Happy Orchestra Land

I realize I don't write all that much, and I'm sorry... finding both time and something interesting to write about is often a challenge, because contrary to popular belief, I do actually have many a boring, normal day.

I figured I would write about my orchestras right now. I'm playing in two: The Haydn-Orchester in Hamburg, and the Oldenburgisches Schlossorchester in Oldenburg. This week I have three concerts (Thursday, Saturday, Sunday) for the Haydn-Orchester. We're playing Schumann's 3rd Symphony, Chopin's 1st Piano Concerto, and Beethoven's Leonore III Overture. Next weekend I have the concert in Oldenburg. We're playing Dvorak's Cello Concerto, and Mendelssohn's 3rd Symphony. Lots of fun music, very little time to sleep.

The best thing about the Oldenburg Orchestra is that it's close.... I can make it home from rehearsal before 2am, which is when I get home from Hamburg (I also sometimes spend the night in Hamburg with an oboist who kindly invited me to crash at her place).

Some thoughts on German orchestras. Many of the instruments are slightly different (the clarinets, for example), and thus sound a bit different. The horns mostly play a brand of horn with a very distinct sound, which makes my job a little more interesting: I have to learn to blend with it so I don't stick out (since I don't have an alexander). German orchestras to me usually sound darker and rounder than their American counterparts.

Orchestra is really fun: I get to meet a lot of new people, and play some cool music. I'll be sad when it's over, although I will NOT miss the commute. I'll also suddenly have practice time, and won't miss classes because of concerts. This might make my teachers happier.

Quick update, for those of you who don't know how the european conservatory search is going: I applied at three schools: the conservatory (HdK) in Zürich, the conservatory (UdK) in Berlin, and the conservatory (Musikhochschule) in Trossingen (and yes I did just translate three different German words or phrases into conservatory....). I haven't heard from the two in Germany yet (should be hearing in the next few weeks, I hope), but I have been invited to play an audition in Zürich on May 7th. I'm really excited to play for the people there, and I really hope they decide they want me, because, well.... Zürich is awesome, and based on the information I currently have, it may very well be the best fit for me artistically. I'm also excited to miss some more school, and go back to Switzerland. =)

The Instruments...

I thought I would write something about the instruments I have right now.... not about them in terms of what they are, more in terms of how I imagine them to be... some of you may wish to institutionalize me after this post--please don't.... =p

Just to be clear.... Ishara is my normal horn--a standard double. Bastien is a Baroque horn, and Monster is an oboe.

Ishara thinks she's special. She was here first dammit, and she gets to ride on my back. The others don't get that honor. She goes with me to the university the most, is currently getting played in three orchestras, and has been on far more trips than the other instruments. She enjoys getting special attention--being let on planes she doesn't fit on, going shopping with me on our way home for the University, and being admired, because she really is that pretty. Shara puts up with the boys, but doesn't like to share her practice time.

Bastien is a wee bit of a curmudgeon. He's the eldest, and is constantly referring to how things were done in his day. Shara usually ignores him, but Monster hangs on to his every word. Perhaps because of this, Bastien is more tolerant towards Monster than Ishara, and sometimes will even let Monster ride on his back. Bastien is suspicious of anything with valves: he consideres this manner of instrument too complicated. He has his good old honest crooks, and that is plenty for him.

Monster may be small, but don't let his size fool you. Monster is in every way the baby, an annoying attention hog who is always up to something. He likes to play practical jokes, eat his reeds, and play tug of war with the cleaning cloth. He's developed an unlikely friendship with Bastien, perhaps because he knows that Ishara will never accept him as her equal, because he's not even in the same genus, let alone the same species of instrument. Monster is also a sucker for a good story--telling him one is really the only way to keep him out of trouble.

Switzerland

I spent Easter Weekend in Switzerland with Cédric and his family. They live in Baden (which is near Zürich), but spend holidays in the French speaking part, which has pretty mountains. We visited people, I played lots of horn, wrote a paper, played more music, and just enjoyed the last weekend of freedom before school started.

The view from their apartment window

Us inline skating

The castle on the lake

Easter morning, nice and cloudy...

Cédric with the Baroque Horn I'm borrowing

Me practicing

A Bb horn that's an octave higher than a normal one... Essentially a horn shaped trumpet

And I might have stolen Cédric's hat...