Boston

I went to Boston today. Four hours there and four hours back. You could spend that many hours on a transatlantic flight. But I went to Boston. Where there was a Nor'easter in progress. So I left my umbrella in a crumpled heap in a trash can in the Park Street T Station. I was so glad to discover that South Station had a bar so that I could effectively complete my post-audition beer ritual. The weather put me in such a foul mood (it was SUCH foul weather).

But now I'm back in NYC, ready for another day of oboe-ing! Today was my NRO audition. I had high hopes, but I played the Mozart concerto so badly that I'm afraid I'll be disqualified as an incompetent oboist... My excerpts went well. Really well, actually. I wish I had recorded them myself. The Scala di Seta excerpts were fine, really. I was especially pleased, however, with the Shostakovich excerpt, even though I took a few breaths more than I meant to. I played it deliberately and musically, so I hope Mr. Topilow (the conductor and director) will listen for that in my audition...if he gets past the Mozart. My English horn excerpt was fun. I played the Rodrigo Guitar Concerto excerpt, which I'd never done in an audition before. I think I played it really well, but my intonation was a little questionable. It's such a great piece and it's so easy to play musically!

With that said, I should move on. I am going to take the Nashville Symphony principal oboe audition at the end of the semester, I think. It conflicts with the opera at MSM, so that kind of sucks...but I'll live if I don't get to play in it this semester. I do get to play in Carnegie, and I'm thrilled about that!

Tomorrow I have my first coaching with Frank Morelli (bassoon), and we are playing the Nielsen quintet. I also have a repertoire class on Mozart's Symphony No. 35 and Prokofiev's Classical Symphony (which I played in the fall with the Orpheus Institute orchestra). Then we have our second to last rehearsal on the Ravel and the Berlioz! It's going to be a CRAZY week!

I don't have anything to review because I haven't been to a concert! I played in a piano concerto reading at MSM, and I just remembered what a good piece Mozart's 20th piano concerto is (d minor). The closing theme of the exposition is my favorite part of the concerto, but the whole piece is great (see 2:15 of this video).