & final audition at OSU as an undergraduate student. I was excited to take the audition and be done with it! I re-learned a valuable lesson today: I like professional auditions with a screen! :)

I know that as a Performance Major, there are no excuses for mistakes, but what I re-learned that I needed to learn is the ability to concentrate amidst distractions! As I went into the audition hall, the two conductors and the horn professor at OSU made a few comments to me that did not really pertain to the audition and I suddenly found myself unable to "come back to reality." As I started to play, all I was able to concentrate on was the comments that they had made. I had a few quibbles and a couple of missed high A-flat's. The playing wasn't atrocious, but I know I can do better...and should have!...the feeling that most everyone has after an audition. We'll see what the results are...

So, I take away from the experience of this audition the fact that I am thankful for the screens in professional auditions! I have seldom faced a lack of concentration on the music while behind a screen. Anonymity clears my mind and allows me to play the music uninhibited. I should not downplay the necessity of learning the skill of playing right in front of people as they copiously comment on your playing and mistakes because I face a slew of experiences like this in my upcoming foray into graduate school auditions!

As I noted in my previous post...we learn best by re-learning time and time again!!

What CAN'T Be Done...

In life, there are things which people proclaim "can't be done!" But then in a matter of days, weeks, months, or sometimes years, SOMEONE finds a way to "do the unthinkable."

A prime example can be found in the world of sports. The 2008 Olympics just passed and it seemed that in almost every event (including even the qualifying matches) a new Olympic or World Record was being set. This astounds me, but yet it doesn't. In order for an athlete to leave their signature on history, they must achieve the "unachievable."

Another example rests in the technology we use each day. Just when we think that computers and data processors can't get any faster or more complex, they do. There is always a new "improvement" or "upgrade" just around the corner. What you buy today will be "outdated" in a matter of weeks or months.

So, where am I going with this? How does this apply to music?

I recently have adopted this mindset of asking myself "what can I NOT do?" or "what SCARES me when I see printed on a page?"

We all have this experience in our musical lives--some more often than others. We are handed or assigned an etude, excerpt, or solo that, when we peruse, gives us an initial moment of sheer panic and terror. We think, "Wow. Ya' win some, and ya' lose some. Today's not my day."

But what separates the athlete who merely qualifies from the one who set the new world record? What separates the musician who has conquered the instrument and displays jaw-dropping technique from the one who does not have vast control over their instrument? What stops me from doing what I think I cannot do?

My answer: fear of the unknown and a lack of inspiration to persevere even though the task may require painstaking experimentation and patience in order for a solution to be discovered. Some reading this may say, "well duh!" A life lesson to learn indeed.

Often in my own playing (as I've discovered recently) with a little patience and a lot of perseverance, solutions to technical problems often present themselves. And the feeling after they are solved is one of this: "why didn't I just persevere and accomplish this sooner? It wasn't THAT bad." And then tackling the "scarier" challenges seems fun and exciting!

This post may have seemed "elementary" to some, but in life it seems that we truly learn as we remember and re-learn previous discoveries. The more we experience something, the more it is ingrained into our being. This is something I've learned AGAIN. (Maybe now I won't forget this lesson so soon!)

History and where we are going...

I find it interesting to think about where music has been and where it might be going.

Consider some of the great pieces of classical music which we esteem because they have stood the test of time thus far: the works of Bach, Brahms, Beethoven (our common practice composers), Mozart, and many more. Sometimes I hear a piece of music and think about what it might have meant to people of a different generation. What might those audiences have felt and thought about upon their hearing of it? Fascinating to ponder upon.

But my real question is this: will the works of the great composers still be performed in 100, 200, or even 300 years? Will people still want to hear Brahms 4 or Beethoven 5? Will the repertoire lists be narrowed even further? Will orchestras one day simply play only "Classical music's greatest hits" over and over again? What will it take to bring us to a point like this--and are we already there? Will the popular art music overtake the fine art music?

Hmmm...

Where I've been...

VACATION!!

What makes playing easy? (Why is it mysteriously easy sometimes?)

Recently, I had an epiphany.

Why is it that in a lesson or when working with a conductor that sometimes playing can be spectacular...both in miraculous ease of execution and in quality of result?

I think that it has to do with our heightened attention to what result we are striving for. For instance, I am playing the Hindemith Horn Sonata this coming Thursday in a recital of mine. I went to my lesson this past week and played the first movement fairly well. Then my horn teacher just said "think about the emotion of the piece and not the physical execution so much. Try to communicate to me the passion of the music [there's that word again...passion!? :) ]" I played it again and it was instantly "spectacular." My horn teacher told me that it was "like a different horn player was playing it the second time" I played it.

Why is this? Because I was intensely focused on the preparation needed to produce a spectacular product! At times, my brain seems so overwhelmed with the mental preparation that I lose track for a brief moment of what is coming out the bell of my horn. At these times it feels so easy and efficient to play, though. I therefore humbly submit that precise/spectacular playing is a result of MUCH preparation. I think that on the spot, it is 75% preparation and 25% actual thought about execution (if that).

Granted, this post is a bit nebulous. My apologies for the, as my conducting teacher puts it, "touchy-feely thoughts." But in my quest to be a very accurate and precise horn player, this is a discovery on the path to my goal.

Polling results are in

The poll on this blog has officially closed. The question I asked was about whether or not the public understood and appreciated the need for professional symphony orchestras.

The results were 13 (81%) voting no and 3 (18%) voting yes. This is what I thought it would be. I think in general, the public is lacking in awareness of the genre of the symphony orchestra. The more I think about this puzzle, the more I am convinced that it is through personal connections to the music that people are attracted and committed long-term to attending orchestra concerts.

I was recently quoted in the Columbus Dispatch as saying, "Live music touches your soul. Once you experience it, it's addicting." I personally do believe that this IS true.

If you have come from a website like SymphonySTRONG (or some other website related to the issues with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra situation) and haven't yet come to a concert (or haven't attended in a while), try coming out for the Marvin Hamlisch concert on May 30 & 31. This is the last scheduled CSO concert ever as it stands right now. Don't miss the opportunity to attend and EXPERIENCE what everyone is talking about!

SymphonySTRONG link (updated)

The link in my previous post about SymphonySTRONG appears to have been broken somehow.

So here is the link to the SymphonySTRONG website.

Enjoy!

Fulfilled!

My great expectations were fulfilled! :)

Yo Yo Ma is truly a MASTER performer. Music sings from his cello whenever his bow gets near the actual cello! He ended up playing both the Haydn and Saint-Saens Cello concertos. For his encore, he did the slow movement from the Schubert Quintet. He performed with the Carpe Diem string quartet, which is comprised of members of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra.

The music was truly great (everyone enjoys the Saint-Saens!). An absolute pleasure to hear!! The Columbus Symphony played a tremendous role as well. Their dynamics and attention to detail were never unnoticed! As Yo-Yo Ma put it, "These people are great people. They truly put passion into each note at every rehearsal and performance!"

Great Expectations

In a few hours, I am going to go see Yo-Yo Ma perform with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. Earlier today, I made the mistake of making my Facebook status the following: "HOURS until I get to see Yo-Yo Ma perform!" All day I have been having people ask me if I was going and everybody says, "He is SOOOOO great. You will have a fantastic time! I wish I was going!"

I agree, but yet I have reservations and a few questions about statements such as these. At first, I didn't expect such an overwhelmingly enthusiastic response. Now I am very interested as to why this kind of response comes out for Yo-Yo Ma??

Many people go to see the performer of a work and for that reason alone. What I am perplexed about is why people are super-excited to go and see an individual person perform, but not the entire orchestra? When I try to get people to go to a normal classical subscription concert, they make excuses and show a general apathy to the mere suggestion that they attend a symphony concert!

Perhaps it is the name, perhaps it is the "experience" they are going for...I don't quite know. It is a great mystery to me. But what I do know is that I go for the MUSIC. Seeing Yo-Yo Ma will be an electrifying experience because he is a master of making MUSIC. But ultimately, it is the MUSIC that is what matters most!

Just thoughts...

Getting out of the way

I was struck by something Maestro Haddock said in my conducting lesson (I was playing my horn for him when he said it...). He made this statement: "You know, it seems that most of our problems on our instruments involve us being in the way too much. If you can figure out how to 'get out of the way,' then most problems you have on an instrument will be solved! It just takes some people longer than others to 'get out of the way.'"

