Wishful drinking, Irene

This summer has had a lot of ups and downs.

Where did I leave you off? Oh, yeah, my Mary Martin obsession.

Since then, I have done a couple of cool things. I played for a Red-Cross benefit concert entitled Wishful Thinking (reminds me, of course, of the Carrie Fisher show Wishful Drinking...correlation?). It was nice to meet people and an enjoyable evening. It was fun to play some nice tunes and do it for a good cause!

I also had the chance to observe The Addam's Family. I am really grateful for this because the show has just announced it is closing. My opinion is the show is very fun, from what I could hear. The one cool thing about the score is the orchestrations are HUGE and unique. I like how the genre changes from song to song ie. Tango to Dixieland Band. Once again, it just enunciates the want and NEED to play for shows. It is just not something I like, I have this deep rooted passion for it. I am slowly getting more and more tired of classical music. Granted, I will always have a deep love for the masters, but I am finding it more laborious than enjoyable. Commercial music is very much apart of this ever changing world, and, to put it frankly, it is so much more fun. I am so happy when playing commercial music, and to have voices and lyrics with the music adds a deeper texture.

I am playing in a band with the lead singer Elisa Lovelie. I really enjoy playing for her. From what I can tell, she is a great singer. All I know is I enjoy jammin' with her. Will she go somewhere? Who knows, but I am here for the ride.

I am not opposed to anything, as long as I have fun. If it sucks and I want to shoot myself, eh. It has been nice, see you later.

Hopefully there are more updates to come.

I am moving Sep. 1 into an apartment on the 7 line. Literally, ON the 7 line. You look out my balcony and I can see if the train is coming and make it there in time. It will be nice. Alas, it is only for a month, and then I will have to move again. On that note, I will be moving in with Ryan and Jo Moe. Should be pretty cool. I am glad I will have a place to live with people I know. It makes it much more bearable.

I survived Hurricane Irene and the Earthquake that shook us all up. To be honest, I was much more scared in Cincinnati in May, was it, during the Tornado. I am blessed nothing happened. It was a WEEKEND though. winky wink wink

Also, I have seen a plethora of movies and entertainment.

I saw The Legend of Julie Taymor, most commonly known for The Lion King on B'way, Oedipus Rex in my 803 class and the debauchery called Spider Man: Turn Off the Dark. It was one rump, riot of a time. It was an extended, 90 minute parody, but I enjoyed myself. The cast was fierceas and there were a couple good songs.

My friend Isaac Dayley has a production company called Silent Street Productions. I saw their off off-broadway production of Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare. The concept was interesting and was done in a modern, post-rapture way. It was VERY bloody and the material is so meat and potatoes heavy. It was long, but great. I enjoyed many of the performances and the concept idea seemed to work (especially since it was the day before Irene hit, and none of us knew how bad (or not bad) it was going to be). Here here. I want more.

I have a lesson with Stephanie Baer on Thursday. I couldn't be more excited (though maybe a bit more preapred).

Kelly Clarkson's new single is "Mr. Know It All" great as well as Bab's new cd What Matters Most

Blueberry Pie

I had a revelation tonight I want to tell you about. I feel it is a novel idea, but I am sure R&O thought of it when they were writing or some scholar has already made note of it, but the personal revelation was quite cool.

I am reading a bio on Mary Martin and saw a picture of her as Nellie, so I listened to "A Wonderful Guy."

Here is my revelation:

Nellie Forbush is upset with Emile de Becque. This is made obvious by her song "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair." Even later, when
Emile kisses her, she get's upset at the cat calls from the girls and doubts herself. Because of her anger, she is confused of her true feelings. Nellie's real discovery comes during the course of "A Wonderful Guy."

The song begins in a minor key. The angst is made apparent by the percussive, staccato interjections by the orchestra. This minor section comes across as very abrasive as she proclaims she does not like Emile. Then, you hear a silver lining occur in the words "Fearlessly, I'll face them and argue their doubts away..." She becomes open to the idea as if she is asking herself "Wait, why am I so stubborn?" Her heart begins to flutter as the orchestra leads into the up beat waltz meter.

"I'm as corny as Kansas in August" is Nellie's girlish, singing way of blushing. The music naturally starts to lilt and one just pictures Nellie sway
side to side as a smile grows larger and larger on her face. The music seems to swirl, climaxing when she sings "I'm in love..." in a metric, typical 4 + 4 cadence stating "I'm in love" 5 times. Nellie is so filled with joy, she can no longer sing and has to dance (ie, the natural progression). Well guess what, dance break.

As Nellie calms down a bit, the dance "slows" allowing Nellie to sing again. The women join Nellie in a supportive, making-fun-of-her-because-she-is-so-fickle kinda way.

