Loboe Project - anything is possible with the "low-A" oboe

An Unexpected Fiend...

2012-01-19T12:57:00.000-08:00

I took a very highly anticipated trip to RDG Woodwinds in Los Angeles last week in order to have all of my oboes professionally looked at for the first time in a year. While always good news to hear that cracks and major malfunctions were not discovered, an unusual culprit was the cause of much distress this visit; mold.

The eastern coast of South Africa, specifically in the KwaZulu-Natal province and right off the Indian Ocean coast, is an obvious vacation destination for many people within the country, and for good reason; it is a beautiful location and the sub-tropical location is incredibly alluring. Of course, having lived there now for a year and a half, we constantly battle to achieve bio-sphere levels of regularity when it comes to the environment inside our flat. The constant moisture in the air, along with something about the hilly area that we are in, results in a perfect combination for mold. While very easy to brush off, there is no surface that it avoids including fabric, wood, tile, paper, etc.; it's all fair game. The only method that prevents the steady accumulation is regular breezes, as in every single day. Instruments that do not get daily use and remain snug in their cases, be at a BAM case or other, will almost certainly succumb to some level of mold resulting in drier wood. Putting in a humidifier theoretically would prevent this from happening, but the catch is that it is also acting as a magnet for mold. This mostly effected my back-up oboe, (not the Loboe), as I had not actually used it consistently in rehearsals. The Loboe actually had a great check-up and because of its regular use, was not really effected by the fiendish mold.

The advice is this for all of you sub-tropical wind players; regular open-air contact (as in keep that case open!) and play the instrument at least once a week if it is not your primary instrument. My strategy is that I will leave the case open on a chair that faces our terrace door since we try to keep it open as much as possible. Keeping doors and windows open is essential since we do not have air conditioning, however, we also have the unique dilemma of potential monkey invasions and yes, I am serious. In Durban, South Africa, vervet monkeys roam the streets with the same frequency as squirrels in the United States. For some illogical reason, screen windows do not exist there, though I am fairly certain the monkeys could figure out a way to get through them. There are also two house cats on the property, Mango and Max, who also frequent our place but they are more likely to be found sleeping on the couch than puttering around a case. So, as long as I am in the room keeping an eye out for unwanted guests, I think my other oboe stands a much better chance for a great check-up next year.

When the Audience Impresses the Orchestra

2011-11-05T05:25:00.000-07:00

For most orchestral musicians, community concerts and educational performances are generally not embraced with quite the same enthusiasm as a concert featuring a work like Bartok’s “Concerto for Orchestra”. However, in the last few months, it is during these more intimate concerts that I have been privy to some rather interesting behavior from outside of the orchestra.

The first instance that comes to mind was during a typical community engagement concert. Along with a narrative guide, the orchestra performed a series of typical symphonic works for an attentive audience. Likely a first exposure to classical music for most of the crowd, the orchestra’s speaker for the program encouraged participation during a march by prompting them to clap along. Unintentionally, he set up an 8-bar beat pattern that happened to correspond to the phrase we were just playing (the music naturally dictated an increase of beats at that moment). I was a bit taken aback when the audience didn’t continue the faster beat pattern but in fact returned to the start of pattern and continued it in its entirety. And perfectly together at that! Musicians generally try to tune out group-clapping as the sound falls behind the beat almost instantly.

Perhaps the next instance exemplifies the age we live in more than anything else, but an amusing interaction happened recently between the orchestra and a guest soprano. I could not help but notice that during a rehearsal for a pops concert, the soloist kept glancing down at something, yet she held no score or sheet music. She had no trouble with the words, so it was not a series of memory lapses that was causing her to continually glance downwards; what was she doing? And then I realized, of course! She was using her iphone to check the lyrics as she performed. It was no different to her than a soloist having a score off to the side during the dress rehearsal (it should be noted that she sang all the words beautifully during the performance, without the help of her phone).

The final instance that comes to mind is something one never sees in the United States; people singing a national anthem in tune. In purely musical terms, it is quite a feat to sing the US anthem well and thus makes everyone wait with baited breath for a guest singer's inevitable "really high note" before a baseball game starts. Growing up, I remember reciting the Pledge of Allegiance daily but when we did sing something patriotic, it was usually "America the Beautiful". I think many young kids probably assume that is our national anthem; goodness knows it is sung more than the real thing in schools. Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't admit that I have always enjoyed the following interpretation of the anthem from a classic "Simpsons" episode:

While the South African National Anthem does not have the vast pitch range that the US anthem requires, it does boast an impressive language requirement; the South African anthem consists of versus sung in five different languages. Our outreach concerts take us to many schools around the KZN province and are always concluded with the students singing the anthem along with the orchestra. Without fail, students and community members alike not only sing this anthem with a noticeable sense of pride, but also a noticeable since of pitch. Frequently the students sing the anthem complete with harmonization and always with a dramatic crescendo at the end which leads to them erupting in applause. For an anthem sung in Xhosa, Zulu, Sesotho, Akrikaans and English, all while modulating to a different key in the middle, it is most enlightening to see students as young as five and six that seem to have no trouble at all with this repertoire. It is an anthem that does its best to represent a country with eleven official languages, as well as a troubled political past, with music that is both compelling and easy to sing. While a midi-version hardly embodies the emotion that one typically hears the anthem sung with, the first Youtube clip gives a clear idea of the languages/lyrics used. See how accurate your African language pronunciation is as you read along; my attempts only make me respect these students all the more. In terms of sheer musicality, I quite like the anthem and that it even features a meter change (be it one measure). Interestingly, the second Youtube clip features the South African anthem from 1957-1994; note that is only in Afrikaans and just a bit different in tone and feel…

Indeed, most orchestral musicians, if given a choice, will prefer to perform concerts that features serious classical literature, but then again, the smaller outreach concerts are certainly not without their valuable points. There are countless musical differences from living in the US vs. South Africa, and one certainly learns more about their audience through these more intimate performances. As always, just like in the US, I feel that both country’s audiences are ready for more contemporary music…

Chills at the National Arts Festival - Grahamstown

2011-07-07T13:50:00.000-07:00

The National Arts Festival is an impressive collection of diverse musicians and artists representing the best of South African culture as well as from overseas. These two weeks of non-stop events is a testament to the incredible marketing and management staff of the festival who attract audiences ranging from the conservative to the thoroughly Bohemian. Grahamstown is a charming college town which one would imagine is quite peaceful and tranquil for 50 weeks of the year. Theatre, classical music, jazz and everything in between finds its niche at Grahamstown and everyone seems eager to be a part of the events, resulting in a few more daring repertoire choices by a few ensembles which was nice to see.
Our own experience at the festival was overwhelmingly positive with one distinct exception; the temperature. Now writing as someone who has spent 22 years living in Chicago and Rochester, NY, I am no stranger to the cold. I am not used to, however, having the cold follow me into the pit. The beautiful Monument Theatre, one of the central venues of the festival, is built of stone and quite massive. The pride in this venue comes from the tragic burning of the last theatre, a result of a faulty heating system. Thus the situation today is that the theatre simply has no heat. When performing "Swan Lake" with the Cape Town City Ballet Company, the frustration would mount as we huddled by the small space heaters that our orchestra managed to fit in the tight space. As an oboist, temperatures dipping below 13C/55F not only affected one's concentration on a rather demanding part, but made for a simply exhausting performance experience. The moment we had a few bars rest, I would begin the ritual of attempting to keep the oboe's head joint from freezing, swabbing out the instrument and re-wetting the reed as to compensate for the exceptionally dry atmosphere that the little space heaters were creating. As if that wasn't enough, this particular production of "Swan Lake", while beautifully performed by the ballet company, chose to frequently release dry ice "forest mist" which would then cascade down into the pit causing a briefly moist breeze followed by extreme cold when it evaporated. The audience was not spared from these chills as they all came prepared with heavy coats and blankets for the performance. I suppose one amusing element was that the loboe was so cold once that I could actually get the "low A" to sound as a "low A-flat"...
Cold weather aside, it was inspiring to see the enthusiasm and excitement of the festival, especially when it came to advertising. With literally hundreds of performances, lectures, and exhibits to see in such a short time, the marketing prowess of certain artists really came through as they battled for their next audience. There was everything from strategically placed flowers with performance info at restaurants, free demos and excerpts of shows at the restaurants and creative Facebook updates.
The overall impression of the National Arts Festival is that the organizational staff should be commended on their year-long efforts to promote, run and report back on all of the high-quality events. This festival has everything going for it, with the exception of unnecessarily cold venues which is a turn off for both artists and audiences. With that being said, I still greatly look forward to returning next year!

Outreach with Prokofiev 7

2011-06-12T13:07:00.000-07:00

Prokofiev's Symphony No. 7 was originally commissioned for a children's radio program yet unlike the iconic "Peter and the Wolf", this symphony has no story, no characters or even as much as a hint as to what the composer intended his young listeners to imagine while hearing this exceptional work. Fortunately, this total lack of guidance was the perfect blank canvass (literally in our case) to help local primary school students connect to classical music. With the help of a fellow orchestra colleague, we were able to connect to students in a multitude of different ways, all of which culminated in the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra's performance of the full symphony and the creation of the Prokofiev "Children's Art Gallery" at the Durban City Hall.

Knowing that we wanted to introduce as much of the full work as possible during the hour long presentation, we selected both short themes and full movements in our agenda for the students. Normally educational programs involve our entire orchestra so with just two presenters, we started with the very basics: what is music? We wrote down word associations like colors, shapes and emotions on the board. We attempted to delve deeper than the typical first responses of "happy" and "sad" as our aim was to teach specific classical music listening skills if they were going to make it through an entire symphony concert the next week.

Before we even played a note of the actual symphony, we turned the tables on the students and had them create music for us to play. I was particularly excited about introducing some basic graphic notation and improv concepts to them. While they drew simple lines and shapes on the board, we "played" the music through our own interpretations on oboe and cello. The students connected with the idea of this new sound being our own personal creation and there was no wrong interpretation (though they could visually follow our musical choices which were not held hostage by a set tonality). With the presence of lines and shapes that coincidentally looked like certain extended technique indications, it was fantastic to introduce flutter tongue and other techniques to the students (and of course, a few "low A's"!).

Finally, it was time to get to the Prokofiev. We isolated two main and contrasting themes from the first movement. After listening via a cd player, they broke up into small groups and came up with short story ideas inspired by the theme. There was everything from kids at a playground and ballet to a mouse sneaking into a kitchen and mountain ranges.