That has been floating around in my mind and I have been turning it over and over like a Rubik's cube. It simply is a fantastic statement to make...that we are our own worst enemies! As I have been practicing, when I encounter a problem, I immediately now ask "what am I doing that is 'in the way of' me making music?"

So...here's the thought..."what are you doing that is in the way of you making superb music?"

Preparing for a professional audition: the day before

So I am taking the Columbus ProMusica Chamber Orchestra audition tomorrow for the second horn position. My former teacher, Charles Waddell, currently is the Principal horn--it would be a pleasure and an honor to play with him again! But there will be some heavy-hitting horn players there as well (especially in light of what the Columbus Symphony Orchestra is going through...).

The audition list material is as follows (this is interesting!):


Exposition of a first movement from the solo concerto repertoire.

BACH Brandenburg Concerto No. 1
Movement 1 – Horn 2: all measures
Movement 3 (Allegro) – Horn 2: measures 1-17
Trio II – Horn 2: all measures

BEETHOVEN Overture To “Fidelio”
Horn 2: measures 47-55 and measures 234-247

BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 3
Movement 3 – Horn 2: measures 171-205

BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 4
Movement 2 – Horn 2: letter G for 6 measures

BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 7
Movement 1 – Horn 2: measures 84-110
Movement 3 – Horn 2: measures 185-238

BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 8
Movement 3 – Horn 2: measures 44-78

BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 9
Movement 3 – Horn 4: measures 82-99 and 107-121

HAYDN Symphony No. 31
Movement 2 – Horn 2: measures 12-16 and 35-38

MOZART Symphony No. 29
Movement 4 – Horn 2: last 21 measures plus the pickup

SCHUBERT Symphony No. 9 “Great”
Movement 1 – Horn 2: measures 1-8

TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 5
Movement 2 – Horn 1: measures 8-28

Sight Reading as required


So I have prepared as thoroughly as I am going to be able to for the audition at this point. I feel confident that I'll play well. But as I anticipate what is going to occur tomorrow, I am having the following thoughts:

1. I am going to play lightly today. Just run through the repertoire and polish minor spots. Beating up the chops would do little, if any good.
2. Use a metronome today to make sure I have the correct tempos drilled into my head.
3. Warm up well and warm down well.
4. Play at the same time of the day.
5. Remember to have a quick review of the following things before each excerpt:
- desired tempo
- character/spirit of the piece
- a quick review of tricky spots that I need to mentally "read-ahead" and remember as I go through the excerpt

I think that following those guidelines will set me up to play well tomorrow.

I am also remembering what someone once told me: "You don't have to play your A+ 'game' for an audition. Just play your best, which may only be A-/B+ 'game' and that will show the committee that you are a qualified candidate. Trying to bust out A+ game will make you try too hard for perfection and will hinder you!" Good advice.

Also, I am trying to have the attitude of "creative not-caring." This idea is one of just playing the music and not caring too much about what happens during the audition. Just play the MUSIC! Imagine that...it can be that simple!

Looking forward to a good time tomorrow and a time of learning more about how I cope with audition pressures!

SymphonySTRONG

So I'm not sure if I've written on my personal blog yet about the new website www.symphonystrong.com. I'll do that now!

SymphonySTRONG is an organization that has recently formed to support live music by networking those who are PASSIONATE about music. Right now the issues of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra are the "ground zero" for SymphonySTRONG. But the website is trying very hard to not take sides (board vs. union musicians). The sole purpose is to create excitement about and network that excitement amongst citizens of Columbus and the surrounding areas!

SymphonySTRONG was actually just written about in the International Musician magazine.























This is a major thing for a grassroots organization! There are roughly 900 people signed up through SymphonySTRONG. These people get somewhat regular email updates from the organization about the issues which SymphonySTRONG is involved with.

The newest idea that SymphonySTRONG is currently testing is "Cooking meets the Maestro." Once a month, Maestro Junichi Hirokami and Sushi Chef Masa meet to discuss the ways in which cooking is similar to making music as a Maestro. A unique idea, to say the least.

SymphonySTRONG is also selling orange wristbands which resemble the Armstrong "Live Strong"wrist bands, but are designed as saying "Symphony STRONG" instead. "Passion" t-shirts are also coming very soon for the community to purchase to show their proud support of SymphonySTRONG and the Columbus Symphony.

Their website also allows any registered user to post videos, events, comments, etc. so that the rest of the community can remain informed about new events of any musical genre!

If you haven't given the SymphonySTRONG website a look, I would highly recommend it! If you still don't understand what is going on with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, then please check out this blog and read all about it. If you feel like weighing in on the issue, there is a live vote count occurring on the SymphonySTRONG website about whether or not people think there is a need for professional orchestras like the Columbus Symphony. Signup and vote!

OSU Students with PASSION!

Brahms: Quintet for Clarinet and Strings Op.115

I've been thinking recently about how as musicians, we can get so caught up in the technical aspects of music, that we forget the true purpose of music! We can sell ourselves out by forgetting the true music.

This is not good, in my opinion.

I heard Kenneth John Grant (clarinet) play the Brahms Quintet for Clarinet and Strings Op.115 and I sat there in awe of just the MUSIC. Not the "ooh, wow, that is technically brilliant!" appreciation of music. The type of appreciation where it was almost as if they were speaking something through the music. It was refreshing to just enjoy that sensation of music. The second movement was very sad, almost like saying goodbye to a long-time friend. Quite moving.

I say all of that to say this: we as musicians should every so often take a step back and evaluate how we appreciate music. Technical proficiency is a great thing to enjoy in a performance, but I think it should be balanced, if not given a bit lesser weight than what the composer has written.

Let me approach the issue with a different bit of an angle. What has stood the test of time? How the player plays or the content of the music? I would argue that the content of the music is what has stood the test of time. Therefore we need to appreciate both how the player plays and what is being performed.

I have just had this thought again, and I have been refreshed by it. I have found that I can reach this level of appreciation quickly by closing my eyes in a live performance until I am concentrating on the music only. Then when I open them, I am not focusing on the technical aspects as much.

FYI, Kenneth Grant was BRILLIANT. Wow. He definitely is a master of the clarinet. I appreciated his playing and musicianship greatly. His technique was at such an outstanding level that it was so easy to hear music and not his technical fluency. I do not mean this post to criticize him in any way. He was fabulous.

Just a few thoughts.

As Beethoven wrote in the Missa Solemnis, "From the heart it has come. To the heart may it go."

New header graphic

The new header graphic is up!

A New Look

This afternoon I decided to take the plunge and experiment with a new template design for the entire blog. Some customization is definitely in order, and I'll tackle that as time allows.

Thoughts and comments from the readers are welcome!

PS - the transfer from one template to the other went super-surprisingly smooth! Kudos to Blogger.

Orchestral Bowings (The ART)

My conducting lesson this week was all about learning about the ART of string bowings. It was a very interesting trip, to say the least. My objective was to bow the first violin part of Mozart Piano Concerto 25. I have learned several things about bowings in general--some from Maestro Haddock and some from the book "Orchestral Bowings" by Elizabeth Green.

1. Bowing is about balance and conservation.
2. There are rules about bowing, but most are made to be broken.
3. The bowing should serve the musical idea intended, not just be a technical creation (although this can be a point of starting)
4. There are MULTIPLE solutions for each measure. It is the conductors job to sort out what he thinks best serves the musical idea.
5. Accomplished players like the Cleveland's, Chicago's, and Vienna Phil's of the world have players that can play any bowing they choose and still have it sound the exact same as what the "party-line" bowing is.
6. Bowing doesn't necessarily have to be a strict and rigid thing. Stokowski had his policy of "free bowings" that he used in Philadelphia to create the "Philadelphia Sound." He trusted his accomplished players enough to give them license to vary the bowings.
7. Bowings are important in all pieces, but more important in thinly textured pieces and all pre-Romantic works. The clarity needed in these pieces calls for a more dramatic use of the same bowings. In Romantic works, it is less important because the sound is intended to be much larger. (Some may contest this point, and I would definitely see their point of view)

So that was my excursion into the realm of orchestral bowings. I have definitely learned about and have gained a new appreciation level of paying attention to bowing in performances I see and in my rehearsals.

NOTE: String players reading this are probably thinking, "Yeah, DUH!", but thanks for bearing with me.

Beauty and the Beast observations

What have I learned from playing Beauty and the Beast?

