random thoughts about orchestral life

Here are ten random thoughts on life in an orchestra.

1. A music director need not live year round in their place of employment to be effective. Really. If they are managed well when they’re in town, they’ll seem to be everywhere at once, and everyone who wants a piece of them will get them. Can we just stop this nonsense about how great it was that Jimmy had a ‘full time’ residence here. He had an apartment at the KOIN tower, and he was gone a lot. It may have been his home base, but he spent a lot of time in Quebec and other parts of the world (including Monte Carlo) during his time with the orchestra.
2. Why is it that people in the string sections randomly tune during the A for the winds? I learned in youth orchestra that you only tune when the concertmaster tunes – not before. Do we need a refresher course?
3. How come people with hearing aids don’t hear them wildly screeching feedback during quiet portions of concerts? I can hear it from 100 feet away. The best handling of this situation was when Andre Watts was starting to play the slow movement of the Beethoven Fourth piano concerto. He stopped, turned to the audience and said “The person probably doesn’t even know this is happening – if you’re sitting near them, can you just tap them on the shoulder and let them know?” Problem instantly solved. Now we just glare in the general direction from the stage.
4. Playing Beethoven symphonies is one of the most rewarding parts of being an orchestral player. I know, those of you in orchestras with twenty or more subscription weeks are probably sick to death of Beethoven, but here in Oregon we get through the cycle in about ten years instead a couple years like you do. Last night’s performance of the Pastoral Symphony was so ‘right’ and full of joy that it reminded me of why I became a musician in the first place.
5. The Oregon Symphony has one of the best wind and brass sections of any orchestra. It’s true. They inspire me every day.
6. Our orchestra has such a fluency with the Classical style these days. It gets remarked upon by guest conductors every time they come here. Most recently, Michael Francis talked to us about working with the specialist John Eliot Gardiner with the London Symphony, and he said we had a very natural way with playing in the Classical style, much like they’d learned to do there. We’re lucky to have a music director who is at ease in different facets of making music.
7. It’s easy to point out a problem, but very difficult to devise a solution.
8. Sitting at the inside, center portion of the stage for the Beethoven Sixth this week is fun. I like being closer to the second violins and right in front of our stellar wind section.
9. William Walton writes really difficult music. We’re playing his Partita next weekend, and it is a finger buster! You thought we had to work in the Nielsen Sixth? This gives it a run for its money!
10. Carnegie is only one month away! Yes, on Tuesday, it will be exactly one month until we make our Carnegie Hall debut. It’s so close, but yet feels so far away. It will feel much closer once we start our rehearsal period for that concert. Gulp!