Up until this point, the students were working from their desks. For the next part, we got them up out of their seats and into the action of the second movement, a waltz. This humorous music is a great example of excellent orchestration choices and the students learned to identify these musical attempts at humor through our three "characters"; free waltz/dance, interrupting/pounding and mischief/jester. Each time one of these "characters" appeared, we would all do the body movement we associated with each (so much easier to demonstrate in front of kids than adults...). We could go beyond simply identifying a free waltz feel to the music by adding elements of growth and decline through the height and width of the body gestures.
As the third movement is quite calm and nostalgic, it was time for the students to tackle their blank sheets of paper in order to create a drawing inspired by the symphony. As we let the third and fourth movements play, we noticed a whole range of methods taking place. Some students immediately began creating very specific nature scenes while others choice to listen and create abstract art. My favorite was a student who literally drew to the phrasing of the music.
We would see the finished creations only on the day of the concert as they were mounted in make-shift gallery walls in the Durban City Hall. Musicians and audience members alike stood and absorbed the incredible range of creativity. Interestingly, most students picked up on the slight ominous quality to Prokofiev's symphony. Most students showed this stark contrast in mood in some way, though I really enjoyed the drawing that included both the sinister "Friday the 13th" half with the contrasting "Thursday the 12th" half. Our concert days include a dress rehearsal which is open to the public. Both schools, despite one being on a holiday, attended the rehearsal and saw their creations first-hand. They were all eager to tell us which one belonged to who and what their picture meant. A considerable number of students returned that evening to attend the full concert with their parents.
It was inspiring to see that even young students were able to grasp more than just a movement of Mozart and in fact tackled an entire symphony (and a 20th century one at that, imagine that...). There is something rewarding about being able to engage with a group of people, whatever age, who have not been corrupted yet as to the labels that are so often associated with this "more modern music" by parents and others. Whether it is Beethoven or Boulez, it is all new to these students and without some basic methods of interpreting and grasping this type of music, students and audience members alike too easily gloss over anything they do not already know. The experience left me with the pleasant image of these primary school students showing their parents how they learned to listen to a symphony.

"Schallbecher auf!"

2011-05-29T22:59:00.000-07:00

The purpose of the Loboe Project is primarily to serve as a forum for topics relating to the unique instrument. For the first time, I must share a slight drawback that I have discovered about this otherwise exceptional instrument; it’s really difficult to do “bells up” in Mahler 5.
While it is not impossible with the Loboe, and goodness knows it is not a natural position for any oboist, I think I had far more difficulty than the rest of my section when the instructions read “schallbecher auf” simply due to the slight increase in length and weight (which otherwise are never a problem during performances). On the plus side, knowing that there is an additional note on the instrument increases one’s confidence of very delicate entrances in the lowest register, which Mahler 5 is also full of, and thus my overall opinion is that the benefits outweigh the one small drawback.
It seems every wind player can put their two cents in about the purpose and practicality of this motion. Having performed Mahler 5 last week, the perception I am left with is that there is an impact both audibly and visually. One audience member made the comment that the “bells up” sections instantly gave the winds a “band” quality to the sound in addition to just increased dynamics; an overall positive effect.
Personally, I am all for doing these sections even if the instrument is a little heavier (this technique is called for multiple times in every movement that the winds play in). It is also refreshing to know that wind sections everywhere just go with these directions; if Mahler were a contemporary composer today asking for this, one would wager that there would be major backlash from players for the exact same request...thank goodness Mahler has proven himself beyond a shadow of a doubt the he knows what he is asking for in his music.

"Winnie: The Opera" - a view from the orchestra pit

2011-05-06T12:10:00.000-07:00

Unlike most Americans, my exposure to the life-story of Winnie Mandela this year will not come from the upcoming feature film starring Jennifer Hudson, but instead through the production “Winnie: The Opera” which took place last week in Pretoria, South Africa. I sat directly below the highly controversial political icon in the orchestra pit as she gave live feedback about the premiere performance she had just witnessed. But unlike most of the opera’s reviews, I will focus on the musical experience first; politics will come second.

While new operatic productions do occur in South Africa, it would be incorrect to imply that they happen with the frequency that they do in the US and in Europe. To the chagrin of new music lovers everywhere, I did overhear a few instances of singers uttering the classic notion that “well, it’s contemporary music, nobody will know if I make a mistake”. While certainly the score was modern sounding to the audience, at the end of the day the music was completely tonal. The difficulty for some singers in tackling this work simply reflects the need for more contemporary opera and a resurgence of classic opera of the 20^th century in this country.

In general, there was a very noticeable determination on everyone’s part to master the challenges that the opera provided. The conductor, Jonas Alber, showed an excellent knowledge of the material and ability to work with singers of different levels of experience. For an opera written in both English and Xhose (mother-tongue of the Eastern Cape), Alber managed to give vocal cues in either language with ease to the singers on stage.

In terms of language, Xhosa (featured in the opera) and the Zulu language (spoken in the province where I now reside), there is a great deal of potential when it comes to new music. The naturally occurring “clicks” of these languages were of course featured in the opera but simply as part of the natural occurring words. The sound that these “clicks” make when a chorus of 15-20 sing in unison is truly fantastic.

A nice moment in the opera was the theme that occurred whenever “Desmond Tutu” sang. I later learned that this theme was a quote from an African lullaby called “Thula, Thula” and was very recognizable to the more musically-inclined members of the audience. As an outsider to the heated world of South African politics, this idea of needing to be South African to catch certain allusions was prevalent throughout the opera.

There was one scene in particular where my lack of personal knowledge about the specific details of Winnie Mandela’s life resulted in my missing a key allusion. Winnie sings an aria in which she ponders the impact that her imminent militant actions will have on her own political perception. She sings “for what I am about to do…with our rubber tires and boxes of matches, we will liberate this land” and general chaos/rioting immediately follows. Below is a photo (by Thrishni Subramoney) from earlier this month at the University of KwaZulu-Natal where students were setting tires and debris on fire in acts of protest. This was the general association I gave to Winnie’s aria but learned only later that this scene was representing Winnie’s support of the “necklacing” style of execution; the placing of a rubber tire filled with petrol around a person’s chest and arms and then lighting it on fire. As an audience member, it would have been more intriguing to see how the opera dealt with this barbaric practice directly instead of only referencing it. Of course, to an all-South African audience intimately familiar with the story, this was hardly a problem.

In the US, some of the most anticipated productions are those based on larger-than life figures. Whether it is out of musical respect or just sheer curiosity, there is something intriguing about controversial productions like “Grey Gardens”, “Anna Nicole Smith”, David Lynch’s “Lost Highway” and even the now tame by comparison, “Nixon in China”. While I do not think that this production of “Winnie” was in any way trying to be outrageous or avant-garde, the perception of Winnie Mandela in this country is sharply divided and like any Michael Moor documentary, one probably will not go to see it unless they already fundamentally agree with his viewpoint. When Winnie took the stage immediately after the performance, she revved up the crowd with some protest chants before she gave her glowing praise for a production that was attempting to not take sides. For a grandmother in her 70s, even an outsider like myself could see how her demeanor still connected with the crowd and incited a new level of energy in the theatre. She said that this production was the greatest accolade her country had ever given her. She followed this with a laugh and said that it was her first time in the State Theatre; her militant group had never been successful in bombing it back in the day.

(Top photo by Themba Hadebe of The Guardian)

Loboe and New Music in South Africa

2011-04-09T08:30:00.000-07:00

This week we presented a concert of contemporary chamber music, including the world premiere of American composer Hannah Lash’s piece for the solo Loboe, Silvers. What made this a unique experience was that the concert almost didn’t happen due to a combination of increasingly violent riots and strikes at the University of KwaZulu-Natal campuses last weekend. Indeed, Durban is not immune to academic budget cuts, though the official reasoning from the student-base was never completely made clear in the papers covering the story. What was made very transparent to us on the day of the concert was that after a weekend of rubber bullets and protesting, about half of the University staff was on strike and the concert hall management could not guarantee that we would even have an audience, should we choose to go ahead with the performance.

Well, the threat of a small audience is hardly a set-back for new music people. We preceded anyway, considering the concert involved three other members of the KZN Philharmonic and rescheduling would have been a nightmare. As long as there was no immediate threat of tear gas at the concert, we were on.

Despite all of the drama over the weekend and that morning, we had a good turnout of University students, orchestra colleagues and other guests. There were several people who later said that they could really hear the distinct timbre of the “low-A”, especially as it is featured in the ending of Hannah Lash’s work. A few words were said about each piece and the program was as follows:

Sylvia by Moerane/Blake

Violeta Osorhean, Violin and David Plylar, Piano

Partita Canonica by Hofmeyr
David Cohen, Clarinet

Phantom Vignettes by Plylar
Violeta Osorhean, Violin and David Plylar, Piano

Skirmish by Plylar
David Cohen, Clarinet, Alison Lowell, oboe and David Snaith, viola

Silvers by Hannah Lash (world premiere)
Alison Lowell, oboe

Fractured Colloquy by Plylar

Alison Lowell, oboe and David Plylar, piano

Solace; A Mexican Serenade by Joplin/Plylar

Ensemble

My colleagues all performed beautifully and it was very enjoyable to work on contemporary music again with such fine players. It was wonderful to see so many curious audience members come back stage and ask questions about the works, how certain effects were notated, etc.
Durban is not exactly over-run with new music yet, but performing at a University is a good place to start.

Loboe Potential in Bach's "Magnificat"

2011-03-20T13:14:00.000-07:00

Not every orchestra has the luxury of owning an extended range of auxiliary instruments, especially when it comes to the double-reed families. When the need for two oboe d'amores arose in our orchestra's performance of Bach's Magnificat last week, we faced the unique dilemma of being unable to find more than one working and available instrument within South Africa. While it is always preferable to perform works with the intended instrumentation, practicality and financial issues seemed to dictate the use of English horns over shipping instruments from Europe. However, it was interesting being able to offer the conductor the alternative of performing Mvt. III, "Quia respexit humilitatem", on oboe as well as English horn. An oboe transposition of the oboe d'amore solo line is actually provided in the part, but because of the one instance where the music reaches the "A" below the staff, the register has to be shifted up, thus breaking the original flow. English horn of course provides a closer color in terms of sound, but the transposition, while quite doable, sits very high on the instrument and frequently extends to the written "E" above the staff. For the Loboe, the solo line fits very comfortably on the instrument. It is attaca from Mvt. III to Mvt. IV and there are no register shifts for the English Horn II; this part could also conceivably be performed on a non-extended range oboe.

While this is a very specific instance, it is refreshing to know that should an orchestra find itself faced with a lack of oboe d'amores, the Loboe can offer an additional auditory solution for consideration.