1. My high range accuracy improves with repeated repetition. (I know...duh!)
2. Playing broadway shows are definitely a wonderful study in endurance.
3. Broadway composers are definitely good craftsmen. They make short, recognizable tunes which they then spin out and use over and over in different ways that you don't realize they do until you actually think about it.
4. You meet and get to know some really great people in the pit.
5. Seeing how adjustments made by the actors/singers over time affect the audience's response.
6. Thorough warm up and warm down are important!
7. Sightreading is a good habit to learn--though it can only improve by doing it.
8. Playing in the pit is actually fun...if you make it fun! :)

Just some general observations about my week-long run of Beauty and the Beast.

A slight drift

This week I am drifting into the world of musicals. I am playing Beauty and the Beast here in Columbus. Playing for musicals is similar to playing in an opera, on the parts are trickier. Not so much rhythmically (although there's a fair share of that as well), but more technically. Beauty and the Beast music has A LOT of stopped and muted horn passages (50% at least) compared to open/normally played passages. The horn is either the melody or the percussive rhythmic accompaniment...not in between. :)

Off to play it!

The fine printed line

So a thought that I have been thinking a lot about recently is how much variance performers should take from the written page.

For instance, I was playing the Hindemith Sonata for Horn and Piano in my horn lesson this week. At one point in the end of the second movement, my teacher recommended that on these three quarter notes, I should make a huge ritard (slowing down) on each of them and then pick back up the pace after I play the high note that they lead to. None of what he said to do was printed on my music, so I asked him why and how he knew about doing that and he said that it was just "tradition."

So how much "artistic license" should I take as a performer with a piece? Which begs the question: how much "artistic license" would the composer want/allow me to take?

Just thoughts...

Music of the day...

I'm currently studying Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 5 in my conducting class. What a piece.

Back after a week

I'm back after a week of no computer access!

Mission: OSU Winter 2008 Commencement!

Today I am playing principal horn with the OSU Symphonic Band for the OSU Winter 2008 Commencement. The hours are long, but the pay is decent and I get to play some band repertoire, which, although it may not be my favorite repertoire in the world, is good for me.

I look at it as a great opportunity for high-pressure sightreading learning! It should be great. And the highlight of the day is playing Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance about 20 times consecutively! :D

Student question: Balancing difficulty of rep

I had a music student at the recent fine arts festival I attended ask me the following question: "Should I choose a really difficult piece of music for a festival which I might not play WELL, or should I choose an easier piece that I can play WELL, but it might seem easy?"

I replied that I think that a balance is what must be found. But that is absolutely difficult to do. As a judge of music I think that I would like to see a student be secure in a performance and play well, as opposed to making it through a piece "on the seat of their pants." Maybe I'm wrong...

My opinion...when it comes down to it, I prefer to hear a solid performance which may sound "easy," rather than an unstable performance of a more difficult piece--regardless of the age or level of the performer.

On the road again...

I am traveling to Zanesville, OH this afternoon to my brother's fine arts competition. He is singing a vocal duet and is competing in some academic testing competitions as well!

I think I have officially picked a theme song for the past few days and in honor of my computers illness (you can listen to two versions of it above and read my post about it here)... Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings. I love the mournful harmonies as they slowly wash over the sound setting. What beauty we have in music. Life would not be anything close to what it is today without music.

I have been listening to the Beethoven String Quartet Op. 127 recently. I think I am going to post on it either later today or tomorrow. It is already in the player above if you would care to give it a listen!

My digital absence...and thoughts on that

Well, I haven't posted in a while. Reason: my laptop LCD screen panel officially "gave up the ghost." Not a pretty picture. I will spare you the gruesome details of its tragic demise, but I will say that it just up and decided to turn off for no reason (after turning a dim reddish color). The Dell technicians said the light bulb burnt out, and that you can't change the lightbulb. A whole new LCD screen panel is needed. Let me just say... it is A LOT OF $$$$$$.

So I have resorted to using the computer labs in my dorm and around campus to check my email, Facebook, and grades (I'm in the midst of finals week as well...what a treat...). Not much else is going on with anything cyberspace related. This is unfortunate, but it has been an interesting experience for me. I found that I did have a little bit of digital withdrawal. People always say "what would it be like if we didn't have computers?" Well let me say, I know how that would feel.

It is quite stunning how much we are "connected" to the internet and digirada on an hourly basis. And I even have access to labs and such where I can at least keep some access to the digirada world going...but I originally felt somewhat lost. I think it will be good for me to 'tough it out' for a few days before I get somewhat of a more stable digital presence again. All the more time for practicing and such! Yay! :D

I will try to post somewhat frequently, but maybe it won't happen....

The REAL music

I admire people who admittedly do something simply because they love to. It says a lot about someone and their character and passion for something if they do it simply for love of it.

There is now an orchestra called the Really Terrible Orchestra. The New York Times wrote an article ("And the Band Played Badly") about the endeavor to join together a bunch of admittedly bad instrumental players and perform works of music. Now they are a smash sensation and their concerts in Scotland and England are always packed to capacity! (As the musicians say, perhaps too it is because they offer concert-goers a few free glasses of wine before the concert).

Music is such an inspiring force of art and it inspires me when I hear of groups of people who are inspired by the music regardless of talent level. I also must say that this encouraged me to perform music for the love of it--not because I'm paid for it, or because it is "what I do", or because I admire the lifestyle of musicians, etc. It is all about the joy of the music and the love with which people have for it.

So bravo to the Really Terrible Orchestra!

Winter Blizzard '08

So we've definitely had some fiesty winter weather in Columbus this past weekend. These photos are from the OSU Columbus campus. I think we definitely had 20+ inches of snow!

Horn A-N-T-I-C-S

So as a horn player, I feel that I can offer some input about what this chap can do.

It truly is impressive what he can do. As he says about his video, he claims to have the "unofficial" world record for the largest range on the horn. I'm not sure about this, but it is pretty high and low. Overall, quite impressive.

I am curious as to the methods he uses to obtain his range. There are ways in which a player can "cheat" to obtain higher and lower notes. I am not trying to belittle this fellow, but it does make me question how he obtains such a large range.

Always question...this is what true learning is!

Vaughan Williams 'On Wenlock Edge' & Shostakovich 10!

The concert the OSU Symphony Orchestra played last evening went very well. The orchestra played both pieces with attention to details that we hadn't even been able to rehearse. Perhaps it is the adrenaline rush of playing for an almost-full house of people that makes one get "in the zone" and have a super-high level of concentration.

Regardless, it went well and we received a standing ovation for the Shostakovich Symphony No. 10. Mr. Blosser, the tenor, sang Vaughan Williams 'On Wenlock Edge' very well and sounded very, very good.

The picture here is of my fellow colleagues in the orchestra. From left to right we have: Margaret Tung, principal horn; Steve Reeves, third horn, Maestro Haddock (behind me), conductor; Me, second horn; Jared Jodrey, assistant principal horn; Holly Lewis, fourth horn. These are the people that I make music with almost every day and they all played fabulously last eve. Bravo to you my fellow colleagues!

Upcoming OSU Symphony Concert

The OSU Symphony Orchestra, Marshall Haddock conducting, is performing the following program next week:

Vaughan Williams: On Wenlock Edge (featuring C. Andrew Blosser, soloist)
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10

Details are:

Wednesday, March 5, 8:00 PM Weigel Auditorium

For more, see the OSU School of Music homepage.

The concert should be outstanding!!

Some upcoming improvements for the blog!

As was mentioned in blogging class today, my blog could be improved by....

1. moving the "subscribe to me" button higher up and into a more accessible area
2. perhaps linking back to previous posts which may be relevant to the current topic
3. customize the background image of the blog itself--it looks too "standardized"
4. change the colors and layout of the two Google Ads windows on my site to fit better with the color scheme, etc.

So...

1. Fixed!
2. Will do it in the future!
3. Working on it!
4. Will figure that one out after I decide on #3!

Thank to my blogging classmates for their invaluable input!

A Living Composer: Eric Whitacre

One of today's great composers, Eric Whitacre, is here in Columbus today and tomorrow.

His choral music is some of the absolute finest being written today. He also has written some fine works for instrumental ensembles as well.

October is a piece he wrote for winds. I have included it above in the music player for your listening edification. It was inspired by his emotions and feelings that he has during the fall month of October. A very appropriate setting!

