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Notes! Listened to, and played
Mar. 16th, 2022 12:48 amI ushered the Philadelphia Orchestra's residency at UMich last weekend. Two entirely different performances - different conductors, even. Friday night was Wynton Marsalis' Tuba Concerto, written last year for the tubist who performed it. I didn't actually *see* that, as I was in the lobby waiting for the late seating break, but I could hear it, and it was quite good. The second part of that concert was a very good performance of Brahm's First. I got to sit in an empty seat for that one.
Saturday night opened with Missy Mazzoli's Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres), which is a contemporary classical piece without being a modern-thing-that-I-don't-get. I suspect it might have been even better if I could have been in the auditorium (there's a number of odd percussion-y things, and some very quiet parts were completely lost), but the audience seemed to like it. Then there was a Bruch and a Schubert, both well done. While UMich has lifted their mask restrictions, the new policy does still require masks for performances or classes or labs; and UMS has announced that they will continue to enforce their mask/vaxx policy until the end of April (which is when the current season ends)....
It was very cold Saturday night (it didn't even get to 20F during the day, and by the time I got out of Hill it was all of 12F). I was very glad I'd gotten the very warm jacket out.
And then yesterday I trundled off to Farmington to rehearsal. It was a hard one. You'd think there was a concert coming up, or something. Adding to the complexity of rehearsal was the amount of extra work we had to do because the HS is in the last week of rehearsal before their spring musical, and Monday was *their* first full rehearsal.
(I had also volunteered to usher Band & Orchestra Festival at the local HS, originally scheduled to take place tomorrow, but that was cancelled before Christmas for reasons that I don't know....)
Saturday night opened with Missy Mazzoli's Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres), which is a contemporary classical piece without being a modern-thing-that-I-don't-get. I suspect it might have been even better if I could have been in the auditorium (there's a number of odd percussion-y things, and some very quiet parts were completely lost), but the audience seemed to like it. Then there was a Bruch and a Schubert, both well done. While UMich has lifted their mask restrictions, the new policy does still require masks for performances or classes or labs; and UMS has announced that they will continue to enforce their mask/vaxx policy until the end of April (which is when the current season ends)....
It was very cold Saturday night (it didn't even get to 20F during the day, and by the time I got out of Hill it was all of 12F). I was very glad I'd gotten the very warm jacket out.
And then yesterday I trundled off to Farmington to rehearsal. It was a hard one. You'd think there was a concert coming up, or something. Adding to the complexity of rehearsal was the amount of extra work we had to do because the HS is in the last week of rehearsal before their spring musical, and Monday was *their* first full rehearsal.
(I had also volunteered to usher Band & Orchestra Festival at the local HS, originally scheduled to take place tomorrow, but that was cancelled before Christmas for reasons that I don't know....)