Artistic Strides Across the Pond

2011-02-13T11:15:00.000-08:00

Before too much time passes, I wanted to document my experience traveling back to the States for the first time since moving to South Africa. With a five week vacation, we were fortunate to have an ample amount of time to visit friends and family but more significantly, we also had a first-hand look at the speed and momentum at which music organizations and ensembles seem to be moving in the States. With so many talented musicians and so little funding to go around, competition for public attention is fierce. Despite a horrific economy for the arts, many artists seemed to be truly pushing forward and I wanted to share some of these inspiring achievements.

One of the first nights back I was flipping through the channels and low and behold, there was Gustavo Dudamel on Jay Leno along side Queen Latifaht! Having lived in Los Angeles for four years, I was struck by the major marketing campaign that the LA Phil created for their new conductor. Suddenly, Dudamel was not only gracing the newspapers and the Internet in the form of reviews, but his image was plastered on buses and tv commercials. This orchestra truly wants Dudamel to reach celebrity status and not just amongst music lovers. This is a unique approach and in the end, if it results in exposing new people to classical music without resorting to watered-down programming, I am all for it.

I spent a good deal of time surfing the Internet simply because I could (you can see my earlier posts about Internet usage in South Africa...). The level of expertise when it comes to website attributes continues to astound me. Carnegie Hall employs a beautiful, interactive and very user-friendly digital season brochure that truly captures the spirit and style of the organization. Check out the digital brochure here

I'll admit that I discovered this next feature this summer and not while on break. Listening to the classical station in Los Angeles, I discovered that I was really enjoying whomever was leading the broadcast of the New York Philharmonic during their residency at the Aspen Music Festival, though I could not quite put my finger on it. And suddenly it hit me; that charming voice was actor Alec Baldwin. It turns out that he has been the host for the weekly symphony broadcasts of the New York Philharmonic since 2009. I tend to be one who prefers to hear more music and less commentary by the radio hosts anyway, but this combination just worked perfectly. I do not associate such actors with the classical world but because of that, there was no elitist air or over-the-top personal opinions about the music. There was something delightful about hearing this familiar voice in a totally unlikely setting.

Over all, it was encouraging to see arts organizations employing new tactics to maintain their place in the world without resorting to endless “pops concerts” or similar approaches. In the latest issue of Opera Magazine, Tim O’Leary, the general director of the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, wisely gives this advice to struggling organizations;

The biggest mistake in response to a challenging economy is to play it safe and scale back. You don’t have to be irresponsible, but you have to keep pushing forward. You have to produce work that makes your institution as indispensable in order to attract support from funders and audiences.

A New Alternative in Oboe Cases

2011-01-19T13:41:00.000-08:00

There are many ways to house an oboe. Up until last year, the double backpack case made by the BAM company was my constant companion. Of course, an unexpected issue with the Loboe arose when it dawned on me that it would not fit in my double Oboe/EH BAM case (the oboe is an inch longer than the standard oboe). With airline restrictions as they are, carrying two cases when both instruments are needed is not a viable option. While the BAM case is a sturdy model, it relies on the oboe resting in a fitted molding, hence making an adjustment for the Loboe's additional length virtually impossible due to size constraints. In my search to find an appropriate case, I discovered an incredible new model.

The world of custom-made cases can be overwhelming, not to mention exceedingly expensive. For as much as I respect Loree instruments, the cases are a far cry from the exceptional craftsmanship of the oboes, a feeling that I believe is widely held in the double-reed community. I scoured the Internet looking for options and granted, I did come upon a few very good makers for both single and double cases based in Chicago and Boston. However, the right balance of quality, functionality and cost for my specific situation still eluded me.

After some investigation, I was put in touch with Sue Bohling, the principal Cor Anglais player for the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Though not a Loboe player herself, she also had been on a long quest to create a case that would provide superior protection and fit for her instruments, especially while touring internationally with her orchestra.

The additional inch that I required was easily made possible due to the rather ingenious design of the “Bohling” case. State-of-the-art foam holds the instrument in place only by the end joints. With no pressure from traditional case molding on the top or bottom, the case perfectly secures any make or model of oboe. The oboe’s top and middle joint stay together and the bell is separate. I personally have found that the design and material of this case better protects the instrument from extreme temperature changes (tropical humidity to air conditioned buildings is the norm in South Africa). It restricts virtually all movement within the case while it is being carried.

I took the Loboe in for its farewell tune-up at RDG in Los Angeles last August. It then endured a 4-day odyssey in a moving truck across the US and then a 2-day flight covering over 10,000 miles; goodness knows how many temperature changes! Fully expecting the worst from such travel brutality in such a short period of time, I was stunned to find the instrument feeling just as it had at RDG. The last two times I traveled with the Loboe (Los Angeles to Colorado and then Los Angeles to Charleston, SC, both times before I received the Bohling case), I discovered a small crack in the instrument in addition to the typical minor adjustments that had to be made. My current situation in South Africa means that I will not have easy access to a repair shop for about a year and having a case that provides the maximum amount of protection and structure is of critical importance.

I believe that this is due to the case’s superior ability to prevent jostling and slight movements that even the BAM case is unable to prevent. The case is fitted with both a shoulder strap and back-pack straps and most importantly, since the upper lid doesn’t come into contact with the oboe, one can easily place photos like the string players typically do…I chose to fit my case with pictures of Webster, my guinea pig. Going the extra mile for the right case has paid off, especially since I no longer live within 30 minutes of the nearest repair shop. The Bohling case is the perfect balance of protection and functionality and a great alternative for oboists looking for that extra degree of protection.

New Works for Old Instruments

2010-12-23T01:46:00.000-08:00

An interesting phenomena in the contemporary music world is that many of these advocates are also very well versed in the field of period music. Thus is the case for composer Hans Huyssen, a prominent figure in South Africa. Huyssen himself wears many hats; he is a baroque cellist, conductor and educator. With a recent reading of an original composition of his by the KZNPO, I had an opportunity to discover that much of his compositional output is conducive for both modern and period ensembles. This can be a fascinating cross over and one that I personally hope will continue to grow in this country. Of course, the lack of period instruments and performers is the most obvious challenge. However, like most areas of the arts, knowledge and persistence can make a world of difference.

Other composers have delved into this strange territory. An incredible work by Mauricio Kagel entitled "Music for Renaissance Instruments" explores the sound possibilities of period instruments in an entirely new way. A quote from Kagel himself during an interview with Anthony Coleman about this work:

I really tried to understand the true function of some of these instruments. I read all that I could about the bizarre fingering techniques, because the instruments themselves are so primitively made that they are always damaged. This for me was the link to new music, because I was trying to work with the natural state of the sounds, and each of these instruments was like a generator of denaturate sounds. So I wrote for each instrument separately to make a unity of musical discourse and functional technique.

Kagel's composition dates from 1965-66 but this link between new and old continues to be explored. It appears that there will be three new additions to this unusual compositional experimentation list, as they have been comission to write for what is arguably the best known collaboration between contemporary and period ensembles; ensemble recherche and the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra. Both groups are exceptional in their own genre, but also push artistic limits by offering a combined summer academy for students. At the 2011 academy, they ensembles will be performing three works by composers commissioned last year to write for a mixture of modern and period instruments. These progressive performances are yet another example of artists creating not only opportunities for themselves, but contributing to significant artistic growth as well.

*A shout out to oboists everywhere, if you can manage to attend the joint-masterclass held by oboist Jamie González and baroque oboist Katharina Arfken in Freiburg, Germany from March 17th-19th.

I am quite certain that it will be an extraordinary event - the deadline is January 15th, 2011!

Sticking to Your Word

2010-11-26T05:43:00.000-08:00

This week concluded the KZN Phil's collaboration with the Cape Town City Ballet Company; Prokofiev's "Cinderella". Needless to say, there was much neck-craning from the pit to catch a glimpse of the beautiful costumes and audiences full of little girls in their own ballet-inspired outfits. As the orchestra made its way to the parking-lot after the shows, one couldn't help but observe the many spontaneous reenactments of the ballerinas by little kids and their parents, who were already thinking of ways to prevent their offspring from winding up as another starving artist. It made me think about what pivotal words of advice had an impact on my ultimate decision to go into music, and interestingly, the words that stick out the most were not the positive ones.
I'd like to think that my career has been filled with nothing but those Hollywood-style pep talks, like the one in the locker room right before the "big game". There are certainly words of confidence and encouragement that are meaningful to me, but it was the desire to overcome the negative feedback that I believe had the strongest impact on me. None of these comments stemmed from pure maliciousness; their power comes from the fact that they were said with no ulterior motive, simply very honest feedback.
The earliest I can remember was some summer music teacher who graded me on how well I prepared a book of etudes. I can only imagine how dedicated I was to preparing scales and etudes when I was 11-years old...but I remember her writing a large "F" on one in particular. My total lack of preparation resulted in an unacceptable rendition; it was a very small but visual symbol of failure. I was the only oboe student I knew of at the time, and therefore I believed that my achievements should be setting the standard; how could I fail with nobody to compare to? Perhaps I wasn't actually fooling anyone when I didn't practice...for as much encouragement as I am sure I received during that first summer, I only remember that lesson.
It was during this same summer that our neighbors next door called and asked, in all seriousness, if I was taking up the bag-pipes. I'm sure it was an accurate description but I can remember vividly wanting to sound better. This strong desire to improve had a clear inception point, it did not stem from the words of encouragement that I had received. A few year later in middle school, my own band director would make the judgement call to introduce my oboe as "the nasal instrument" in front of the entire school; the Loboe Project itself is a manifestation of my determination to overcome that very perception.
The words that stuck to me the most came at perhaps the most critical point in my education. I was fortunate enough to spend a summer at the Eastman School's "Music Horizons" program, a two-week crash course of what conservatory life is like, aimed at high-school musicians. Most students left the program with either a burning passion to make it into a music school or an extreme feeling of relief that they were going to avoid this path. I had not only decided that I wanted to go into music, but that I wanted to study at Eastman itself. Clearly, the school had made a good impression on me...
However, it was during a lesson with the program's oboe instructor at the time, (a former alumna and incredibly talented oboist who would later go on to a successful orchestral career), that I received some shocking information. I played a solo oboe work and asked her if she thought I was on track to study music in college (I had two more years of high-school at that point). She said right away, "oh no, I don't think your conservatory material". I respected this oboist's playing so much and had been trying to soak up as much of her advice as possible; this was devastating to hear. Two weeks in this amazing environment were instantly replaced by the one candid opinion of a former student. I don't remember what the rest of the lesson was like, only my determination to overcome this verbal set-back.
In the end, whatever one's motivation might be, or how it developed, perhaps it is the negative feedback that is the most powerful catalyst for success. Dance-class enrollment may have increased in Durban following the ballet production; I wonder how many students will be motivated to persevere beyond their own inevitable negative critiques...