There are two things which I supremely love in Eric Whitacre pieces...his chords and his melodies. They both are fantastically beautiful and deserve a listen. Here is a link to his website for further listening and information.

Hope you enjoy it!

Mendelssohn: Hebrides Overture

I have decided to post about the Hebrides Overture because it is such a great work! I have included a link to the music so that you can hear it as I critique it.

Mendelssohn: Hebrides Overture (3 min. clip)
Audio Source: ©2004 Chandos Records Ltd. www.chandos-records.com

I like this piece because of the rolling melodies in the strings in the opening (which this clip doesn't have, but you hear about 30 seconds in). It paints a picture in my mind of the ocean. It is a pretty place that is peaceful most of the time, but there are points where waves and storms do occasionally come ashore.

This piece was written by Felix Mendelssohn in 1830. His inspiration comes from his visit to a cave called Fingal's Cave on the island of Staffa, located amongst the Hebrides archipelago, near the coast of Scotland. He was quite impressed by this visit and penned his musical impression of the place!

This piece was one of the first of its kind...a piece of music written for the express purpose of simply setting a mood. It depicts feelings of peaceful loneliness and then at other times great turbulence. He revised this piece several times and this is his final version.

It is quite a wonderful piece and I hope you enjoy!

A refreshing recital!

So I went to hear a clarinet and basset horn recital Friday evening. It was performed at the OSU School of Music Hughes Hall. The performers were Amanda Joos, clarinet; Jon-Patrick Thompson, basset horn; and Lin-San Chou on piano (all fellow colleagues of mine in the School of Music).

The program was an evening of all Mendelssohn. I really appreciate Mendelssohn's music. Whether it is his fantastic symphonies, his beautiful overtures (Hebrides comes to mind), or his lesser-known works. Marvelous writing. His counterpoint (the way he writes his duets) is really quite fine.

The instrumentalists were excellent as well. JP played the unwieldy, beastly basset horn extremely well. I have no experience playing the basset horn, but from other performances where I have either heard or played with basset horns, I am quite sure that it is a cantankerous instrument on the best of days. JP worked very hard and has a great technical facility/skill for playing the basset horn. Amanda played superbly as well--displaying great dynamics and technical fluency as well. Bravo to both JP and Amanda!

I was refreshed by this concert. The music was lively and passionately played by all involved. It was a fine example of some great chamber music!

A Question for the Readers

I realize that not many people may read this blog as of yet, but if you do, I would like to extend an offer to you!

If you have a question about music in general, a specific song or instrument, or a specific topic that you would like to know more about, please post a comment with such information and I will do my best to address them and give you all the information that I am qualified to give!!

Hope to hear from you!

A Wave of Warmth for the NY Philharmonic

The NY Philharmonic has performed its concert in Pyongyang, North Korea. The article in the NY Times is very interesting and informative.

It seems that the concert was well-received by the North Korean people. The final song, "Arirang", a North Korean folksong brought many tears to the Korean audience and the members of the Philharmonic.

As a musician in this country, it is encouraging to see this response from the people of Korea. As I've stated before, classical music is a universal language and can say a lot by itself.

New header graphic

I just used Photoshop Elements to create a quick, little simple graphic for the blog header. It is simple, yet aesthetically interesting, in my opinion.

NY Times: 'China and the Philharmonic, in Harmony'

A reader sent me a link to this article in the New York Times which I found very interesting. I had already commented earlier about the controversial decision of the NY Philharmonic to play a concert in Pyongyang, North Korea shortly. This article give an update on the NY Phil's tour of Asia.

It sounds like there is much cultural education and sharing occurring and it is good to see that between two nations who have traditionally not gotten along very well.

CSO Concert Review (2/22): Elgar, Britten, Saint-Saens

I went last evening, amidst the ice and snow, to hear the Columbus Symphony play the concert aforementioned on this blog.

The Elgar was played well. The rolling melodies were well placed and well played. At times, the transitions seemed a bit confused, but the structure of the piece overall was well executed.

The Britten Serenade was quite fine. The horn player, Gene Standley, played well. The opening of the piece is considered some of the most difficult written for natural horn (a horn consisting of pure tubing...no valves and notes are "approximated" by the movement of the right hand inside the bell of the horn). The high passages in movements two and three were spectacular. The entrance came out of nowhere in the highest extremes of the horn's register. The singer seemed to struggle a bit with pronunciation and diction. Dynamics could have been exaggerated by the singer a bit more as well.

The Saint-Saens Symphony No. 3 'Organ' was a great, thunderous conclusion to the concert. The organ playing was good and the conductor seemed to be most familiar and comfortable with this piece. I appreciated his strict enforcement of the soft dynamics during all of the pieces, but especially on the Saint-Saens.

Overall, the concert was spectacular and well-received by the audience! Bravo to our fine musicians of the CSO! For more about the CSO, see the blog Proud Supporters of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra.

"Another Good One Gone"

Another great conductor of a past era in European orchestral history, Gunter Wand, has passed into the history books. Click to read the Guardian's obituary page.

This man had a reputation for fiery and angry outbursts, yet he was renowned for his conducting of Bruckner and Schubert. He was mainly known for his conducting in England and Germany, but he is best known here for his recordings with the Chicago Symphony.

As John Drummond, the author, puts it, "Despite the challenge of his unpredictable temperament, few conductors of our time have come closer to a deep understanding of either Schubert or Bruckner. Putting up with the insults was almost always worth it in the end."

Britten and Saint-Saens tonight!

Just a quick word of preview. On Friday and Saturday nights this weekend, the Columbus Symphony will be performing:

Elgar: Introduction and Allegro
Britten: Serenade for Tenor and Horn (Gene Standley, one of my previous teachers, is playing horn)
Saint-Saens: Symphony No. 3 "Organ"

Performances are at 8pm both nights and are in the Ohio Theater downtown. Student ticket prices are $10 at the door, as always, if you show some form of educational ID.

It should be a great concert!

Orchestral planning for the future

I found an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer about how the Philadelphia Orchestra has started planning and catering to the different subscribing audiences. It is a definite must-read.

Perhaps changes by world-renowned groups such as this may reshape the way in which orchestra concerts are traditionally given. In my personal opinion, some of what they say is acceptable (like showing soloists and featured instruments on a live video screen), but others...like after-concert schmoozing sessions for singles, are a bit too much. A lot of these "fringe" activities and people might begin to lose sight of the art and go more for the show than the art. If our society has reached the point of valuing the show more than the art, then we are truly in a regrettable state!

But many orchestras are facing either catering to subscribers with fringe benefits or flat-out extinction.

Juilliard set to begin football program!!

This article has got to top them all. Click to read the CBS Sportsline story!

By 2010, Juilliard, the world-class conservatory is going to have a football team! But wait, it gets even better! Heading the search committee for a head coach will be the world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

The idea is for Juilliard to give its musicians some actual "rough and tumble" experiences in hopes that it might make them better performers in the concert hall. A noble experiment!

But what about all of those phenomenally talented musicians whose outer appendages are essential to their musical skills? For instance, what if a pianist mangled his hand in a tackle? Or what if a brass player got his teeth knocked out? Or what if a violinist broke their arm?? All questions that bear some serious thought...

The article was written well and contains many musical puns which will make even the most sober of readers crack a smile!

Blog redesign!

I've been putting a lot of time into working out a stunning new 3-column blog design.

It is about 60% done. Right now I am trying to ensure a safe transfer/process in moving the changes to this more complex "dots" blogger template.

Perhaps it will work...and maybe not!

Click here to see my experimental blog and the basis of a new three-column design.

Strauss: Till Eulenspiegels Merry Pranks

I thought that today I would introduce a piece which I practice frequently and is a neat piece. It is a musical depiction by Richard Strauss of the German legendary character and his pranks.

The opening solo is a french horn solo (which is what I play) and is heroic at times, yet comical and deceptive. As I play this solo, I think of a young teenager sneaking around playing practical jokes on people. If you listen to the full piece, at the end you can hear Till be brought to justice for all his pranks (but Strauss leaves us wondering if he escapes...check it out!).

Hope you enjoy the clip!

Beethoven gone Mahler!?!

I was quite interested as I read this article in the NY Times.

It is about the endeavor of the Curtis Institute of Music to teach the Beethoven String Quartet, Op.95 to everyone in every subject this year. It is an interesting idea...having all students study the same piece. I would be very interested in hearing the outcome of such an endeavor, but time will tell.