Now comes the really cool part. Unlike the previous, guessable 8 bars of "I'm in love..." the music drops down in orchestration and dynamic. The waltz slowly builds alternating Nellie, girls, Nellie, girls. Now, we, as the listener, expect "I'm in love" only 5 times. When the "I'm in loves" continue, it is rather shocking. We expect it in 4 more bars, equaling a very natural 12. But, the excitement/orchestrations/dynamics grow as Nellie can no longer hold it in and R&O give us 4 more bars, equaling 13 statements of "I'm in love" which culminates in an exciting, brassy, full orchestra, rip-off-hat moment. Nellie is in love a wonderful guy.

I might be way off, but this is what I think.
You can listen to Mary Martin sing the song here

What a week

I have had a great week.

Monday, I went and saw Gentlemen Prefer Blondes at the HBO Bryant Park Summer Movie Festival.

Tuesday, I had a masterclass with the Shanghai Quartet followed by their concert. Their concert was breathtaking, especially Schubert's Death and the Maiden. The beginning of the second movement was where the real magic began. Their

understanding of the "Lachrymae-esque," choral was sensational. The colors they were able to achieve blew me away. At the end, does Death win over the Maiden? I have heard both sides of the story. Personally, I think Death has one last trick up his sleeves. The Tarantella was pristine! Crazy good, and they used such little bow on the shoe-shine stroke. So good.

Wednesday, I was able to sit in and observe the pit of Book of Mormon. I met Entcho, a crazy-awesome violin player. We talked about instrument makers, quirky pictures in Musician magazine (for 802 members), his improvisations of the score because the string can never b

e heard in pieces like (Haf Ta) Man Up and Spooky Mormon Hell Dream. It was really great to see all the professional musicians in action--how perfectly they played every single note, how one person is talented enough to play 10 different instruments from flutes, recorders, oboes to two types of saxes and more flutes, how jokes are played and the environment is fun. Anyway, I learned a great deal about perseverance and never giving up. All it takes is one good contact to change everything.

Thursday, I performed during Fresh Ground Pepper's Lay Miz which was a hodge podge of different acts interpreting the musical Les Miserables. To start off, it was on Bastille Day. Anyway, I opened the show with a solo viola arrangement I made from the nine minute material called "Prologue." I really enjoyed the arrangement I made, and it made the audience laugh. That was awesome. I have heard chuckles during my playing, but laughter is one I have never heard when playing a solo. A great change, most definitely. There were some amazing numbers. I thoroughly enjoyed this guy play Stars in a "douche-bag" arrangement on the guitar. He had a great voice. Also, the dance troupe that interpreted Bring Him Home... I was blown away by that number! It was creepy and sacrilegious while being very religious at the same time. It was beautiful. At the end, to bookend the show, I played an arrangement for violin solo I made of "Turning/Beggars at the Feast/Wedding." I loved how I made "Turning" into false-harmonics. Such a great, spooky touch. The whole event was a great success.

Friday, my quartet finally performed Brahms! I have enjoyed studying with Marion Feldman the Brahms A minor String Quartet. What a great, complicated work. I have really enjoyed getting to know the notes, the dynamics, the syncopations and the idiosyncrasies of Brahms. He is much like Bach. Also, both are EXTREMELY difficult. I feel like I played well, which is all I can ask for.

Saturday, I did a short recording session for Joe Moser. It was a short little piece, but I am happy to get back into recording.

BANG!

And the week of stress has begun!

Note: I am not complaining.

Day 1, Saturday: NYU "Works in Progress" Concert. Brahms A minor quartet Mvts. I and II. Played like [insert explicative]. Bang. There goes self esteem. Arrange "Turning, The Wedding and the Beggars Feast" from the musical Les Miserables into a captivating 4-minute piece for solo violin. The material from the "Prologue" for solo viola was much easier.

Day 2, Sunday: Finish the piece for Fresh Ground Pepper's Lay Miz. (my only day to relax!)

Day 3, Monday: String quartet rehearsal 10-3. Coaching with Marion Feldman. Master class with Shanghai String Quartet? Maybe meet up with friends from BYU...

Day 4, Tuesday: More Brahms rehearsal 10-3. Coaching with Marion Feldman. Master class with Shanghai String Quartet? Lesson with Stephanie Baer (YAY!) at noon. Shanghai String Quartet concert.

Day 5, Wednesday: Even more Brahms rehearsal 10-3. Coaching with Marion Feldman. Run over to 49th and the Eugene O'Neil Theatre to sit in/observe the Book of Mormon. (AH!)

Day 6, Thursday: Penultimate day of Brahms rehearsal 10-3. Coaching with Marion Feldman. HAPPY BASTILLE DAY!! Run over to Brooklyn, The Irondale Center, for Fresh Ground Pepper's Lay Miz tech and performance (I have never played solo material for 200 people before...)

