October 26, 2014

In studio class this week we watched a documentary about Menuhin. We had cake, cookies, crackers and chips and sang Happy Birthday to Maddy. There was lots of glorious violin playing in the documentary, as well as some refreshing statements from great musicians and priceless shots of 80-year-old Menuhin doing yoga on his outdoor terrace. Did you know he grew up here in SF??

Last night I played a Baroque recital with two colleagues. It was a resounding success. We did a LeClair sonata and a Buxtehude sonata together, I played the d minor Bach partita, Derek played a Bach transcription of a Vivaldi concerto, and Adam and Derek played a Barriere cello sonata. Everything came off really well. My mother taped the concert. I don't want to post the recordings here on a public website, but if anyone's interested, email me and I'll send you the links.

Today my mother and I went to Golden Gate Park, and I managed to get some pictures on her phone. We went to the Horseshoe Pits, which have been abandoned for years now and are therefore a cool place to hang out.

The Pits

Score counter?? The little iron rings come in groups of 5.

I'm trying to talk about rocks to my mother but she's taking a picture instead of listening.

Can you see the BLUE up there??

Antique water fountain

Oh look, it's a guy playing horseshoes, how appropriate!

That gorgeous forest light.....

Hobbes-style

Dad and son, both on UNICYCLES

I REALLY liked this rocking armchair.

My mother stared at this for several seconds and said in bafflement "What am I looking at? What's that a picture of?" "Mom, it's a guy with a big beard." "Really? Where?" I showed her.

Having a relaxed day due to recital being over. Now I need to re-learn the modern violin.

- Antisocial Violinist

October 20, 2014

Fall Break was this week, and I took advantage of it for a trip to Golden Gate Park. The day was grey and quiet and overcast, and I wanted to see the endless ocean stretching huge along the horizon as far as your head can turn. A faded line where it meets the sky, like a rubbed-out chalk mark. Chilly winds whipping in from the sea. It gave me deep satisfaction to look at the huge space where the water began. The day grew clearer and softer as I explored, and soon the sky was clouded only with long narrow bands of luminous pink. There was one cache hidden in a huge gnarled log in a glade in the middle of the forest. After replacing the cache I climbed onto the log and settled myself astride, reading my book (An Instance of the Fingerpost, by Iain Pears). I also came across the Bison Paddock, which I had no idea existed. There were a few animals grazing, very slowly and quietly.

At orchestra rehearsals this week I decided I was going to figure out how to get up to the mezzanine level, or choir loft. I have been working here for over a year, and the chief crew member didn't believe me when I said I didn't know where the stairs were. I thought I had better find that out to spare myself further humiliation. So I did a mini-explore for them backstage, and found them, and was quite pleased with myself, especially as the mezzanine level includes extra washrooms and changerooms, the sewing/fitting room and storage rooms.

Scott brought one of the music theory/musicology professors into an orchestra rehearsal to talk about the first movement of Shosty 10. It's twenty-eight minutes long, and he wanted us to know what ALL THAT was about. The prof pointed out the motives from which the movement is built and where all the themes are, revealing that the whole thing is actually a big sonata form, and making sense out of an otherwise impenetrable mass of notes, pathos, and brooding silences. After his illumination of the first movement, he touched on the other movements, pointing out that the terrifying second movement is actually supposed to be a portrait of Stalin (this symphony wasn't published until after Stalin died). In the third movement, the DSCH motive (representing Shosty himself) appears for the first time. It was a very serious and fascinating discussion he was holding with the conductor -  at least, I found it doocedly interesting. They were asking why Shosty waits until the third movement to show himself, and soliciting our opinions on the matter. One of the bass players raised her hand and said "Because he was Stallin'." Everyone groaned and laughed and Scott said "That was pretty bad, but no one else thought of it! So it was pretty good." Then he warned us "Don't think about that in the concert, now." The principal cellist assured him "I'll think of ice cream."

In the dress rehearsal Scott began tightening the noose on my section at one difficult passage. He asked us to play without the rest of the orchestra, then without the first two desks, then without the first five desks (I was in the fifth desk, thankfully). Those last three desks were exceedingly messy and he said to them, calmly, pleasantly, "Tomorrow night, before the concert, we're going to do that again. With me. One by one. In the green room." Then he continued the rehearsal as if nothing had happened. I was very curious to see if he would carry out the death threat, and Maddy (who was seventh desk) told me he actually did. It's a good tactic for scaring people into learning their parts, if nothing else.

In case you're wondering, the concerts were exultant, especially the Sunday afternoon one. 

Side note: This blog apparently gets substantial traffic from the Waffle Opera website. Curious as to why this should be so, I checked out the site and to my great surprise I found the snippet I wrote about them last year on their Press page, with a link to the post where I mentioned them. I am now extremely curious as to who told the Waffle people about my "review", how long it has been on their website, and how many people have looked at my blog because of it. I never thought anyone would read this except my family and close friends from YYC, and those people are the ones I have in mind when constructing posts. This blog is really my weekly letter home.