I found this review to have a lot of insightful comments about the way in which the Curtis orchestra handled a Beethoven piece transcribed by Mahler. These two people's names carry different ideas entirely, and having them blended would be a unique concert indeed.

Happy Partita!

To honor the holiday--Valentine's Day--I want to discuss a piece that I am currently "in love with." First, some background on...Bach's Partita No. 3 in E Major for Solo Violin.

The word "partita" sounds like a party word or some other word indicating raucous frivolity. According to Grove's Music Dictionary (a musicians "bible" of musical definitions and history).

It defines "partita" as: "A term used at different times for a variation, a piece, a set of Variations and a Suite or other multi-movement genres."

I enjoy the Bach Partita No. 3 in E Major. My favorite artist playing this piece is Hilary Hahn. The recording I have posted in the player above is not Hilary Hahn, but it is outstanding anyways!!

What I enjoy most about this piece is the precision and acrobatic flexibility of the piece. This is the sound of absolute perfection to me. Nothing more, nothing less. I enjoy the clearness of the violin's tone as well. Its timbre is beautifully used in this piece. The technical skills required to play this piece are a result of years of playing and excruciating attention to detail by the performer. The other thing I "hear" when this piece is played is the absolute devotion to discipline by the musician. This piece is the result of effort, determination, and hard work.

Happy listening!

The 'Hierarchy' of Musical Notes

These are the most common notes used in music. The quarter note is a standard note. A half note is worth two quarter notes and a whole note is worth four quarter notes! The smaller notes are the eighth and sixteenth notes. An eighth note is half the value of a quarter note and the a sixteenth note is half of an eighth note (and thereby a quarter of a quarter note).

If that didn't make sense right off the bat, then read it again. You can always post with comments and questions if you need further explanation!

A Time Signature

What is a time signuature in music? Perhaps when you hear a time signature your mind goes scurrying off to astronomy class or a science-fiction movie!

A time signature in music is something which a performer can look at and instantly tell how the music is generally laid out and what the basic rhythm of the piece is going to be.

A time signature looks like a fraction and occurs at the beginning of a piece and and then in the middle of a piece of music only when switching to or from another one. So...a piece could start in tempo A and then switch to tempo B, and then back again to A or to a whole new tempo C!!

The fraction part is quite easy to decipher. The top note tells you how many beats/pulses there are in one solitary measure. The bottom number in the "fraction" tells you what type of note the beat/pulse will equal.

Example: the most common time signature is 4/4 (the line would not be present in real music). The top number 4 means that there are four main pulses in each measure. The bottom mote indicates that quarter note is equal to one of the four pulses in the measure. This means that there are four quarter notes in one measure. Still with me?

Example 2: lets consider 6/8. What does the top note tell us? [answer: there are six beats/pulses per measure] Now what does the bottom note indicate? It indicates that an eighth note (half of a quarter note) gets one beat. There are 6 eighth notes per measure!!

Tomorrow I am going to attempt to post about the hierarchy between the different "notes" so that any confusion that exists can be cleared up!!

Timbre...

As I got to thinking and listening to the two versions of Samuel Barber's work (see previous post), the one thing which really stands out to me as being different is the timbre created by the strings vs. the voices.

Timbre (tam-ber) is a hard thing to define. Dictionary.com defines it as:

1.	Acoustics, Phonetics. the characteristic quality of a sound, independent of pitch and loudness, from which its source or manner of production can be inferred. Timbre depends on the relative strengths of the components of different frequencies, which are determined by resonance.

2.	Music. the characteristic quality of sound produced by a particular instrument or voice; tone color.

The overall colors of the sound is what makes these pieces each uniquely good. Some songs which are done by more than one group encourage people to say, "well I like Mr. X's version better than Mr. Y's." In this case each piece makes a solid case for itself.

Hope that makes sense...let me know if it doesn't!

Barber's Adagio for Strings

It's a piece that is a favorite of movie soundtrack composers. But did you know where it first came from?

This famous piece was actually a second movement in a string quartet, written for two violins, one viola, and one cello. It was such a sensational hit that Barber ended up rescoring it for full string orchestra and called it the "Adagio for Strings." He also made an arrangement for mixed voices. This version is much the same as the string orchestra version, except that the name changed to Agnus Dei.

It is hard to say which version I like better...string orchestra vs. mixed voices. I will say though that each has its own intensity and emotional content. It is the same notes, but the medium is so much different that hearing the two versions, one gets a sense of two different ideas/emotions that are portrayed.

This is the beauty of music and the uniqueness which it inherently has.

I have posted the string orchestra AND the mixed voices versions for you to hear and decide upon yourself!

New York Philharmonic: Next stop...North Korea!?

In a bold and brash move--reported in a recent article in the Washington Times--Maestro Maazel and the New York Philharmonic are planning to stop in Pyongyang, North Korea to play a concert on their upcoming tour of Asia.

This decision has brought forth a firestorm of anger and criticism from many music and human rights critics because of North Korea's current regime and its record of human rights violations.

Maestro Maazel has thrown out a weighty statement which says, "People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw bricks, should they? Is our standing as a country — the United States — is our reputation all that clean when it comes to prisoners and the way they are treated? Have we set an example that should be emulated all over the world? If we can answer that question honestly, I think we can then stop being judgmental about the errors made by others."

I found his comment thought-provoking, yet disagreeable. The US may not have a pristine reputation and we may have made mistakes, but we certainly aren't starving our population and letting them die without aid. North Korea also supports terrorism and funds terrorists abroad with weapons shipments and money. They also are agressively pursuing a nuclear weapons program. Not the most desirable of places for the NY Phil to play.

The Maestro claims that "I thought I was making music and stretching out a welcoming hand to folks who might not have been believers of the regime under which they were living. I feel this way certainly about North Korea." I believe that the Maestro has the right idea, but went about this the wrong way. Perhaps asking the State Department if the orchestra might travel to this country might have been a better course of action.

I do believe that music is an international language and must be shared with all. Music enlightens and inspires, and as artists, it is our job to bring this to whoever will listen. But traveling to a rogue nation like North Korea shows unfounded support for a regime of dictatorship and repression of human rights.

The NEW Sousa Band!

Tonight I got to go see the NEW Sousa Band perform in concert at the Ohio State University School of Music Weigel Hall. Appearing with them was the OSU Marching Band (TBDBITL!).

It was great to hear a group full of symphony musicians, college teachers, and military band performers play the classic works of Sousa, Gershwin, and many others from yesteryear! Their playing was enthusiastic and skillful.

What a great evening of FUN music! I've added a favorite to my player above--Stars and Stripes Forever!!

My song of the day!

Today my theme song was Boccherini's 'La Boccherini la Musica Notturna Delle Strade Di Madrid No. 6, Op. 30' [String quartet in C]. Have a listen above! The theme starts at 4:18 into the track above.

It's a happy, rollicking theme! It is full of life and playfulness and today was a soggy, nasty day outside and it smacks of the exact opposite.

Have a listen and hope you enjoy!

A Symphony of SILENCE...and only 31

During the past several Columbus Symphony concerts, the intermission has come to an end--a SILENT one at that. All that remains on the stage are the 31 musicians who would survive the drastic cutback of the Columbus Symphony. Just seeing how few musicians remain is sobering. But these 31 musicians sit there stare at the floor or at their music with blank expressions on their faces. A few chat with each other, but mostly there is SILENCE . In a place of music, there is none. It is most unsettling and a possible foretelling of the future.

Then, just as the house lights dim, and the conductor prepares to come on stage, these 31 musicians start applauding--as the musicians whose jobs are at stake take their places. Then there are a few brief moments of scattered warming up and the concert resumes.

Seeing this story told in SILENCE and size is an experience that must be seen to fully comprehend. For the many who have asked and are asking what this SILENT intermission is all about, now you know the story. Hopefully those of you who see this will proudly support the musicians and do all that is necessary to preserve the Columbus Symphony Orchestra.

Siegfried Horn Call

This is a horn "call." It is this rustic and authentic sound which first brought the horn from the forests to the concert hall. This excerpt ("clip") is from an opera by Richard Wagner. In the opera, a singer puts a horn to his face and pretends to play this, while the real sound is being produced from a horn player watching the singer from backstage via TV. It takes a tremendous amount of practice to play this by yourself, but even more so when you have to take all your cues from a TV picture of the actual person. This horn player does a tremendous job of playing it. Her accuracy and efficiency is impeccable! Enjoy!