What Would Your 50 Pounds of Music Look Like?

2010-11-06T23:29:00.000-07:00

What Would Your 50 Pounds of Music Look Like?

The reality of musicians moving abroad is that space for our scores and sheet music is severely limited to a mere fraction of its original amount. Thanks to the flash drive, scanner and programs like Google Documents, we can still bring most of our music back to life, though be it through a printer. But there are some scores one simply cannot part with, not to mention bigger collections of work, no matter how practical their use may be in the new location.

Between chamber music, solo literature and other technical books, filtering out which physical scores made the cut was a process that took a great deal of editing; no musical “Kindle” equivalent would cut it for these. As we all know, music adds up fast. I think for all musicians, there are those certain scores that have been through countless master classes, lessons, and performances and have those personal markings that make them invaluable to us. Of course, one can have things shipped and bring additional materials over on subsequent trips back home, but for me, the following music felt as vital to have as the Loboe itself:

In no particular order...
Concerto for Oboe - Mozart
Fractured Colloquy - David Plylar (oboe and piano)
Gillet Etudes
Musik fur Oboe und Orchester - Wolfgang Rihm (solo part and piano part)
"The Oboe" - Geoffrey Burgess and Bruce Haynes
Sequenza VIIa per Oboe by Luciano Berio
Silvers - Hannah Lash
"Patterns for Improvisation" - Oliver Nelson
"Techniques of Oboe Playing" - Peter Veale and Claus-Steffen Mahnkopf
Ten Klezmer Duos by M. Curtis
Wildlife - Robert Morris for oboe, piano and percussion

Music and the Internet - Food for Thought

2010-10-14T08:19:00.000-07:00

My last post was dedicated to the very serious issue that South Africa's artistic communities face when it comes their relationship with the Internet. I learned of an incredible news story that I feel sums up the problem quite well, click the headline below to read the full story.

Carrier pigeons are being used to transfer data between offices because bosses believe it is quicker than broadband.

Indeed, a carrier pigeon named "Winston" was able to deliver 4GB of data faster than the Internet. And not just by a little bit. The pigeon flew 70k and yet still managed to deliver the data card strapped to his leg and have the information successfully delivered in just over 2 hours, whereas the same information sent via ADSL downloading was only at 4% complete by the time the pigeon experiment was complete.

It should be a fundamental right for musicians to be able to refresh the "job opportunities" page on a site like MusicalChairs.info or stay current with arts journals and such without it costing a small fortune. Once musicians leave the music conservatory, access to opportunity listings is greatly diminished simply by not being in an academic environment with artistic networks. The image of the 21st century classical musician is evolving quickly and so is the way we learn about other opportunities.

Since we couldn't bring our beloved pet guinea pig Webster with us to South Africa, perhaps we should consider getting into the pigeon scene; this new pet could really come in handy.

Can Classical Music Survive Without the Internet?

2010-10-09T12:13:00.000-07:00

Every week countless emails go out to musicians about how to use social networking to their advantage, creating new marketing strategies via blogs and twitter, and countless other ways to turn your home computer into your career's most critical tool. Success stories are frequently featured on NPR and arts journals about how small-time artists beat the odds and succeeded in a down market. It's unthinkable to not have a personal website in Los Angeles, whether you are just a private teacher looking to increase your studio or a major performing ensemble looking to book gigs. Music organizations are judged for their site's accessibility and interactive components, as well as elements like YouTube and Pod casts. It has become industry standard; the key to self-promotion is through one's personal knowledge and command of the Internet.

Introduce "Capped Internet" to the picture...

To our shock, South Africa has a very different relationship with the Internet. Here your access is based on how much bandwidth you use and general web surfing speed as just a tad slower than the US norm. Every download of an image, song, and God help you YouTube broadcast, eats away an incredibly large percentage of your monthly allowance. Emails are generally harmless as purely text items, but a signature or company logo at the bottom instantly takes more away from your allotment and forget about uploading your ensemble's photos onto Facebook! There is one way to access uncapped Internet, it's true, but this involves renting a special line that has to be installed or rented and is the equivalent of about $150 just for the monthly Internet fee (for one computer only). This has been perhaps the hardest change to get used to and we have never been more appreciative of the luxury of uncapped Internet in the US.

So what does this mean for the artistic industry in South Africa? How do orchestras, chamber groups, and soloists compete in the current music world with Internet that is terribly behind the times? The answer is not through the schools, as I learned that at the local Universities, features like Facebook and YouTube are blocked specifically because they eat up too much bandwidth. Granted, I have occasionally fallen victim to watching things on YouTube that are more for their comedic value vs. artistic merit...but in the bigger picture, these Internet features are critical to musicians being able to self-promote their work and gain exposure to the music scene around the world, not to mention share information and resources within the country. Web surfing does not have the same impact here, which means loading up your website with all the latest interactive features simply means people will avoid your site, as it takes too long to load and eats up too much bandwidth. It wasn't until the last few decades that Internet access changed the world, and the arts proved that they could succeed without it. However, I challenge you; could you promote your art as effectively without a dependency on the Internet?

As students in the US are taking courses dedicated solely to concepts like "using social networking to boost concert attendance", South African organizations are needing to think outside the box, or in this case, computer.

Out of Africa, Into the Orchestra

2010-09-25T12:08:00.000-07:00

This week marked our first week working for the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra in Durban, South Africa and needless to say, there is much to get adjusted to as neither of us have ever been to the African continent before. Like so many musicians, we decided to look a little further for opportunities and felt like we beat the odds finding employment together in the same organization. I took this photo during our four-day trek across the country from Los Angeles to Chicago in our moving truck, our guinea pig Webster sitting between us the whole ride.

Life as an active free-lance oboist and self-employed chamber musician was a constant balancing act between striving for artistic merit and basic survival. While many of my former school friends and teachers might be surprised to find me in a full-time orchestra, it was the unique chance to perform with a quality ensemble and pursue other artistic interests like new music, chamber music and of course, the Loboe Project, that attracted me to the position. Tomorrow marks our first full week in South Africa and the completion of three concerts.

I was initially struck by certain similarities that a full-time orchestra in Africa has in common with the free-lancer life-style. In Los Angeles, a good week for an oboist might consist of some sort of church gig, teaching and various kinds of regional orchestra concerts. Playing everything from Pop and Jewish music concerts to Mexican Christian CD releases and independent film scores in LA gives a musician consistent practice in being able to sight-read just about anything and quickly perform the concert/recording session. The first concert this week was called an "Indian Experience", reflecting the interests of the largest population of Indians outside of India here in Durban. The experience reminded me so much of a concert that could be done in Los Angeles and oddly enough, resulted in a very familiar feeling for me. The following night was a traditional symphony orchestra concert and this weekend there will be an all baroque-music concert.

While studying in school, many musicians dedicate their time and energy to the orchestral literature. This is obviously an essential act for those seeking an orchestra career, however; musicians should take the opportunity to play music of different genres very seriously, as the ability to master music in any style is in fact a critical skill set. Whether in school of not, I highly encourage oboists to expose themselves to as many genres as possible. While not all music that a free-lancer encounters warrants extensive preparation, showing an understanding of the style certainly makes for a more enjoyable experience for everyone involved. Times being as they are, we need to make the best of these Pops concerts!

I was also quite delighted to find a practical use for the Loboe during my first week. In an overture by Handel, the oboe part doubles the violin and behold! A low "A" that does not need to be left out! Though I do not know it for an absolute fact, I was informed that there are about fifteen professional oboists in all of South Africa and thus I am fairly certain that the Loboe will not find any siblings here...for now!

Chicken Soup for the Double Reed Soul - How Well Do You Really Know Your Instrument?

2010-09-05T14:49:00.000-07:00

The relationship between musicians and their instruments is like the business-person with their laptop or the Tween with their iPhone. These tools can literally craft our very identity. So why is it that for so many students and pros alike, making regular adjustments and upkeep to our instruments proves so difficult and easy to avoid? I wish that I could say that every time I sit down to play I obediently check to make sure everything feels correct; I usually only stop if something is drastically out of the ordinary and that's after I try to blame the reed before resorting to the screw-driver. While in college, the difference in time spent learning about reed-making to learning about oboe repair is, shall we say, vast. It is such a crucial part of the professional musician's life, yet repair shops are usually overbooked. Cracks and pad replacements are one thing, but I am willing to bet that repair people see many more cases of basic upkeep neglect.

This all begs the question;
you know oboe but do you really know your instrument?

This thought was running through my mind a few days ago as I made my final trip to the incredible RDG Woodwinds store in Los Angeles. I have been terribly fortunate to have always lived in cities close to an oboe repair shop and Friday's trip was an attempt to cram in as much maintenance knowledge in two hours as possible. The reason for all of this is that I recently won the principal oboe position with the Kwazulu Natal Philharmonic Orchestra in Durban, South Africa and my husband will be running the orchestra's New Music Initiative starting on September 20th. Needless to say, the idea of what my reeds will do and how my oboe will react to the change in climate have dominated most of my thoughts. The safety net is gone in terms of immediate repair solutions, and I find myself questioning how much I really know about the intricacies of the Loboe and how important this information is proving. Not only is there a good chance that this will be the only low-A oboe in possibly all of Africa, but the odds of any repair person having common knowledge of Loree oboes is probably small. While I have completely devoted myself to learning all of the basic tendencies of this instrument, I still am a bit nervous about my abilities to make both the regular and unexpected repairs/adjustments that go along with any woodwind.

I will be making a long road-trip from Los Angeles to Chicago before flying to South Africa on the 17th where the Loboe will be my one allowed carry-on. Traveling on the road across the country has been a platform for countless writers to "discover" themselves and the country; I'll settle for some meaningful realizations about how to tune that high C#!

There is much excitement in the idea of performing low-A works in such a new location and I will do whatever it takes to feel as comfortable making daily adjustments instead of just "working around them" as I have done at times... Perhaps this new commitment to learning about the repair world of oboes will result in a deeper understanding of the instrument and I will truly know the oboe.

Low-A Update - Rep List

2010-08-29T01:02:00.000-07:00

Low-A Update - Repertoire List

I have started seriously working on Hannah Lash's piece "Silvers" for solo oboe. It's about five pages long and I have to say, I am loving working on it! It's a substantial work and she is not afraid to challenge the performer with some very quiet dynamics on some of those low A's. The solo oboe genre is a difficult one to tackle, as there are currently more jaunty, jig-like pieces than I'd care to admit...what a difference it makes when the composer writes for an instrument with respect and celebrates what it can do!