Day 7, Friday: Last day of Brahms rehearsal 10-3. Coaching with Marion Feldman?? Performance of Brahms--let us hope it goes better than day 1.

take a chill pill

I just found out The Perks of Being a Wallflower is being made into a movie. I looked over the casting and foamed out the mouth. I am really excited for this. The book is remarkable. I thank Lisa (via Tyler) for letting me read it. Honestly, it really did open my eyes and change my opinion of a lot of things... one of those you know.

Through the eyes of New York Magazine, I am elated and anticipating the "lo-fi pleasures of the proudly old-school, hand-drawn Winnie the Pooh. Less a reboot than a calm return to the solace of the Hundred Acre Wood, the film should play as soothingly as Xanax." I am ready to pop that pill and chillax.

Last night, my roommate Frances and I watched the film adaptation of Michael Cuningham's A Home at the End of the World. My only other experience with Cuningham's works is the movie The Hours, which the book the movie is based on won Cuningham the Pulitzer. It is really hard to explain the feelings I got when watching A Home... Though the movie is depressing and heart-breaking, I left feeling warm and pleasantly nostalgic of my life.

What is love, how is it defined and what are its boundaries?

Love should be open and free-willed, not labeled or extreme, as seen in A Home... The main character loves everyone and would give his life to them if they so chose. However, all the other characters need a label of what "traditional" love is and are unsatisfied otherwise. I cannot imagine all the people I love to die or leave me. I would not be able to have the life viewed in the film.

E-string

I have been here in NYC a week. It seems like a lot longer--maybe that is because I already know how this city works or maybe the fact I ride the subway at least 2+ hours a day visitng friends and such. I am really grateful to have a nice place with REALLY chill roommates here in Washington Heights. I have come to realize over the years that roommates make or break a living situation. When you have good roommates, it is nice to come home and just slump on the couch. This is much nicer than trying to avoid your roommates and locking yourself up in your room all night. ie. my apartment in cincinnati...

I have already had a couple of neat experiences that I am not really at liberty to talk about until they actually happen! I am pretty excited though (more about that later).

Why is Brahms so difficult! Out of all the composers, I struggle with him the most. I look back on when I played the E-flat viola sonata in my undergrad and remember how much I struggled with the "character" of Brahms. I mean, not to boast, I have heard people who play the character FLAWLESSLY but are reals out of tune. I listen to my recital and for the most part, I am in tune, but I sound so timid and shy. Brahms really shattered my confidence level, and it has taken a long time to overcome that! Anyway, it taught me a great deal. Back on track, I am learning the Brahms A minor string quartet. At first, I was a little bummed this would be the quartet I'd be playing, thinking it was not that challenging (especially after playing Beethoven Op.131 at CCM), but after practicing, I am in for an uphill battle! Come on little salmon! It is SO awkward. There is no good fingereing for the opening measures and throughout the entire four movements, you have to contorte your hand. Why Brahms? WHY?! It is fun though. It gives me something to work on.

On that note, I am learning the Franck Violin Sonata, which I love, and it has been great. Also on the summer list of things to learn are Bax's Fantasy Sonata for Viola and Harp, Schubert's Arppegione Sonata (can you believe I haven't played that...) and Beethoven's Spring Violin Sonata.

[Insert a Bill and Ted movie title here]

So, I woke up in the city that doesn't sleep. Hoorah! It wasn't in my own place though...

Helene and I drove the 12 hours from Cincinnati to New York via West Virgigina (one more state off the 50 list), Penny and the Jerse-ster. Also, though quite crowded, it was fun to drive through the Lincoln tunnel. It reminded me of fifth grade and my obsession with that little-known disaster movie called Daylight. Man, that movie is good. However, as I see it now, there are many similarites between this Lincoln-Tunnel-Explodes flick and Poseiedon Adventure. Why do my favorite characters always die because they get hypothermia or die a water related death? Poor Shelly Winters.

I am very blessed that my car did not get broken into with all the crap in there (and a TV). It is all empty now, well, it is now full of groceries, an ironing board and my N64, but you get the point.

I am in Connecticut at my parent's house for the last time. They are moving all the way back to Arizona near Tucson. It is funny how things come full circle or the fact my family always leaves when I move near. Austyn and D are also moving with their fam back to Utah so D-dawg can go to graduate school at BYU. SURPRISE!

I am excited to be in New York and to see where my dreams take me (doesn't everyone say that?). I would like to get a job to help the time pass before NYU's String Quartet Program, but I feel the three weeks from the end of June to the middle of July will cause companies to not hire me. Maybe I should just stick to the plan and practice viola and slave at violin! Should call for a most excellent adventure!