radio days July 31, 2006
Posted by Charles Noble in : Uncategorized, add a commentI forgot to mention that I did a radio interview with Caitriona (pronounced Katrina) Bolster at KWAX-FM this afternoon. It was for a preview of the upcoming Sunriver Music Festival season, and it was an easy interview. I mentioned being a member of the Arnica Quartet, and she asked if that was anything like the homeopathic remedy, and I told the story of the naming of the quartet: we were rehearsing a difficult section in the Beethoven Op. 59 no 2 “Razumovsky” and our first violinist complained of a sore left arm. Shin, our second violinist, immediately produced a tube of her trusty arnica gel, and we joked that we used so much of the stuff that we should call ourselves the Arnicas, and it stuck!
festival hiatus alert July 31, 2006
Posted by Charles Noble in : Uncategorized, add a commentI’m leaving today for the Methow Festival in Washington State, then we’re off to the Sunriver Music Festival in central Oregon after that, so don’t expect regular (or any) updates until after August 20th.
Here’s what will be on my reading list while I’m away:
feurmann plays Dvorak and Popper July 23, 2006
Posted by Charles Noble in : Uncategorized, add a commentAmazing video from one of the early 20th century masters of the cello (and one of the undisputed masters of all time):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xhlQDEqgVs
interpretive dilemma… July 23, 2006
Posted by Charles Noble in : Uncategorized, 4commentsI’m in the late stages of learning the Martinu Rhapsody-Concerto for a performance at the Sunriver Music Festival (on the east slopes of the Central Oregon Cascades) in Sunriver, Oregon. I very much love the sound world of the piece, it’s much like if Aaron Copland were Czech! There is the homesick quality that one gets from a piece written by a composer in exile from his homeland (he lived in exile in the United States from 1941 to 1953) and there is just enough fast passage work to challenge the fingers. However, I just am not satisfied with my ability to get the piece to hang together logically. Especially problematic is the ending - a long, sustained low F with very little happening in the orchestra. It may be that I’ve only run it with a piano so far, but I’m left cold and cannot seem to set up the ending properly. The problem with having only one performance to do a piece is that you can’t really shake it down properly beforehand with the orchestra in a performance setting. The rehearsals definitely help, but I wish I had a subscription series of three performances to get the thing to settle for me. Ah, well - beggars definitely cannot be choosers! Meanwhile, back to the lab for more woodshedding…
Bohuslav Martinu: Rhapsody-concerto for Viola and Orchestra
Completed New York City, 1952.
Premiered February 19, 1953 by Jascha Weissi, Principal violist of the Cleveland Orchestra, with the Cleveland Orchestra under the direction of George Szell.
Published by Bärenreiter (4316).
artistic temperament? July 13, 2006
Posted by Charles Noble in : the orchestra world, 2commentsWhy are we so unhappy in the music business? What is it that makes it a virtual prerequesite to be unhappy in order to make it in the music business? How come people keep playing in orchestras, as soloists, or as chamber musicians, teaching or coaching in various capacities, even though they are deeply unhappy? Is our profession so incredibly and irrevocably flawed that profound unhappiness is the first and only option for us that choose to stay on the chosen path?
I wish I had the answer(s) to the questions above. My honest answer is ‘I don’t know’, and my optimistic answer is ‘No, we do have a choice’. All I can speak from is direct experience, and share my observations of colleagues who I know, or have known, well as they struggled with the issue of finding one’s way in a musical career.
I’ve found that there are three basic categories of unhappy people in the music business. First, we have the person who has had a bad time of it early on in life, family issues, health issues, etc. They pretty much have an unhappy existence regardless of what their career choice might have been, but they were very talented musicians, and their career took off. Now, they have come to a pretty sucessful place, but it hasn’t made them any happier. They complain a lot about the crappy stuff that goes on in their ensemble/school/orchestra/studio and it all has to do with how someone else is making the situation horrible - not with their own preexisting condition of being deeply disturbed and unhappy.
Second is the person who was very talented and disciplined, but never really wanted to go into music in the first place. They did it to please their parents, or a teacher, or friends - but not for themselves. They have come to hate music as a result of the fact that they never really had a choice whether to pursue the career or not - they were forced into it, and as a result, the business is crap and everyone in it is crap.
The third type is someone who loved music from the get-go, was very talented, and had the highest hopes for their future. They got to a certain point and for whatever reason, their career levels off. There isn’t a Big Five orchestra job, or a major conservatory teaching position, or A-list solo bookings. They play the C or B level groups, and they’re always dissatisfied with what they’ve got, and want more. They’re so busy thinking about what might have been, or the bad luck that they’ve had, that they forget to enjoy what they are lucky to have, and what others would die to have. They grow bitter and make life miserable for others around them.