Here is an updated look at Original Works and Transcriptions for the Loboe Project:

ORIGINAL WORKS for the LOBOE:
Wolfram de Marco TBA for Solo Oboe
Paul Coleman "Coupling" for Oboe and Piano
Vera Ivanova TBA
Hannah Lash "Silvers" for Solo Oboe
Ryan Oldham TBA
David Plylar "Lobotomy" for Solo Oboe
     "The Prophecy of Dante, With Commentary By Keats" for Soprano and Mixed Ensemble
Isaac Schenkler TBA for Solo Oboe
Austin Wintory TBA for Solo Oboe

NEW TRANSCRIPTIONS:
David Plylar - Trios for Oboe, Horn and Piano
     Beethoven / Liszt "Adelaide"
     Brahms "Symphony No. 3, 3rd Mvt."
     Chopin "Etude in E Minor" Op. 25, No. 5
     Saint-Saëns / Liszt "Danse Macabre"
Damjan Rakonjac - Wind Quartet
     Chopin "Mazurka" Op. 50, No. 3

Sibelius Violin Transcriptions

2010-08-23T17:42:00.000-07:00

The Schumann "Three Romances" are well known, and commonly performed. Every oboist, from the seventh grader to the professional, works on this piece and performs in at least one recital during their career because it is one of only a handful of quality pieces in this genre, as compared the amount of baroque works available. It is a universal piece for oboists because in terms of technique, it is accessible to most but leaves the door open for endless musical development and interpretation.

But this post is actually not about the "Three Romances". Sibelius offers many fantastic orchestral oboe solos but never provided solo oboe works...until now. And like the Schumann pieces, this music could be performed by both students and professionals (granted, of course, they have a Loboe...). In the more approachable category are the short works for violin and piano, Op. 78 Nos. 1-4. The first three movements are elegant yet simple. They utilize the "Low A" very well and could be easily prepared by intermediate to advanced students (as well as the pianist hired for their performance) in a few lessons. There are a few issues with the third movement, "Religios" due to some extended passages that go beyond the "Low A". However, I think it would be very interesting to experiment with the use of harmonics as a color alternative instead of simply playing the passage up the octave. How would you approach this movement, I'd be interested to hear some other ideas!

The other works are two movements from his violin show pieces, Op. 79 No. 4 and No. 5. They have moments of virtuosity but nothing that is too much of a stretch...but one must be up for a challenge! The "Serenade" and "Tanz-Idylle" are both very short and could stand alone or as a pair. Sometimes the most impressive quality of an oboist is the perfect execution of an octave leap (check out ms. 45-46 in the Serenade!). The other movements of this set are worth a look but I found difficult to transcribe for the Loboe.

So Many Opportunities, So Few Taken!

2010-08-03T23:59:00.000-07:00

A fascinating interview was recently played on KUSC featuring British oboist Nicholas Daniel. In addition to being an exceptional performer and renound soloist, Daniel is also kown as an extremely ambitious promoter of new works and commissions for the oboe. Obviously my hat goes off to Daniel for being such a strong advocate for new music and transcriptions (he recently performed his transcription for English horn/piano of Debussy's "Rhapsody" for saxophone and orchestra).

During the course of the interview, an interesting bit of trivia was revealed. I was stunned to learn about the many missed opportunities of oboist Leon Goossens, one of the most significant figures in the oboe's recent history. Apparently, as Daniel explained on the radio, Goossen was very well thought of by many major composers such as Stravinsky, Janacek, Sibelius and Ravel, to name a few. This knowledge was not lost on Goossens but he never once commissioned a work for the oboe or even attempted to have one written for him. Had Goossens used his status as a well-respected oboe celebrity, he could have single-handedly influenced the amount of solo repertoire choices the oboe has today. Let it never be forgotten the responsibility that every oboist carries on their shoulders!

Transcription - Thais Meditation

2010-07-17T19:35:00.000-07:00

It's not just for ice skating competitions anymore!

While the beautiful violin solo from Thais by Massenet is a favorite in the recital repertoire, the addition of the low-A key on the oboe renders it a perfect fit with the oboe's range. It's important to note that this piece is very adaptable without the additional key, however the violin line's decent to the "low-A" pitch means that the phrasing never has to be broken on the Loboe. The only element perhaps a bit out of the norm comes towards the very end where the second "A" above the staff is written. I'll admit that when I was asked to play the prelude at a church service last weekend, a performance time of 8:15am feels terribly early to be hitting that register...

A great solution, should one not feel up to the hitting the original pitch, is to insert a harmonic "A" instead (fingered as a low "D" with the side octave key).

It gives the oboe an ethereal sound and I feel it is an excellent ossia option in the piece.

Thanks to the convenience of public domain downloads, the music to this piece can be found through the International Music Score Library Project website.

Bach Violin Partita Transcription

2010-07-01T21:43:00.000-07:00

This evening I began work on a transcription project that I have been interested in for years. Bach's Violin Partita No. 3 has always been among my favorites of all of the solo pieces, particularly the Prelude. Even with the Loboe, the music extends to the G# below the staff. Of course, I am hardly the first person to want to tackle this music. Bach has been transcribed for every instrument imaginable. Of course, that also means that there are many degrees of success with these versions. There are obvious issues such as articulation, phrasing, and lest we forget, breathing! But in tackling these issues, the result can be an important addition to the repertoire.

Bela Fleck, perhaps one of the world's most accomplished banjo artists, constantly challenges himself by combining virtuoso technique with a wide range of musical styles. He brings solo and ensemble music to an instrument that struggles to shed its "Deliverance" image. Among his amazing creations, Fleck embarked upon an entire "Bach Project". Below is a short clip that includes Fleck talking about the transcription process.

"Coupling" - a work for the Loboe

2010-06-26T21:30:00.000-07:00

It's been a bit since the last update but today's post is very exciting to me. The ultimate goal of this grant is to foster collaborations that result in new works for the Loboe. Below is a live performance from our joint tour in April at the University of Fredonia's beautiful Rosch Hall.

"Coupling" - By Paul Coleman (2010)
(The link might take a few seconds to load)

This work, you'll notice, is on the short side. It is actually a fragment of a larger work that Paul Coleman intends to write. David Plylar is the pianist in the recording.

Loboe Composer Profile - Hannah Lash

2010-06-15T11:09:00.000-07:00

Hannah Lash is based in New York City and is one of several composers who will be working on a piece specifically for the Loboe in the coming months. We overlapped briefly while studying at the Eastman School a number of years ago and I am thrilled that we were able to reconnect again for this project.

As a versatile and active composer, her music has been performed by many leading new music artists such as the JACK Quartet and Alarm Will Sound, among others and holds a PhD in composition from Harvard University. She is currently involved in a very exciting musical endeavor of her own called the

"Loading Dock Project"

VIOLATIONS is a piece that will be performed in any inner-city area, using a loading dock as a stage. It will be scored for singer, percussion, and live electronics. The text for this 45-50 minute piece will be a non-linear compilation of personal stories—stories from people who have committed crime and stories from people who have been the victims of crime...Performances of the piece will be entirely free and open to the public; all that is needed is a loading dock in the back of an inner-city building and an area around this loading dock large enough to allow the public to gather.

Proserpina - An Opera by Wolfgang Rihm Reviewed

2010-06-06T21:13:00.000-07:00

It's always nice to get a positive review in the New York Times. Below is soprano Heather Buck and the orchestra, complete with our parlor chairs. I do believe that I got the best one, though it's hard to tell from the picture...
The Loboe served me well during this premiere performance, especially with the multitude of low note entrances.

Excerpt: By JAMES R. OESTREICH

Published: June 1, 2010, NY TIMES

...the evening belonged to Ms. Heather Buck [soprano], who sang beautifully in the plush melodies at the start and adapted expertly to increasing angularity and high-flying acrobatics as Proserpina’s plight grew dire. Mr. Schmoll’s spare production, with a set and modern-dress costumes designed by Marsha Ginsberg, provided Ms. Buck with a mostly blank slate, and she was equally compelling as a sheer stage presence, whether self-absorbed or interacting with the chorus and even the orchestra.

Mr. Rihm’s music ranges widely and ingeniously through contemporary styles and includes a sort of historical framing, as he seamlessly weaves in patches of music from Goethe’s era. The “Dance of the Blessed Spirits” from Gluck’s “Orfeo ed Euridice” appears in the orchestra at Proserpina’s line, “Your peaceful wandering, blessed ones,” and a bit of the Queen of the Night’s vocalizing from Mozart's “Zauberflöte” creeps into Proserpina’s rendering of “Through the night I will pursue him.”

As in the orchestral concert, Mr. Kennedy and the orchestra were superb advocates for Mr. Rihm’s imaginative music.

All In The Family

2010-05-28T07:47:00.000-07:00

The Heckelphone, the 4-foot long link between the oboe and bassoon worlds, was originally designed to extend to Low-A.

Not sure you even know what a Heckelphone looks like? You're not alone, as I myself have never had the opportunity to play one. Though it originally had a few moments of glory in various orchestral pieces and probably the best known work, a trio by Paul Hindemith, this instrument is still rather obscure. The reason being is that they are only made by special-order, expensive, and the existing instruments are often in poor condition. There are some die-hard fans out there, however. I believe that there is an annual meeting of Heckelphone owners in New York, though the roster is probably still under 20 people total. I wish that I had more personal experience with this instrument but as with many members of our extended-double reed family, we only see them on that rare family reunion and even then, only briefly catch-up on their past highlights.

One might also consider the Lupophon, a recent creation that is being toted as the "new bass oboe".

Here is the description from the Lupophon's "Facebook Page". It may be a revamped version of an oboe relic, but at least it's socially connected. I would love to try this instrument and think it is very exciting when musicians go back to the drawing board.

Think about it; if you're an oboist, you are already playing on a period instrument.

In early 2009, Guntram Wolf of Kronach, Germany announced a new instrument, the Lupophon. This new instrument is being called a reinvented Bass Oboe. It also has several characteristics of a Heckelphone. Let all of us Oboists, Bassoonists, and fans of this wonderful instrument come together for this amazing innovation.

Thumbs Up for Left Hand Thumb

2010-05-23T12:55:00.000-07:00

If these hands each had a Loboe in them, they would agree that having a Low-A key greatly increases the consistency and ease of the Low-Bb pitch...