- Antisocial Violinist

October 12, 2014

I have not figured out where to take my camera, and have not have any time to take it in anyways. So, no pictures this week. Instead, I will regale you with a string of miniature tales from the life of an SFCM violin student.

Doug Kwon is concertmaster for this set. He's ESL, and is always making the funniest comments in his Korean accent. In the middle of sectionals, around the time the break is usually called, he turned to Bettina (the teacher) and inquired, "Would we get a break?" She leaned back, regarded him, and replied deliberately, "No, we wouldn't."

We are experimenting with different stage set-ups for the orchestra. I know what you're thinking: "How many different orchestra stage setup schemes can there possibly be?" A great many, my friends. Scott wants the winds further upstage, closer to the front. I like that he is dynamic and wants to experiment. Erika (orchestra manager) uses home decorating software to diagram the different setups. Virtual chairs and pianos are alright, but there really isn't anything to represent the percussion gadgets, except for a rock-band-style drum kit and various geometric shapes. "Should we set up here? Let me see the diagram. Is that supposed to be a xylophone?" "Yeah, drum-set here, four circles there...."

We have night rehearsals these days. At one point the bassoons and contrabassoon were playing by themselves. The contra was blatting away, as contras do. Then the bassoons dropped out and the contra played a few bars on her own, very enthusiastically. It sounded so funny that I laughed out loud. Unfortunately I was the only one. I am in the back of the first violins and everyone turned and looked at me. Scott waited a few moments and said "Yes." Then everyone laughed and Scott continued "That was a laugh of encouragement."

On Wednesday morning there was another protest on Market Street. It seems like something or other is always being protested. There was incessant honking all morning, and Zoe said we should protest the protest: "Students Against Loud Noises". I could get into this.

I went to a concert of the Philharmonia Baroque, with Steven Isserlis as soloist. He's a joy to watch and listen to, with his long grey ringlets and expressive face. I was sitting between two old ladies. One of them told me about a Kreutzinger violin she had once donated to SFCM, and the other one gave me Altoids and said that once she told a doctor she suffered from O  -  L  -  D.

In chamber class Mack warned us that next week there will be some donors coming to watch the class. I guess they want to see where their money goes. He said "So, no throwing spitballs, getting into little fights and things like that. Just for next week".

The second group that played in class was doing the fugue from the Shostakovich piano quintet. They passed around scores. Maddy, Nick and I shared a score. At the top of the page was printed "Fuge/Fugue" and Nick exclaimed "Oh cool, a fudge fugue!!"

The third group that played in class was doing Janacek and as they were playing the lights in the hall began dimming and then went out. Everyone laughed. Some people got out their phones, and a few rushed up to the performers to shine light on their music.

We hosted Canadian Thanksgiving dinner at our apartment tonight. Some dozen people came, bringing food, wine and good cheer. We had a great time together, chatting, laughing, telling bad jokes, swapping myths and legends about Ian and trying to analyze his personality.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

- Antisocial Violinist

October 5, 2014

I have disappointing news. There is something wrong with my camera - every picture it takes is obscured by white lines. So there will be no more pictures until I can figure this out. My sincerest apologies.

It is a good thing I have some emergency pictures on reserve for just such an occasion. As you may or may not know, I live with three roommates in a 2-bedroom apartment, and the girl with whom I share my bedroom also grew up in Calgary. She is a big Star Wars fan and has all sorts of knick-knacks which I find absolutely delightful (if this bores you, I'll withhold an apology - it's not supposed to be an interesting life and times).

This isn't Star Wars, but I still find it funny

 And then there's my other roommate who REALLY likes eggs.

He likes singing too.

Here is the guitarists' practice corner.

And then there's me and all of my weird stuff.

The space book I was telling you about

Janet, this was great - thanks for the loan!!

The American kind isn't as good.

Yesterday my quartet had an awesome coaching with Stefan Hersh, Paul's son. We had some good laughs over "pulling a Nick". Nick is a phenomenal musician and really smart, and I'm glad he's in our group, but like many intelligent people he spends a lot of time in his head and tends to space out from time to time, and then he doesn't know what measure we're starting at. So whenever someone spaces out and has to ask "Wait, where are we starting? What bar?" we call that "pulling a Nick".

Today I went to a chamber music party at a friend's house. We read through a bunch of different music. There were many people at the party, and not all of them were musicians. My friend, the host, has a LOT of friends, some of them big muscular guys with tattoos, and they were standing around drinking beer and laughing and listening to us play. We read the first movement of Beethoven quartet op 18 no 4, an intense and dramatic movement in c minor, and when we were done, all the tough muscular tattooed guys applauded and cheered and hollered. I enjoy the dichotomy of this experience. Sometimes it happens when we are busking too.

Here's hoping I can fix the camera soon.

- Antisocial Violinist