Golijov & Schumann CSO concert!

Just back from the Columbus Symphony Contemporary Music Festival (CMF) concert with Mr. Golijov, our guest/featured composer. For those who are unfamiliar with the CMF, the OSU School of Music and the Columbus Symphony team up to bring in a famous, living composer of new music and they have a week of classes/concerts/etc. with the composer. Last nights concert features two works by Mr. Golijov--Last Round and Three Songs for Soprano and Orchestra. The works were played very well and were amazing works. Mr. Golijov said that he likes his works "to go straight to the heart. My music is written to show life!" His music did absolutely that. It was very good. Soprano Jessica Rivera sung well and the CSO played very well. I appreciated the enthusiasm with which they tackled the new works which were very difficult and technical. The last piece on the concert was Schumann's second symphony. Excellent performance of it. Bravo to all the musicians and artists involved.

I was disappointed by the lack of people at the concert. It is shameful to see so many seats open and not have them filled...perhaps one day people will once again realize the true value of our fine arts.

Jazz night!

I went to a coffee shop in German Village this evening to see my friend Jason play with his jazz quartet. The group was quite good and there were a lot of people who turned out for the evening! The event is free and the coffee and food was great! I learned a lot about the jazz genre and its unique forms just by going and listening for 2.5 hours. It was nice to come out of the classroom with an academic understanding of the forms and then hear it actually "come alive." The group sounds great, and they plan to start playing there regularly...so consider coming out for them!

Understanding Music

Understanding music is a hard thing to define. What is understanding music? I think that there are two levels of understanding.

The first level of understanding is a purely technical, academic understanding. Terms such as major; minor; harmonic progression; chords labeled I, V, vii, ii; terms like larghetto, andante, vivace; typical structures of pieces like symphonies, concertos, etc....and the list goes on and on.

The second level is a much more important one in my estimation. It is understanding what emotion and character a piece portrays. The ability, whether consciously or subconsciously recognized, to say "oh, that piece of music reminds me of..." or that piece makes me feel happy, angry, peaceful, excited, etc. This is direct communication to the human soul/emotional center. This communication is what makes music so beautiful.

So the next time you hear some music, be aware of the level on which you understand it and how communicative it truly is!

Quantity vs. Quality

My post today is commenting on a blog of my own--Proud Supporters of the Columbus Symphony.

For those of you reading this that may not be aware, the Columbus Symphony Orchestra--considered by many to be the flagship arts group in Columbus--is about to be cut back drastically. These cuts which the board has proposed (working behind the musician's backs) are so severe that if they take place, there may not be a CSO anymore.

I could go into this in greater detail, but I've already posted about why I think the arts are important and why symphony orchestras are important. See earlier for more on that.

What I do want to say is that, in my estimation, it comes down to quantity vs. quality. In this situation it seems that if the cuts go through, the quantity problem--"financial instability" will have seemed to be fixed (for another year--the same situation will resurface at the end of next year).

The cuts are simply the WRONG decision because it will destroy the fine quality of the product--the musicians themselves. The "big picture" view is that there is absolutely no reason why a city the size of Columbus cannot support a full-time orchestra. What the musicians press release has stated is that it is a gross error of mismanagement by the orchestra's board of directors. I would agree with this. The board has chosen quantity over quality.

So Columbus, is it quantity or quality??

New music in my Project Playlist!

So I love the new Project Playlist application (music player above)!

I've added some new tracks above.
1. La donna e mobile from Verdi's Rigoletto - sung by Andrea Bocelli
2. Brahms: German Requiem - "Denn alles Fleish es ist wie Gras" ("All Flesh is as the Grass")

The German Requiem is the first protestant "requiem." Musically, it is a journey through various keys, which is just one of the many amazing facets of this work by Brahms. It is unknown whether or not Brahms was a Christian, but it was reported by one music historian that "Brahms kept a Bible by his bed always and it was found well-used." The clip I put up is 14.5 minutes in length, but it is well worth it...listen for the development of the piece both harmonically (key structure, melodies) and in intensity--the piece just seems to grow more and more mysterious and haunting. A very worthy setting of the biblical text "all flesh will wither as the grass." The whole idea of "from dust we are and to dust we will return" is what is depicted here.

The Results of Counting NUMBERS!

So it really, really was beneficial to count numbers and mentally "turn down the volume" on what was happening on stage, and "turning up the volume" on counting measures of rests and ensuring that the entrances were in the right spot. I think that the mental discipline required to do this with everything going on around you in an opera is tremendous, and it is something I learned a lot about this past week in the opera series!

Thoughts on counting NUMBERS!!

So my plan of attack on the counting/being aware problem is to, as Maestro Haddock puts it to us so often..."count NUMBERS!!!" I always count numbers, but I'm going to try to zone in on only doing that alone this afternoon. I'm going to turn my mental volume up on the counting numbers of rests, etc. and down on what is going on around me.

Perhaps it will help! I guess I'll find out.

Opera performance #2

So the second performance of The Magic Flute was better than the first. That is good...we are improving!!

The one thing that I find it hardest to do is to concentrate. I don't know if it is because we are on the stage and things are going on above us that distracts me so much (normally we are in a sunken pit) or if it is something else...?? I've found that I usually have one slip-up per half where I am so engrossed in what is going on on stage that I forget to count and come in. Perhaps it is the fact that we are resting for a couple hundred bars and then have to play??

If anyone who reads this has experienced this, found a way to overcome it, or has any suggestions, let me know! This little problem is so annoying!

Opening night!

Tonight was the opening night of the opera. It went fairly well! The crowd was really enthusiastic about the performance. The singers did great and the orchestra played well.

If you didn't see the opera tonight, come tomorrow night or Sunday afternoon!

I'm exhausted and headin' to bed now...

A Day of Rest!

Today we had the entire day off from opera rehearsal. I actually missed it.

But we did have an opera horn excerpt clinic with Professor Chenoweth today. It was very informative and I learned plenty. The man is very enjoyable to work with and I learned a lot.

I played excerpts from the operas Don Carlo, the Marriage of Figaro, and Cosi fan Tutte. The playing went well, and our entire OSU Horn Studio played well.

What I particularly enjoyed was the presentation by Professor Chenoweth about being an opera pit player and what life was like. It was interesting to see how different opera playing was from orchestra playing. There is a lot more that can go wrong in an opera than in an orchestra concert. In an opera you have to work with singers, cues, long waits until you play again, offstage playing, extremely bizarre and difficult transpositions, and the potential of playing in different venues and temperatures. Quite a bit of variables to deal with.

Symphonic playing is more stable. You almost always play indoors, the repertoire is widely known, you only have the musicians and the maestro to deal with, and a shorter concert length. When you truly stack it up, the skills and patience required for opera is a much greater than the skills and patience required for symphonic playing.

Overall, today I learned much about a side of the horn which seemed very obscure and mysterious. Perhaps one day I will be able to play with a professional opera company as a sub!?!

By the way, tomorrow night starts our three-night run of Mozart's The Magic Flute!!

So what? Part 2 - My belief in the arts

Now to answer some of the questions that I posed three days ago.

First off, I truly believe that the arts are necessary. To not have the arts is to lose all creativity and hope for true progress in a society. I believe that it is art that draws the best out of humanity and teaches us to explore ourselves and our feelings in ways that normal situations of life don't allow.

I believe that the arts can be considered as any method or means of expressing ones self to others. I realize that art is subjective, but even what some consider complete junk is pure art to others, and vice versa. So...music, speech, sculpting, painting, ballet, writing, etc. is all means of expressing ones self. Each form is unique, and all are different, but each access in us an area of ourselves with which we find solace, inspiration, joy, rage, love, and so on and so on.

Now how should I expect others to respond to the arts? I believe that each person has an "art" of some sort that they appreciate and support. It is finding larger cross-sections of society which support the same art that is problematic. Our society is so diversified that it is harder to find people who identify with and are willing to fully embrace a particular genre. Someone may love paintings, writing, and music. Can they wholeheartedly support all three? Probably not. When it comes down to it, most people have one great love and only one.

After some really deep and introspective thought, I think that I am a musician because it is such a core of who I am, that I could never NOT play music. I sat down and thought about what I am involved in and why it is noteworthy and should receive my involvement. As I narrowed the list down, most everything could be traced back to music in some fashion. I do believe at times that we all do what we do because it's what we do. We mindlessly trudge through our daily duties, but never stop to think of why we do what we do.