In the last post, I wrote about my anticipation for an upcoming Rihm rehearsal. Wolfgang Rihm's music, without fail, challenges every musician to their limits in terms of phrasing and sheer technique. While it is a frequent conclusion to jump to, contemporary composers frequently do know what they are doing, are aware of pitch ranges, and what notes are comfortable for an instrument to produce. I think they key idea here is that most composers are interested in what else a musician can do, and while a good one will attempt to write a passage in the easiest way for the performer, at the end of the day they might be asking for something that is just really hard to produce. To me, there is nothing more humbling than seeing something very, very difficult in an ensemble part and then listening to a recording of an oboist who just nails it.

Oboists are pushing the bar ever higher, don't let yourself get left behind!

All that being said, I noticed an increased sense of ease in producing the lowest notes in the oboe's register (again, Rihm has yet to write for extended rage oboe...yet). He asks for everything dynamically from ppp to FFF, to running triplet sixteenth notes at a presto tempo, all on Low-Bb. Having studied his oboe concerto years ago, (featuring an opening passage of multiple Low-Bb's at various dynamic levels) I was amazed at the difference the Loboe made.

Standard orchestral repertoire does not utilize the lowest oboe pitches in the same way that chamber music or solo works do. However, in a time where oboists have to wear multiple hats in order to survive, having an oboe that makes our inconsistent low range more stable is an incredible advantage no matter what type of music you find yourself playing.

"Silence To Be Beaten" - Wolfgang Rihm

2010-05-21T05:50:00.000-07:00

Wolfgang Rihm is an incredibly prolific German composer. His chamber orchestra work "Silence to Be Beaten" is a very significant work for me, as it was upon hearing this work performed live as a freshman in college that I feel I was officially "introduced" to contemporary music. Like most pre-college oboists, I was all things orchestra; youth orchestras, summer festival orchestras, orchestra excerpts, etc. Since the age of 11, I had been part of some orchestra or another and I saw no reason to deviate from the path once I began school. The student new music ensemble "Ossia" performed this work in 2002 and I remember being totally amazed and excited about the raw intensity, musicality and virtuosity that the piece offers. I was completely hooked and the life path of pursuing a traditional orchestra job suddenly veered in a very new, but thrilling direction.

I bring up this piece because I am currently at the Spoleto Festival in Charleston and to my surprise three days ago, learned that we will be performing this work, along with three other Rihm chamber orchestra pieces, next weekend! Though it does not exceed the traditional oboe pitch boundaries (though there are plenty of extreme dynamics in the highest register), it feels very appropriate to be rehearsing this work on the Loboe.

Since this is my plug for Rihm's music, I must also mention his brilliant oboe concerto titled "Music für oboe und Orchester". This is a work that demands an immense amount of flexibility from the low-Bb to the second Bb above the staff. I think it is amongst the most important new works for oboe and hope that it will start to become a staple of the literature.

Hey There, Old Timer!

2010-05-17T05:46:00.000-07:00

Recently, an oboe colleague of mine saw the Loboe and mentioned that she "hadn't seen one of those in a long time". Yes, this particular model of oboe has been used by other oboists besides Alex Klein, though admittedly it is a very small club at the moment. The instrument offers so much in terms of a unique and full tone quality as well as the advantages in the more extreme registers. However, I believe that it is because most oboists are not using the instrument to its true potential that it has not had a larger impact on the double reed world.

Convincing oboists to think beyond the notion that "oboe music doesn't go down to low-A" proves difficult to overcome, though not impossible. For instance, I will have an audio posting of the first solo work for the Loboe, "Coupling", very soon. I frankly think oboists need to be more proactive when it comes to our literature and should continue to seek out new opportunities and collaborations with composers and transcribers.

The oboe has constantly evolved during its long history, everything from additional notes to improvements like the left-hand F key. There is no written rule that I am aware of that says that the oboe officially, and will forever, stop at "low-Bb". One could ask "why stop at 'A', why not go down to low-G and have the same bottom range as violin?". Good question. I strongly feel that whatever alterations and experimentations we make on the oboe, there has to be a compelling case for it. I took a long time in deciding that the Loboe was well worth the investment of time and resources and have dedicated a large part of my musical career to its potential. The whole purpose of this blog is to document as much proof as possible as to why oboists should seriously consider this model and the possibilities that even a single half-step (plus everything else it does!) can bring to the music world. Let's not sell ourselves short!

"The Prophecy of Dante with Commentary by Keats"

2010-05-12T19:33:00.000-07:00

This is a very small excerpt from a chamber ensemble work that was premiered on our Rochester/Fredonia tour. It is scored for solo soprano, violin, oboe, piano and two percussionists. The work is around 20 minutes long and best done with a conductor. It is very beautiful and though it contains a challenging vocal part, our amazing soloist Jamie Jordan was superb and said that it actually laid quite well for the voice. You can click here to see score samples.

What is so interesting about this piece is that the commentary is never sung and instead can be found as part of a program note supplement. In terms of its use of the Loboe, it extends to the lowest range about three times during the piece. During our open rehearsal in Rochester, one of Eastman's composition faculty happened to be sitting directly across from me. As we played through the above passage, he immediately smiled and looked over my way; his first time hearing an oboe's low A!

Proper Glue Duo / Out of Context Tour

2010-05-02T22:11:00.000-07:00

We returned to Los Angeles this week after having performed with some simply outstanding musicians in NY. Last week was also the premier of what is most likely the first solo work written specifically for the extended-range oboe (it cannot be performed without the extension) called "Coupling" by Paul Coleman.

The concert involved nine musicians, our largest amount yet!

Here is a look at our tour in pictures:

Sunday, April 25th -

Rehearsals at Messinger Hall

We had three days together to assemble 11 pieces.

Monday, April 26th -

Mayer Hardware -"Wrenchophone"!

We had a fantastic crowd at our first event. Mayer Hardware store is something of a Rochester "hang" and they could not have been more helpful and supportive of our event. Composers Paul and David talked about their pieces and their use of "classical wrench technique". Steve and Melanie performed two very difficult pieces with ease and enjoyed demonstrating to the crowd how the instrument worked.

Christ Church Concert - 8pm

Rochester, NY

Despite a very popular Gamelan concert happening at the same as our concert at Eastman, we had a great turn out. The concert itself followed a "mirror" format in terms of the program and ran just over two hours. Some very special audience members included my former oboe teacher, Mr. Killmer, as well as some of the current Eastman oboe studio!

Tuesday, April 27th - Fredonia

Valu Home Center

Our second hardware store performance was in Fredonia, NY.

It's always nice to have more than one shot for any kind of performance!

SUNY Fredonia Concert - 8pm

In addition to our concert, we gave a new music forum and fielded some questions about performing in today's economy and a pre-concert lecture. This hall is simply spectacular and reminded many of us of Carnegie's Zankel Hall. I can't wait for the audio recording! A quick shout out to Rob Deemer and the Ethos New Music Society for all of their dedication and assistance!

So Many Fingerings, So Little Time

2010-04-23T11:06:00.000-07:00

Rehearsals have begun in Rochester, NY for the large ensemble pieces that feature the "low A" (works by composers Paul Coleman and David Plylar). It has been fascinating implementing this note in original works. However, while the extra note might seem as straight-forward as pushing down a single key, there is more to the story.

Oboists and bassoonists are faced with split-second decisions every day when reading music as to which "fingering" to use for certain pitches, most notably for oboists being the use of left-hand F and left Eb keys. As with many instruments, some pitches can have multiple approaches depending on what proceeds or follows them. Not knowing ahead of time which fingering to use is a very common cause of "flubs" or mistakes when sight-reading and even performing a piece. A wrong move can result in additional notes being played as a result of fingers sliding over keys. The "low-A" fingering requires the oboist to press down the left thumb as well as their choice of the standard fingerings for "low C#", "low C", "low B" or "low Bb". All fingerings produce the same "low A" pitch. As I am rehearsing this music, I am discovering that it is essential for me to write in whichever fingering pitch that is most appropriate for the passage, as trying to "slide" over to the correct one mid-note can be very unforgiving. While I likely do not mark in as many left-handed fingerings for notes now as when I first discovered these keys, I certainly still use them as a reference in music today

Visually, seeing a "low A" in music has a different feel as an oboist. For many years now, I have only rarely seen an "A#" notated. I would imagine for most instrumentalists that seeing a note, even as little as one half-step out of their normal range, mentally takes just a fraction longer to compute. If in that slight bit of time we also are indecisive about which fingering is correct, a "slide" is almost certain to occur. Fortunately, with the aid of some foresight and a pencil, this problem is easily remedied.

The writing for this instrument feels completely natural in the music and I am thrilled to be working with such exceptionally talented musicians. Rochester, home of monster snow storms and a perpetually grey sky, is actually in full bloom right now and couldn't be lovelier. Things are shaping up for some great performances.

So many A's, so little time

2010-04-11T23:32:00.000-07:00

Showing the Loboe to another oboist recently got me to thinking more about the oboe's relationship to "A". Besides many important solos that highlight "A" pitches, the most obvious association with this pitch comes from the tuning note traditionally given before every orchestra concert. Scholar and oboist Bruce Haynes has dedicated an incredibly interesting book on the subject called "A History of Performing Pitch: The Story of "A"'.

The fact that the Loboe gives us an additional "A" is significant. The more time I spend with this oboe, the more I am convinced that this is the natural next step for the instrument.

Oboists who has spent any time at all studying orchestral excerpts or taking orchestral auditions know all too well how critical our octave "A"s are in winning a job. While one should obviously strive to play every note beautifully, of the standard excerpts, several come to mind that demand some very special attention to these pitches.

Brahms composed one of the most beautiful violin concertos but for oboists, this piece instantly conjurers up feelings of dread when achieving that perfect entrance on the octave "A". The music below doesn't reflect the two bars of horn chord intro, as the oboe doesn't technically begin the second movement. This melody is then picked up by the solo violin. As an excerpt, it is considered one of the most common and usually makes it way on every orchestra audition list.

Speaking of entrance "A"s that make or break a solo, I think that Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4, third movement solo is worth noting. The oboist rests for the movement's opening 132 bars as the strings work their way through intense pizzicato passages. The bottom literally drops out at the hight of the string climax when the solo oboe enters with a glorious (and loud) octave "A" that needs to just fill the hall, or the audition room. It is a very assertive entrance and demands a very distinct tone color that is a world away from the delicate entrance of the Brahms.

