It often strikes me as being the epitome of irony that we performers, as artists who produce ephemeral products – as soon as they’re played, they’re gone – often so easily discard what is our most lasting and important legacy: our integrity.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve heard about younger musicians making decisions that are so ill-conceived and idiotic, that words fail me. I guess I’m really growing into my ‘middle-fart’ stage, because I’m seeing some things that really are not ok for professionals, especially at the beginning of their careers.
If you’ve read Mozart in the Jungle, and thought to yourself that it seemed a bit over the top, I’m here to disabuse you of that notion. All sorts of crazy crap happens behind the scenes in professional orchestras. I think it’s the smoke screen of high art that encourages some of our colleagues to go out and do some stupid stuff, because of the cover it provides. I wish I could write more, but it just wouldn’t be ethical for me to do so. I’ll leave it up to your imagination.
On a separate, and completely positive note, the preparations for the Arnica Quartet’s concert of the music of Daniel Ott and Benjamin Britten are going quite well! We had a reading with oboist Karen Wagner of the two oboe quartets (since our guest oboist won’t be arriving until a few days before the performance) last night, and got the lay of the land for both pieces. The Britten will go together quite easily, I think, while the Ott is a tougher nut to crack, but will not present any insurmountable difficulties. I believe that tickets are selling well. The venue at the Community Music Center is not a large one, so getting your tickets sooner rather than later would be advisable.
Friday, September 30, 2011 @ 8:00 p.m.
Community Music Center, Portland, Oregon
Admission: $20/adults; $10 students w/ID and seniors | $40 for concert admission plus an exclusive post-concert reception at Hopworks Urban Brewpub with the performers and composer Daniel Ott.
Tickets available through the Oregon Symphony box office:
503-228-1353 or 1-800-228-7343
923 SW Washington, Portland, Oregon 97205
Box office hours: Monday – Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
When you call, ask for ‘Parallels’ tickets to get the correct concert!
Tickets will also be available at the door one hour before the performance time, cash or check only. No reception tickets available day of show.
Join us in the intimate space of the Community Music Center’s Recital Hall for an exploration of the parallels between two composers in the ascendancy of their careers: the wonderful young American composer Daniel Ott, and the great British composer Benjamin Britten.
We will perform works of both composers, with an eye toward highlighting both their similarities and differences, through three distinct repertoire categories upon which each has made their unique mark at the beginning stages of their careers: viola & piano, oboe & string trio, and string quartet.
The Arnica Quartet will be joined by pianist Susan Dewitt Smith, oboist Erin Gustafson, and the composer Daniel Ott.
Dr. Ott will be presenting a pre-concert talk with the performers in the recital hall at 7:30 p.m. Free to all ticket holders.
Program:
- Daniel Ott – Refracted Fragments for viola and piano (2008)
- Benjamin Britten – Phantasy for oboe and string trio, Op. 2 (1932)
- Daniel Ott – String Quartet No. 1 (1998)
- Benjamin Britten – Lachrymae for viola and piano, Op. 48 (1950)
- Daniel Ott – Camera Obscura for oboe and string trio (2007)
- Benjamin Britten – String Quartet No. 1 in D major, Op. 25 (1941)