As I sat and thought about it, I realized what a privilege I have each day to pick up a musical instrument and expressively create music. What a privilege. Many people do not have the ability to perfect playing of an instrument, and the world would be completely unbalanced if everyone did. But everyone has an art or talent through which they express themselves.

After coming to this realization, I look at people differently. I now see how each person I know and meet each day has a niche in which they display their talent and creativity.

But, SO WHAT?

I challenge everyone who reads this to be AWARE of the art that is around them each day and to not take it for granted. Look at the beauty of nature. Look at the people around you and how they creatively communicate with others via art genres. The world is a better place because of the "art" in it. Don't let a day go by without observing and actively appreciating it all!!

Opera Rehearsal observations

So I'm writing after a LOOOOOOONG opera rehearsal. The rehearsals are from 7-11p every night this week. Long hours, but it will be worth it!

The opera is falling into place. I am learning much about playing accurately in these rehearsals. I get one chance to hit every note just the way it should be. If you frack (the technical term for missing a note!) it, you don't get a second chance. I know this and try to practice it always, but in this setting it is strictly enforced and is a good experience. Also, as an ensemble, if we don't play something exactly as we wished, then we DO NOT get to rehearse it. We get "the look" from the conductor, and, if you're wise, you pencil in a note that will help you to not do it again!

The opera is being sung in English and not the original language. Not too sure how I feel about that. There is a beauty of the original language in union with the music, but I suppose that the benefit of the audience being able to understand it without supertitles is outweighs the beauty.

I am still pondering the "deep, touch-feeling" questions. More on my thoughts later. For now, it is off to bed. I have a lesson tomorrow, lots of classes, and another 4 hour rehearsal tomorrow night!

Mozart's 'The Magic Flute' this weekend at OSU!

This coming weekend, the OSU Opera Department under the direction of Peter Kozma and the OSU Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Marshall Haddock will present the opera The Magic Flute (sung in English) in Thurber Theatre at the Drake Union.

Concerts will be Friday and Saturday at 8p and Sunday @ 3p.

Ticket cost for these performance are:
$20 reserved seating
$15 OSU faculty, staff and Alumni Association members
$12 seniors and students with ID

To purchase tickets, call the Theatre Box Office @ 614.292.2295

Hope you all will come out to see this peformance and support our local arts!

So what?

I've been thinking a lot about the importance of the arts recently. How essential do I personally believe them to be? What do I believe are the essential arts--music? painting? ballet? writing? sculpting? How do I personally support the arts in a substantive way? What are my expectations of the arts? What should I expect others answers to these questions to be? I consider myself a musican, but am I a musician just because that is what I do?

These questions have been mulling in my mind recently and I'm beginning to form some kind of idea about how I feel about each of these questions. It isn't something where I can sit down and decide upon in a matter of a few hours--or maybe even days!! I think it will take some time and sorting out before I come to any point in which I can express myself on these issues.

For those reading this, these questions seem rather flowery and touchy-feely, but they are questions that each of us should take some time to reflect about. The answers which you form will tell you a lot about yourself and who you are.

CSO Concert was inspiring!

Tonight's performance was inspiring! Simply amazing performance. The CSO proved to all in attendance what they do best and how much they are needed.

The Fantasian on a Theme by Thomas Tallis was so moving to me personally. The way in which Maestro Hirokami shaped the piece and phrased it was phenomenal.

Korngold was played by Concertmaster Wetherbee with finesse and great virtuosity. It was great to hear a newer piece which many have previously not heard. It was truly appreciated by the audience.

Beethoven 7 was crafted perfectly by orchestra and maestro alike. Each performer poured their soul into creating this evening's performance and it was evident. The crowd thundered to their feet in approval after the final chords of the orchestra. It was great to see the musicians smiling after the performance. It seemed that for a while all attention was drawn to the music and the showdown between the orchestra and the board took the backstage spot for the evening.

I was inspired and the attendance and enthusiasm of the audience was palpable. A great concert and bravo to the musicians of our Columbus Symphony Orchestra!!

Columbus Symphony Concert tonight!

The Columbus Symphony is playing this weekend!

The program is:

> Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis (previewed above!)
> Korngold: Violin Concerto
> Beethoven: Symphony No. 7

The concert is in the Ohio Theater Sat. @ 8p and Sun. @ 3p!

This is going to be a great concert for me personally because I have waited three years to hear the Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis. Two years ago I believe Cincinnati Symphony had it on the schedule to perform and then cancelled it. Last year the Cleveland Orchestra was scheduled to play it and they removed it from the schedule as well! So this is it...I get to hear it!

Code Blue...this is not a drill!

Please, read this article from the Columbus Dispatch!

Several days ago I wrote about the arts being on the verge of a "code blue." Today this sad truth has hit shockingly close to home. It is with great regret and sadness that I read the front-page headline of the Columbus Dispatch which read "Symphony on the brink?"

The Columbus Symphony Orchestra board has proposed that:

1. the number of full-time musicians be cut from 53 to 31
2. the number of performance weeks be trimmed from 46 to 34
3. an additional $3 million dollars be removed from the $12 million dollar annual budget

The rest of this drastic plan can be viewed at the Columbus Symphony website.

I fully support the musicians of the CSO and would like to be vocal about my support. In an attempt to make more people aware of this issue and to , I have created a Facebook group open to all users entitled "Proud Supporters of the Columbus Symphony." If you are a Facebook user and feel as strongly about this art form as I do, then please join the group to help show support for the CSO!

Also, if you do not attend concerts, then this would be a tremendous time to start and show your support for the orchestra!

Project Playlist

The music is HERE!!!

Many thanks to Project Playlist for helping me share with you some music which I enjoy.

Hope you find this useful and enjoy listening!

One of my favortie Tenors (and no, he's not Irish!)

One of my favorite tenors is Andrea Bocelli. He is from Italy (Tuscany, to be precise). He creates a unique blend of traditional classical opera and newer pop songs. He is what musicians call a "crossover" artist because he mixes these two realms of musical performance (with great success in my opinion).

He has many recordings for sale. He has recordings, such as Viaggio Italiano, Aria: The Opera Album, and Verdi which are straight classical opera favorites. He greatly excels at beautifully singing opera arias. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term "aria," it originates from the Italian language and literally means "air." An aria is a piece of music in which there is a solo opera singer with orchestra accompaniment. Aria's tend to be slower pieces in which there are gorgeous melodies (usually expressing intense feelings of love, desire, or anguish).

His pop recording include Romanza (by far his most popular album), Amore, Andrea, Sentimento, and Sogno. His pop vocals do not include any rap, hip-hop, or any other extremely trendy styles. It is a nice variety when compared with his other classical-only cd's.

I appreciate his voice because it is very pure and clear. The resonance and focus of the tone is striking and unlike any other I have ever heard. I also appreciate the fluid-like ease with which he sings. Many other tenors sound labored and strained when they sing such works as Nessun Dorma or most works by Verdi. These demanding pieces are easily conquered by Mr. Bocelli.

Look for musical samples coming soon to my blog!

The 3rd and Final Component!

The final component of my portable audio system if probably an obvious guess....the headphones!!

My choice of medium-level audiophile headphones are made by the Sennheiser Corporation. The Sennheiser HD 555's are an incredible set of award-winning headphones. I own this pair and they are incredible. They are "open." This means that there is no solid plastic cup encasing all of the sound into your ears. This adds the sense of openness and the feeling of being in a "live hall." Miraculously sublime.

So, in conclusion, the ideal portable audio system, in my opinion contains:

~ A Toshiba Gigabeat or similar device
~ A HeadRoom TotalBitHead mobile headphone amp
~ Sennheiser HD 555 mid-level, audiophile headphones

Any comments?? Do you have a different system?? Send any feedback this way!!

Component 2!

I'm back! I've overhauled the computer and am now running Vista! It has been a pleasant switch and it works great (so far...)!

As promised, the second component in my three-part sound essentials!

Most people would be content to just plug in a pair of headphones and crank up the volume. But they would be hearing about 66% of what is actually there. To focus the sound and make it EXTREMELY good, I use a HeadRoom Total BitHead.