Tchaikovsky: Sym. No. 4, Mvt. III

Another staple of any audition list is the opening of Ravel's "Le Tombeau de Couperin". Here we again find a very different demand of the "A". The name of the game is precision; there are "A"s on every large beat in the first three bars alone. This excerpt is certainly on the quick side, but it is the thoughtful approach to the "A"s that allows for the real musicality to shine through in this solo.

Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin, Mvt. I

There are countless beautiful and important oboe solos and many of them do not start or significantly highlight the pitch "A". However, as any current or former music conservatory student can tell you, there are a handful of standard audition excerpts that can quite literally define one's career in the orchestral world. Among them, the three excerpts I have looked at above demand very different techniques and approaches from the oboist and are a core part of an oboist's training. Who knows if having an additional "A" would have had an impact on the way composers wrote for the oboe. However, one thing is certain; the relationship between the oboe and "A" is one unlike any other. With the addition of a third "A", it is exciting to think of the possibilities!

Saint-Saëns - "Danse Macabre" - Trio

2010-04-02T21:06:00.000-07:00

This is another work I have been meaning to post. The excerpt above is from Saint-Saëns' "Danse Macbre" for oboe, horn and piano (by David Plylar) and was the finale number during our previous tour. It's a work-out for all involved and also has the oboist frequently switching back and forth between English horn and oboe. I'll admit, if a few of the switches were any shorter, they'd be impossible, but it can be done, and frankly, it adds a little element of suspense for the audience to see if the performer can really make it!
That aside, it's a very faithful interpretation of an instantly recognizable work. Everyone gets to show off and the horn finally gets to be "brassy".

While rehearsing this work, I learned that this piece was originally a work for voice and piano; there are versions for solo piano, violin and piano, two pianos, and orchestra. After listening to a recording of the original version, I can perhaps see why he opted for further tweaking through transcriptions. It is by no means a comical piece, the subject matter being one of Death appearing at Midnight every Halloween and calling upon the dead to rise from their graves for the night.
Try to imagine the following melody line (starting on beat 2) with these words:

"Zig et zig et zag"

The whole thing has this strange, almost "lounge" feel to it and at least for me, really failed to give an ominous or spooky vibe. There is something about the French language that doesn't sound right for the mood of this work in this particular instance. I think the other versions are far more effective.

I couldn't find any YouTube clips of the vocal version, but here is an amusing rendition none the less...

Chopin, Mazurka - Op. 50, No. 3 - Wind Quartet

2010-03-31T21:20:00.000-07:00

This transcription excerpt is by composer Damjan Rakonjac who graciously agreed to transform a classic in the solo piano literature for an unyielding combination; wind quartet! Without the added depth of sound and dynamic range that a wind quintet's horn player provides, the wind quartet can prove challenging, especially in the area of transcription. I was thrilled to see some very strategic uses of the "low-A" in this piece and it is a nice opportunity for the group to perform a work with such pianistic musical demands. This "Mazurka" comes off as a very natural fit with the instrumentation.

Damjan created this short work for the Midnight Winds, specifically for a concert on the Polish Artists Series in San Diego in honor of Chopin's 200th anniversary. Amusingly, today happens to be Haydn's birthday and this made me think of all the times that our ensemble has been asked to perform and requested that we include works by composers like Haydn, Chopin and Mozart. One would think that our combination of instruments would have been a natural pairing for some of the great Classical and Romantic composers, but alas, we are totally reliant on today's generous contemporary composers to transcribe these works for us.

Midnight Winds, 2010

Wrenchophones and New Chamber Music

2010-03-16T15:47:00.000-07:00

April 25th-27th, 2010 ~ joint-collaboration between "Out of Context" and "Proper Glue" Percussion Duo.
With our ensemble's flexible instrumentation policy, we are able to perform with some exceptional musicians and perform some large ensemble works. The sky is the limit for this tour as we are excited to be premiering several compositions for unusual instrumentations; the boundaries of chamber music are going to be expanded for this one!

I'll give you a visual: WRENCH-O-PHONE

Paul Coleman invented an instrument that consists of 12 graduated wrenches and will be played by Steve and Melanie Sehmen of the "Proper Glue" Percussion Duo. Wanting to reach beyond the normal audience that is attracted to a new music concert, we are presenting the instrument at two hardware stores in Rochester and Fredonia. Amidst the paint samples and hammers, we will be squeezing unconventional percussion equipment into a great new space. It turns out that Paul, David, Steve and Melanie frequented our Rochester location, Mayer Hardware, many times while students at Eastman for everything from percussion materials to concert production tools. It seems fitting to be supporting this unlikely (and unknowing) assistant of contemporary music.

New Chamber Music for the Loboe:
Paul is currently writing a new work for low-A oboe and piano called "Coupling". I'm thrilled beyond belief to see it. Both Paul and David will incorporate the extended range into their two large works for soprano and mixed ensemble.

We received funding from the "Meet the Composer" Foundation in NYC in order for composers Paul and David to discuss their music and the tour itself is funded in part through the Meet the Composer's MetLife Creative Connections program. We have musicians coming from Los Angeles and New York City as well as those based in Rochester and Buffalo.

So who are all these people?
COMPOSERS:
David Plylar
www.davidplylar.com
Paul Coleman
www.paulcolemanmusic.com

PROPER GLUE PERCUSSION DUO:
Melanie Sehmen
www.properglueduo.com
Steve Sehmen
www.properglueduo.com

OUT OF CONTEXT FEATURED PLAYERS:
Jamie Jordan, Soprano
David Leung, Violin
Zuzanna A. Szewczyk, Piano
Justin Hoke, Celeste

Loboe in Colorado and Montana - A Review

2010-03-13T20:30:00.000-08:00

Now that Tour I is over, I have a moment to look back at what we actually accomplished. With every performance, we managed to discuss our ambitions to extend the possibilities for this type of instrumentation, as well as my own interests in expanding the oboe's overall range. There were many current and former oboists during the tour that were very intrigued by the idea of the low-A key and were thrilled to see it up close after the concerts. Probably the most successful concert was at the Bozeman Public Library in Montana, which was specifically a lecture/performance about "the art of transcription".. By coupling "bad transcription choices" with the final versions of David's pieces, audiences really seemed to get a grasp of just how easy it is to make fantastic literature sound awkward for these instruments. While not usually accustomed to hosting anything more than a solo recital, we had to improvise with a painting easel in place of a second music stand. However, our horn player being a visual artist as well as a musician, this seemed rather fitting and certainly helped create a more informal environment, so no problem there!

We were fortunate to meet some incredible musicians along the way, especially Ryan Connell, organist at the First Baptist Church of Boulder, whom without we could not have done this tour. Thanks to all of those page enhancement engineers and to all of the venues for hosting us and providing such engaged audiences!

David practicing at the First Baptist Church of Boulder.

An interesting wall while walking around downtown Boulder before a concert.

Sloan giving a horn masterclass at the University of Denver.

View of Bozeman, Montana, before we went to perform in the public schools.

Bozrman Public Library.

A trip to Red Rocks, Colorado before our final performance in Littleton.

Hello from Littleton, Colorado!

2010-03-10T07:53:00.000-08:00

Today is the last day of our chamber music tour that began on March 1st. We drove back from Montana yesterday and one speeding ticket later, we arrived at our final destination of the Littleton Museum. It has been a really positive experience so far and perhaps the best part was a performance/lecture at the Bozeman Public Library where we both played and spoke about the art of transcription and why it is important to continue pushing the boundaries of chamber music. We gave examples of "bad transcriptions" coupled with the ones David finally chose and it seemed to really open some eyes as to just how complicated an art this really is.

I have really enjoyed having the opportunity to play the Loboe on this trip and cannot wait to perform some original compositions at the end of April!

Low A - It's Finally Out There!

2010-02-27T15:07:00.000-08:00

LA CITY COLLEGE

Just a quick shout out to the fantastic audience at LA City College! We performed a concert as part of a music exposure course that students are required to take there. I think it is a fantastic idea to provide students with concerts twice a week as part of their regular course work and their enthusiasm was the perfect send off for next week. David's transcriptions can be a workout in the extreme ranges, but I feel like this oboe really helped the lines to be heard over two other very loud instruments like horn and piano.

Here are some other images from the concert:

Chopin Example - "Wrong Note Etude"

2010-02-24T14:48:00.000-08:00

Frédéric Chopin / Plylar

Etude in E minor, Op. 25, No. 5

"Wrong Note Etude"

This is a small excerpt from the "Wrong Note Etude", (not its official name, but very appropriate). What I like about this particular use of the "low-A" is that it is very subtle and approachable due to the descending line. There are other uses of this pitch in the etude; you can see more of the work by visiting David's website. It's been really enjoyable putting this piece together in rehearsals though due to time constraints, we won't be doing it at tomorrow's concert. Will have to wait until we get to Colorado for its debut!

More examples to come...

Waiting. Patiently.

2010-02-21T23:43:00.000-08:00

Exactly one week from tomorrow, my chamber group Out of Context will travel to Colorado and Montana to start our 11-day tour. This Thursday marks the oboe's official public debut (the first low-A will be performed as part of the Los Angeles City College chamber series!).

I remember so vividly sending in my grant application last summer, with only the slightest hope that a positive response would be heading back to me in October. For as much as I want to be able to put things out of mind, I am forced to "wait patiently" like everyone else for those dreaded deadlines to arrive. Even when the good news arrived, it seemed there were so many more days to wait for; waiting for the instrument to arrive from Paris, waiting for music to be transcribed, waiting for rehearsals to begin, waiting for the oboe to be broken in, and countless more. But things are now in motion at last!

Here is a quick preview of the Out of Context public concert tour schedule. If you happen to be in the area, please come out and say hello!

Featuring New Transcriptions!

Ludwig van Beethoven/Liszt      Adelaide

Johannes Brahms Symphony No. 3, 3rd Mvt

Frédéric Chopin       Etude in E minor, Op. 25, No. 5

Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns   Dance Macabre

March 3rd, 2010 ~ 7:30pm
University of Denver
Artist Series - Hamilton Hall
Denver, CO

March 5th, 2010 ~ 8:00pm
First Baptist Church of Boulder
Boulder, CO

March 8th, 2010 ~ 8:00pm
Bozeman Public Library
Bozeman, MT

March 10th, 2010 ~ 7:00pm
Littleton Historical Museum
Littleton, CO

Quick Update - 2 Months

2010-02-10T23:45:00.000-08:00

A Quick News-Flash

Tonight marks just over two months since the low-A oboe arrived. I now feel that the oboe is broken in and have begun playing it in rehearsals and while teaching lessons. My two students this evening seemed very intrigued by the extension as we compared instrument lengths. At first, I heard the standard argument "but oboe music doesn't go down to 'A'"; I gave an abridged response to that statement. Interestingly, one student told me about a "really cool note on the oboe" that she had discovered (a standard multi-phonic) and inquired if people ever wrote music using that sound. When I replied that there certainly was literature that utilized multi-phonics and much more in terms of extended techniques, she was thrilled and wanted to hear what that music sounded like.