What do these three (very common) types have in common? They have failed to make a real choice along the way and now feel powerless. What is a real choice? It is a positive, active decision to take an action. Not acting is not a choice - at least not when it is undertaken passively. We must always be careful in life to understand as best we’re able where we are. What have we done, what are we doing now, and where do we want to go from here. If you’re seriously unhappy, take some time to really explore where that’s coming from. It might not be from a stand partner with b.o. It might be from feeling powerless, rudderless, and hopeless. If your situation really is dire, and it’s not looking to get better soon, why not just make plans for an alternative future? Take some classes, learn some new skills, get some exercise and eat well. If you’re stuck in an orchestra that gives you a paycheck and nothing else, start a string quartet, brass quintet or tango orchestra and do some gigs for a little money, or for free. It will seriously change your outlook. If you hate where you live, the group you play in, and the people you play with, maybe you need to reconsider what you’re doing and ask yourself if you’d be any happier somewhere else. Asking the hard questions of yourself and really searching deep for answers will enable a better sense of perspective and just plain better mental health.
In the end, if you love music, find meaning from within yourself, and give yourself a creative outlet other than music, it’s possible to thrive in almost any environment. Give it a try, and let’s make the stereotype of the sulking, chronically mopey and unhappy artist a thing of the past.
TAFTO 2 July 13, 2006
Posted by Charles Noble in : the orchestra world, add a comment
Blogger and arts consultant Drew McManus has done a second edition of his Take a Friend to the Orchestra project. It’s a great way to introduce a friend or loved one to the world of live orchestral concerts - highly recommended! Click the link to go to the sales page.
portland coffee joints July 6, 2006
Posted by Charles Noble in : Uncategorized, add a commentThere are a lot of good coffee places in Portland, as with our famous neighbor to the north, and then there are a few really great ones. Here are three coffee houses which I and my snobby friends consider truly great - I hope you enjoy them if you’re in town or just visiting someday.
- Crema Coffee + Bakery (SE 28th and Ankeny St, 503.234.0206, map, credit/debit cards accepted). A great place to hang out, whether the weather is good, bad or ugly. Large windows looking out onto culinary hotspot SE 28th and lovely Ankeny Street are rolled up on nice summer and fall days, making for good people watching and warm breeze enjoying. A spectacular selection of pastries and savory options, including hearty soups and panini make it a one-stop destination for prandial delights. The fact that one of the baristas is a judge in the World Barista Competition will tip you off to the fact that you will be enjoying a tremendous espresso experience here. Free WiFi.
- Stumptown Coffee Roasters (3 locations: Division, Belmont and Downtown, cash only, except for downtown location, which accepts credit/debit cards, see Website for phone numbers and maps). The Division Street location was the one which opened my eyes to what lay (far) beyond the world of Starbuck’s commercialized offerings. They offer a dazzling array of coffees from around the world, which they themselves import direct from the source and roast in their own facility. Not to be missed are special “coffee of the day” specials when they roll out the rare 100 percent Kona or Blue Mountain coffees which are served all day at the normal coffee cup price. Great baristas and a funky, laid-back atmosphere and service make for a good time. The Division location, however, can seem much like a library reading room if the place is full of laptop clicking fiends. Free WiFi.
- Blue Gardenia Cafe (3747 N Mississippi Ave, 503.460.2583, credit/debit cards accepted, Website). My personal favorite, because we stumbled upon this place within weeks of it opening, and already it’s an anchor of coffee and great baking in the Mississippi Avenue neighborhood. The cafe area is smallish, with only one table that will sit more than four people, but if you time it right you can get a group in there ok. Truly fabulous baking is going on here, as well as single origin coffee roasting, right on the premises. Great service, terrific baristas (especially Matthew on the a.m. shift) and a great, homey atmosphere all make for a quiet morning or afternoon relaxing and enjoying some of the best that North Portland has to offer.
imbibe magazine July 5, 2006
Posted by Charles Noble in : Uncategorized, 1 comment so far
This is a great new magazine that arrived unannounced in my mailbox on Monday. It’s published here in Portland (I believe by part of the same team that launched Portland Monthly several years ago), but is distributed nationally. It’s great because it focuses on the liquid side of one’s diet, more specifically, those liquids which happen to contain alchohol or caffeine: coffee, beer, wine and spirits. I highly recommend it - it isn’t too narrow in its focus, and it explores areas of the food world that the gourmet magazines don’t spend much time with, and the attitude is decidedly un-highbrow. Give it a look at www.imbibemagazine.com.
good friends July 3, 2006
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We went up to Tacoma for a visit with some old friends. It would have been special anyway, since I’ve known all of these people from my youth orchestra days, but seeing these friends, who really don’t seem to have aged, in the way that we never really see ourselves age (unless we see a particularly bad photo of ourselves) with their children (and children-to-be) was incredible. It was a great time - and many thanks to John for the share of the 22lb Alaskan King Salmon he reeled in a couple weeks ago!
bastyr gardens July 1, 2006
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One of the many great things about having a music camp at Bastyr University is the beautifully maintained gardens and grounds. Enjoy some of the sights I captured while there - click on each image to view at a larger size (will take you to my flickr pages).
