Sitting in with Columbia
Sep. 14th, 2004 08:46 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
av8rmikeThat was one long day yesterday, but man, it was fun. I left work around 5:30 and drove straight to Columbia because it's closer to my office than it is to home. This way I actually had time to stop at the Columbia Mall, get some pizza for dinner, and look up the directions for how to actually get to the high school where the orchestra was rehearsing. I got there about 20 minutes early because I didn't have all the music nor did I know where I was supposed to sit. The people are all very friendly; I wasn't there more than ten minutes when someone came up and snapped a picture of me, saying, "we're trying to get pictures of all the members." Even the new ones who haven't officially joined, apparently.
Eventually I got myself situated in amongst the second violins. My stand partner was a guy who said he normally plays in the firsts, but is "floating" because he can't play the concert. We were working on Berlioz's "Symphonie Fantastique", not fantastically difficult, but one that will put any orchestra through its paces. In particular, my mother always dreads the exposed 2nd clarinet part in the fifth movement, even though she always plays it right.
Sure, there were several places where I was really faking it, but I had the benefit of already being intimately familiar with the score so I already knew how it's supposed to sound. I was surprised by how many parts I could actually play. My stand partner thought he was being helpful by giving pointers on this & that, but after a while I felt like telling him to lay off, I already have my own teacher. After the break he switched stands to "help out" this girl next to me who seemed very lost. We read the third movement, then I got to sightread Beethoven's "Coriolan" overture, which was not all that hard.
Now, unfortunately, it's decision time. I can't play in two orchestras at once; I'd be doing nothing but practicing and I'd never even get to the stuff for my lessons. I recognized one of the violists from last week's rehearsal with the other group and talked to him for a while about playing in the two orchestras. I'd love to keep playing in Columbia, but Howard County is further away and the rest of their season (after this concert) just doesn't excite me. The downside of the BPO is that it is a less mature group (musically), and their conductor isn't as much of a leader as Columbia's is. I'll probably end up talking with my teacher about this anyway.
Oh, one more exciting thing: I was talking with the principal violist in the parking lot afterward, and he invited me to join a small group he conducts in December, which plays "The Nutcracker" for a local ballet troupe. It's in Howard County too, but that sounds like it could be a great opportunity!
BTW, I think I need a "music" icon since I talk about it so much, but I don't want to give up my other ones. Anyone want to sponsor me for a paid account? =D
Eventually I got myself situated in amongst the second violins. My stand partner was a guy who said he normally plays in the firsts, but is "floating" because he can't play the concert. We were working on Berlioz's "Symphonie Fantastique", not fantastically difficult, but one that will put any orchestra through its paces. In particular, my mother always dreads the exposed 2nd clarinet part in the fifth movement, even though she always plays it right.
Sure, there were several places where I was really faking it, but I had the benefit of already being intimately familiar with the score so I already knew how it's supposed to sound. I was surprised by how many parts I could actually play. My stand partner thought he was being helpful by giving pointers on this & that, but after a while I felt like telling him to lay off, I already have my own teacher. After the break he switched stands to "help out" this girl next to me who seemed very lost. We read the third movement, then I got to sightread Beethoven's "Coriolan" overture, which was not all that hard.
Now, unfortunately, it's decision time. I can't play in two orchestras at once; I'd be doing nothing but practicing and I'd never even get to the stuff for my lessons. I recognized one of the violists from last week's rehearsal with the other group and talked to him for a while about playing in the two orchestras. I'd love to keep playing in Columbia, but Howard County is further away and the rest of their season (after this concert) just doesn't excite me. The downside of the BPO is that it is a less mature group (musically), and their conductor isn't as much of a leader as Columbia's is. I'll probably end up talking with my teacher about this anyway.
Oh, one more exciting thing: I was talking with the principal violist in the parking lot afterward, and he invited me to join a small group he conducts in December, which plays "The Nutcracker" for a local ballet troupe. It's in Howard County too, but that sounds like it could be a great opportunity!
BTW, I think I need a "music" icon since I talk about it so much, but I don't want to give up my other ones. Anyone want to sponsor me for a paid account? =D
