November so far

I realize I haven't been blogging nearly as much as I would like to be. Part of that is being limited to spotty internet at home. I couldn't find a practice room earlier so I've hung out in the library for a few hours today.

The 2nd Colorado Youth Sinfonia concert was kind of a mess. Mary and I left in a hurry after a Takacs concert (so worth it) and I left my music in my locker. I had to mark up clean copies before the concert and during intermission, which was flustering. Plus, I always feel awkward giving an A to the orchestra and I never know when Basil will walk out or when to stand. My Hindemith solo was solid, luckily, but I was not focused for the other pieces. I was less than pleased that Basil called me out with others who hadn't paid their dues. I was hoping they might start paying me. I don't have $70, much less the gas money it takes to drive there, even when I split it with Mary. We will be playing Dvorak's String Serenade (not next rotation, unfortunately) so I guess I'll stick it out until then. It has not been as much fun as I was hoping. Next year I'll definitely be too busy for something that doesn't pay to eat up my Tuesday nights.

The James Buswell masterclass went so well! I was very happy with how the Poulenc went, especially considering how quickly Hsiao-Ling and I put it together. The piano part is harder than the violin part, and she came ready to play. I really enjoyed working with her, and I hope she plays on all my pieces for my recital. Buswell liked my playing and really addressed my tension issues (making me aware that my headbanging also affects my upper back) and worked on adding color to the tender sections of the music. I also hadn't read that Poulenc made the work somewhat programmatic with the gunshot which killed Lorca and Neveu's plane crash. His comparison of Poulenc's sudden mood changes with the art of Marcel Marceau (particularly The Maskmaker) was wonderful.

Brune's birthday party after Tee's recital was a ton of fun. Someone deleted all my good pictures, but oh well. I suppose it was probably Brune, and she has that right. Ryan set up beer pong in his garage and taught us a game with dice. The rest of the night after cake was dancing until I passed out on the couch.

In orchestra we are playing Sibelius 2, Ravel Daphis et Chloe (suite 2), and Debussy Fetes. The Ravel is by far the most challenging. The Saint Saens Piano Trio is coming along, although we really need to get into the music now that we have the notes under our fingers. It has the potential to be excellent, and I think we'll get there. It was helpful to have a coaching with Judith and play in cello class.

Last night I was bored and didn't want to practice. I don't especially want to practice right now. So I went for a walk downtown with my camera. I like night photography, though I really needed to take the tripod. The Boulder Bookstore was still open, and I stepped in to warm up and read a fairy tale by Hesse. I didn't practice much when I got back, but got through half my scales. It was better than sitting in front of the computer all night.

Now I should try to find a practice room again and be productive until work at 4.