Let's imagine that you are at an eye doctor's office. We have all had the experience of "better one? better two?" And then the doctor dials in the exact prescription and in one moment, everything is so bright and clear! The same experience happens when you plug your headphones into the BitHead.

The BitHead simply refines and increases the power of the signal leaving the iPod device. It is a high-end super amp. It powers the headphones much better than the mini-amp inside the iPod device.

This particular model costs a hefty sum, but it is WELL WORTH the price. Just try it and I guarantee you will smile with delight!

My iPod...well, sorta...

There have been several people who have recently asked me what I use for my choice of portable sound devices. I use a three-component system. The first component is a Toshiba Gigabeat. It sports a 30 GB capacity and is a shade smaller than the traditional Apple Ipod (see photos at the link above).

The awesome little screen is a 2.4" LCD screen which plays movies (including widescreen format) and displays photos with brilliance. I did load the movie Ice Age and some NCIS tv episodes on it and they left room to spare. Each episode of NCIS compressed to about 50 MB each. Ice Age was only 156 MB. With size compression like that, you could fit a whole lot of footage on one of these little devices!

A neat feature which Toshiba packaged in this little device was the ability to direct-connect to any digital camera (cable included). You can dump photos directly on it from your camera (in case your memory card is maxed-out). Pictures can be made into a slideshow with music at the touch of a button. Handy.

In spite of all of these tech-savvy features, the music features impress me most. Up front I must admit that I am a complete audiophile. Along with being persnickety about the quality of sound, I also am a fan of Windows Media Player 11. The Gigabeat synchs seamlessly with WMP and fully supports .wma file format and CD quality audio. The player pulls all of the album art off of WMP as well, if you are a fan of looking at album art while you listen to music. This was enough to sell me on it. After ordering it, I was worried that the amp wouldn't be able to drive my high-end headphones (more to come on those in the future). When I plugged in the cans, they sounded awesome without an amp! I am hooked on it.

Only con: battery life. It last about 2.5 hours playing a movie (Ice Age and one ~40 minute tv episode). On music, it lasts about 12 hours. I don't travel super long distances, so I have to recharge about once a week. It really isn't a con for me at all. I'm just passing along what CNet and other reviewers have said.

I almost forgot to mention...this player is not as available as it used to be, but it is still much, much cheaper than other comparable players. It costs on average $150-175!

All in all, the Toshiba Gigabeat is the way to go if you are looking for a great .mp3 player!!

A Technological Aside

I enjoy using and exploring technology as a hobby, and I just got Windows Vista. I am preparing to put it on my computer and it took me 38 minutes just to open the package! I had to actually Google "how to open windows vista box packaging" just to find out how to open the package. Microsoft has actually had to create a special help page just on how to open the new packaging to access the install disks!

For those of you who don't know, Windows "re-designed" their packaging for all versions of Office 2007 and Vista onward. Their intent was to be "user-friendly" but it sure as smoke isn't! The new package is completely plastic and pops open on the side. Wow, a cool design, but there is absolutely NO INSTRUCTIONS on how to open it on the outside. A hugely overlooked flaw. If anyone reading this is looking for help, you can find it here.

Other disadvantages of switching to hard plastic cases and not cardboard boxes is that the new plastic is not very environmentally friendly. Apparently Microsoft likes the new packaging because it will "protect your software for a lifetime." Well, at the rate with which Windows requires users to upgrade their OS (operating system), there is no need to protect it for a lifetime--unless Microsoft defines a "lifetime" as 3 or 4 years.

I'm a Microsoft fan and not usually this grumpy, but this is just plain retarded to not be able to open the box to use a new product. Many users have resorted to hammers and such, and this is unacceptable.

I close with this from one user on a Windows forum: "Windows Vista - now available on VHS!"

Columbus Symphony Orchestra concert review (1/11)

Last evening I attended the Columbus Symphony Orchestra concert at which they played:

> Mendelssohn: Overture to A Midsummer’s Night Dream
> Hindemith: Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes by Weber
> Brahms: Violin Concerto (played by Kyoko Takezawa)

The Mendelssohn was decent. There were some parts which were a little mis-coordinated in the strings, but overall it was a good rendering of the Overture.

The Hindemith was an absolute pleasure to hear. It was apparent that the orchestra loved to play this piece because it sounded so clean and together. Intonation (the instruments being in tune with each other) was also very succinct and clean. The final triumphant movement was very rousing and played well by the thunderous brass!

The Brahms Violin Concerto was played exquisitely well by Miss Takezawa. The orchestra kept their dynamics (volume level) at a nice level so that the soloist could shine. Her passion flowed through the music and it was very moving. In the second movement there was some trouble in the winds with tuning and missed notes, but they recovered and moved on. The final movement was brilliant and was an excellent way to end the evening.

Overall, I was inspired. The Columbus Symphony always steps up to the occasion to make great music. Maestro Junichi Hirokami also energetically leads them all well.

There is still tonight to hear this awesome concert!

"Classical" music...on the verge of Code Blue?

I came across an article in which the author stated that Classical music was about to be an obsolete thing. I myself am a "classical" musician, so this article caught my attention. Whenever I think of a "classical" music blog, I visualize a blog which eventually begins to rant about how this genre of art is about to die and become as extinct as the dinosaurs. When I created this blog I knew that I wanted to avoid this topic. But after some thought, I think it is something that I might as well just take on right up front.

So what do I think about the situation? I attend concerts of professional orchestras on a weekly basis. Sometimes I even play in those concerts. While at performances, I can't help but notice that 75% of the audience is over the age of 50. I agree that the art form we call "classical" music is declining. But I, as a musician, have hope that it will improve.

I would like to cite an example. Let's take a look at the stock market. This is something that is constantly covered on news broadcasts. I make no claim to be a market analyst, but I do know that the market usually surges, then corrects itself, then inflates again, then corrects itself, etc. I like to think that classical music is in a "recession" at this point. Eventually it will come back again on an upswing. As a performer, I include myself when I say that it is time that we truly inspire those who hear us play. A person truly inspired will see the need for music, and want to share it with others. In essence, what I am advocating is peformers making a local difference by inspring their audiences.

Also, if you currently do not involve classical music in your daily arts diet, why not take the chance to try something new? A lesson that education teaches us is to have an open mind to trying new things. Admittedly, classical music is an acquired taste, but if you give it a chance, I'm sure that you won't be disappointed!

So...how could you begin to expose yourself to classical music?

* Your local library has a host of music on reserve. Check some out and enjoy it at your own leisure!
* But even better yet, go to an orchestra concert near you!!! Most orchestras have student tickets available for on average a cost of roughly $5- $10. For that price, you can't go wrong as a student!
* Many orchestras have personnel lists in their programs. Contact somewone who plays an instrument that you are interested in. Many of them will be more than happy to share their knowledge with you and can recommend pieces for you to explore.

In conclusion, I want to encourage you to try something new! You won't know what you've been missing until you try it out!

Please feel free to post to this topic about what you think. Also, please let me know if you have done what I have recommended! Tell me what did and didn't work!

upcoming concerts in columbus this weekend

I'm posting to let people know about a few upcoming concerts in the Columbus area this weekend.

First, there is a Columbus Symphony concert this weekend. There are performances on Friday (1/11) and Saturday (1/12) at 8p in the Ohio Theater. Tickets can be purchased online and student discount tickets are available. The program includes:

> Mendelssohn: Overture to A Midsummer’s Night Dream
> Hindemith: Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes by Weber
> Brahms: Violin Concerto (played by Kyoko Takezawa)

Second, there is a ProMusica Chamber Orchestra concert on Saturday (1/12) at 5:30p and Sunday (1/13) at 7:30p in the Southern Theater. This program includes:

Johann Strauss, II: Radetsky March
Handel: Entrance of the Queen of Sheba from Solomon
Ravel: Pavane for a Dead Princess
Haydn: Symphony No. 48 “Maria Theresa”
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 “Emperor”

Lastly, on Saturday evening at 6p, The Ohio State University School of Music presents the Kent Brass Quintet. The concert is open to the public and is held in Hughes Hall Auditorium.

So there is the smattering of musical venues this weekend. There is going to be some great music-making in Columbus this weekend!

Three blogs I really dig

~ A blog from WOSU radio host Christopher Purdy!

~ A blog all about French horns!

~ A fellow Classical music discussion blog!

My initial post!

My initial post! Hooooray!!

This blog is brand new and under construction!

Content will be forthcoming as I figure out Blogger.