I can't think of a better way to start off a lesson..

Sound...Through Another Blog

2010-02-03T00:29:00.000-08:00

Listen: 5 Old Friends - Part 3.MP3

This weekend I was able to assist film composer Austin Wintory with his pet-project; a joint blog with photographer Andrew Berglund, resulting in a new sound clip and photograph every day for a year. While Austin already had this excerpt prepared when he contacted me about recording it (thus it does not contain any "low-A" pitches), I was very excited to have this unique opportunity (through another blogger of all things!) to debut my oboe outside of the the apartment. Its official debut performance will happen during a performance later this month and rest assured, it will contain plenty of "low-A" action.

It was quite rewarding to record the results of this oboe's tedious break in process and share it here. Soon I will be able to post an example of the oboe playing its full range. But for now, I wish Austin and Andrew best of luck with their project, as it is an ambitious one!

The above photograph, sound clip link and following excerpts

are from the Blog "Allogamy" by Austin Wintory and Andrew Burgland

www.allogamy.blogspot.com

5 OLD FRIENDS - Part 3
Austin
This piece dates back to my undergrad days at NYU, and has basically never been heard by anyone (thus making it a very private old friend). The original form was an orchestral work called "Passion," which sort of told the story of a lover who's obsession destroys him. It began with this very lovely little tune here, before progressing into an orchestral maelstrom. In no way is the orchestral work re-created though ... Instead I decided to create these clouds of electronics, hovering behind the solo oboe (here performed spectacularly by Alison Lowell on her special extended-range oboe). The result is quite different than the original piece. To me it almost feels like listening to the work of two different composers simultaneously, considering how I've evolved in the time since first writing it.

Andy

Some stock photo styling. Mmm mmm.

Two things behind this one. We got a 486 when I was maybe 8. Like the rest of my generation, I've been more or less dependent on the computer since then. The keyboard is, as such, a dear old friend of mine. The gel color on the flash is cerulean blue. I spent innumerable Friday nights as a child at Austin's house. We also watched The X-Files routinely. I remember that color from one episode. The specifics of the episode are lost on me, just that the color was central to the plot. So in the spirit of memory, I went with it.

Uncharted Waters

2010-01-25T00:39:00.000-08:00

Excerpts from the definitive instrument book

"The Oboe" by Geoffrey Burgess and Bruce Haynes, 2004

"Around 1995 Lorée produced a small number of oboes extending to low A. This was on the recommendation of Alex Klein, who sought an instrument that would allow oboists to play Schubert 'Arpeggione Sonata', *but as of yet it does not appear to have been scored for by any composers". p. 343

*That will soon be changing....

One argument against the practicality of a low-A oboe, and certainly not a totally unfounded one, is simply that composers don't write for that note; there is no music to play. At the moment, yes, we are limited to transcriptions for this oboe, though the realm of possibilities this opens up alone is staggering. However, I am currently working with several composers to produce original works specifically for this oboe.

The more information about what is possible on the oboe that we reveal to composers, the sooner they will push, if not obliterate, the very boundaries that we give them. There will always be instances of composers challenging oboists with demands that reflect a lack of basic knowledge or understanding of how the instrument works. However, seeing past that, it is the combination of composers pushing the envelope and performers embracing the challenges that have resulted in countless important works that might not have otherwise been written. There is a certain openness that we can demonstrate as champions of our instrument that will encourage composers to take oboe music to the next level; we simply need to keep informing them of what we can do and challenge ourselves in the process. It never ceases to amaze me that some of the most iconic pieces in our repertoire, like the Strauss Oboe Concerto, is studied and performed by increasingly younger students, and the Berio Sequenza has become a regular part of the international competition scene.

Perhaps the low-A oboe is only beginning its long journey into general acceptance, both by oboists and instrument makers alike. Until then, I can at least rest assured that there are some incredible oboe pieces in the works.

"...the oboe eventually made its mark on the avant-garde scene in the 1970s through the exploits of prominent players - Lothar Faber, Han de Vries, Lawrence Singer and, above all, Heinz Holliger. While composers needed to consult oboists on the new extended techniques, the pushing of the performer beyond the possible became an aesthetic imperative. For the first time in history of the oboe, there was a disparity between instrument design and use. Composeres knowingly expected the impossible and wrote intentionally at the limit of existing technique - and beyond. Avant-garde performance practice, like that of any style, is integrally connected to the instrument for which it was conveived". (p. 268)

Loree Day in LA

2010-01-18T19:19:00.000-08:00

RDG Woodwinds presents

the Los Angeles Philharmonic oboe section

and current Loree Factory Director, Alain de Gourdon

Today oboists from all around Southern California braved what the news channel called "biblical levels of rain" to attend a special event hosted by the double reed store RDG Woodwinds. A series of four master classes took place, each one run by a member of the LA Philharmonic oboe section followed by a recital.

While a previous recording engagement delayed my arrival, I was able to attend the event that interested me the most; a forum held by current Loree Factory Director, Alain de Gourdon. Being a lifetime user of Loree instruments, I was thrilled to finally meet the "man behind the curtain", so to speak. The room of oboists sat riveted to Gourdon's charming French accent as he guided us through Loree's incredible 129 year history. The factory is still family run after many generations and has a regular staff of 35 people, resulting in about 1,300 instruments made each year. Gourdon put to rest concerns that the special wood used to make most oboes, grenadilla, was in danger of being over-harvested from its native Mozambique and Tanzania. It turns out that the trees are actually protected, with new trees being planted for every one cut down, and very few people besides oboe and clarinet makers have any interest in using it anyway!

While "Paris" is a fixed part of the Loree logo, France proves to be the hardest sell for the company. Gourdon explained that his oboe has a perception of being "the oboe for Americans" in France; how unfortunate that such philosophies still persist.

But what does he think of the "low-A" model...?!

I had a chance to ask the master myself after the forum. He was very happy to learn that I played on this model and was curious if I required very different reeds than for a regular model (the answer for me is not really, a quality reed goes a long way). I had a brief chance to tell him about how much I enjoyed the oboe as well as my excitement about new transcriptions and works. While it seems he likes this model very much, he did say that it is intended for professionals and therefore does not sell a large amount at this time and isn't concerned about that. This is perhaps one area where I feel a bit differently; I strongly believe that the low-A model deserves more visibility and exposure to allow customers the option of this extension at both the serious student and professional levels. I myself had to go to great lengths to even see this model in person and the instruments are currently only made-to-order at the factory. Maybe through these upcoming performances I can start to get the word out that one doesn't need to be principal oboist of a major symphony to have a reason to invest in this oboe; students and professionals alike deserve access to more quality repertoire through transcriptions and new works and having the low-A extension provides that.

What Inspired It All

2009-12-27T14:10:00.000-08:00

As a Chicago native, I was fortunate enough to have grown up during Alex Klein’s time as principal oboist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. It was an incredible source of inspiration for me. He took the oboe world by storm not only with his beautiful sound, but sense of adventurous programming. My first exposure to Luciano Berio’s “Sequenza VII” was during a recital performance Klein gave in the late 1990s, and it was performed from memory in total darkness, as if this amazing piece wasn’t difficult enough!

It was his collaboration with the Lorée factory that resulted in the extended-range oboe in the first place, as he wanted to record a cd of works by Franz Schubert. The music is not possible with the existing range on the oboe, so thus the “low-A” model was born. I fell in love with this recording, especially the “Sonata in A Minor” for Arpeggione and Piano, D. 821. While normally heard performed as a transcription for cello or viola instead of the intended arpeggione (basically a bowed guitar), hearing it played so effortlessly on a treble instrument was eye-opening. This recording was released in 2001 and is is still available.

In an attempt to expand the oboe’s literature, here is a chamber music update:

Chamber works currently being transcribed
that utilize the “low-A” and/or highest range:

*All works transcribed and available from David Plylar

*For oboe, horn and piano (with optional regular oboe part where low-A is used)

*All works to be premiered by Out of Context in Los Angeles in 2010

Beethoven/Liszt – “Adelaide"
Brahms - "Poco Allegretto" - Symphony No. 3, 3rd Movement
Chopin - “Étude Op. 25, No. 5” in E Minor - Wrong Note Etude
Saint-Saëns/Liszt – “Dance Macabre”

The Oboe Has Arrived!

2009-12-04T18:06:00.000-08:00

The oboe arrived this week. After so much anticipation, I was thrilled and relieved to finally hear it, especially playing chromatically down to that low "A"!

Close up of low-A thumb key on top joint

Researching this instrument, I heard many stories about how heavy it was and all of the problems this caused oboists. Happily for me, the slight increase in weight is hardly noticeable.

Something that was apparent immediately was the full, dark tone. The break-in limit of only ten minutes at any given time is simply not enough!

Comparison of a standard Loree Royal and the extended range Royal

A quick shout out to Carlos Coelho for all of his assistance and expertise in helping me to receive this oboe so quickly, and for his many years of excellent Loree oboe service!

The Loboe Project - What's It All About?

2009-11-23T18:28:00.000-08:00

On October 1st, 2009, I was awarded an “Investing in Artists” grant from the Center for Cultural Innovation for an extended-range oboe. It is my intent to promote new works and transcriptions that feature this incredible instrument.

As a condition of the grant, I am currently working on several projects that will showcase the extended range of the new oboe. This particular model, by the Loree Factory out of Paris, will allow me to play one half step lower than the standard oboe and greatly increase the overall stability of the highest range.

Since moving to Los Angeles in 2006, I have been fortunate to work with many incredibly talented and creative people. In addition to posting updates on events related to my grant, it is my intent to also post information about important artistic activities around Los Angeles.

Loboe Project 2010:
1. Out of Context Tour I March 1st-10th, 2010 - Featuring:
o Concerts and masterclasses at several universities and chamber series
o Performances in Colorado and Montana
o New transcriptions for oboe, horn and piano
o Featuring Sloan Hoffmann, Horn

2. Out of Context Spring Tour II April, 2010 - Featuring:
o A series of world premieres by composers Paul Coleman and David Plylar
o Collaboration with the Proper Glue Percussion Duo
o Special guest musicians including soprano Jamie Jordan and pianist Zuzanna Szewczyk
o Performances in upstate NY

3. Solo Works for Extended Range Oboe
o Commissions and Performances starting in 2010