Archive for the ‘Music’ Category
Quick Update, November 2013 Style
Folks, I haven’t had much time to write blogs or do much of anything this week aside from a spot of editing and a teensy bit of fiction writing.
There is, of course, a reason for that. Unfortunately, it’s the usual one: I’m under the weather. (Again.)
As I continue to fight for better health, I’m also continuing my fight to get the Racine Concert Band fully funded for 2014. And I do have news in that quarter — the RCB has been funded for next year, albeit at a much lesser level.
What this means is twofold: the RCB will continue. (Yay!) But the RCB will have eight performances rather than thirteen, one being the City of Racine July 4th Parade, and will become a summer band only. (Boo!)
I’m not sure what else I can do, if anything at all, to affect the outcome. But whatever I can do, I will.
Anyway, as for what I plan for the upcoming week — over at SBR, I plan to review one non-fiction book tomorrow, BATTLESHIP (about the horse, not the game), and will have an interview with author Stephanie Osborn up by the end of next week. And here at my blog, I plan to discuss the World Series (the good, the bad, and the really odd) along with a brief bit about Carlos Gomez winning the first Gold Glove for the Milwaukee Brewers since 1982. (Mind you, had Brewers General Manager Doug Melvin kept shortstop J.J. Hardy, we would’ve had two by now, as Hardy won in both 2012 and 2013 over in the American League.)
And, as always, if there’s anything that says to me, “Write about me right now,” I promise I’ll do just that.
For now, though, it’s back to some mint tea and soup (which is simmering in the stove even as I write this), in the hopes that by taking it easy I’ll be able to work up a storm tomorrow. (Here’s hoping.)
Practice Tonight, Concert Tomorrow
This week, I obviously haven’t blogged very much, and there’s a reason for that.
You see, even though I’m still far more “off” than “on” and have little energy due to being sick for nearly three months in a row, I was asked months ago to play a concert tomorrow evening at the Case High School theatre in Racine, Wisconsin with the Racine Concert Band. (I regularly play with the RCB, but mostly in the summer months.)
And of course, at the time, I said yes.
When this concert’s first rehearsal came up a few weeks ago, I told them that I was still recovering from bronchitis and that a new therapy had been started. (True.) I had hopes the new therapy would help, but I didn’t know how long that it would take to restore my energy level to the point where I could play. So I said at that point that I’d prefer not to play this concert — not because I didn’t want to play, but because I feared I would be completely and totally unable to play.
An aside: My degrees are in music performance, mostly. (My Bachelor’s of Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside had enough credits that I could’ve taken a degree beyond music, had I wished, and I certainly had enough credits for both an English and history minor, if Parkside did minors. But I didn’t.) So performing music in front of people, no matter how terribly I feel at the time, is what I’ve trained for my entire life.
This is why, when the RCB wasn’t able to get a substitute clarinet player — they thought they had one, but that person backed out — I decided to play the concert and the subsequent rehearsals, even knowing that the rehearsals would take a good deal of my available energy along with my available concentration, and also would keep me from blogging very much or doing much in the way of editing, either.
Of course, there’s no guarantee even without playing this concert, as lousy as I’ve felt, that I’d have been able to do that much more. I’ve been told that I’m exhausted for the past five or six months, including before I was diagnosed in mid-April with acute bronchitis. And while for a time I was able to keep “bulling through” and accomplishing what I needed to accomplish as a writer, editor and musician, after that bronchitis hit me I had nothing left to “bull through” with.
What I’m trying to do now is to manage the exhaustion, get as much rest as I possibly can, and to limit stress. These are not easy things for me to do at all, but because I was able to do some of them, plus that medical therapy I discussed before (basically I’m taking twice as much of one type of medicine as before in order to limit acid reflux, as reflux plays into both bronchitis and asthma), I’ve been able to play the rehearsals and will play tomorrow’s concert. (Well, tonight‘s concert, as it’s clicked over past midnight as I’ve been editing this.)
Now, am I playing very well right now? In my own personal (and professional) estimation, no, I’m not. I’m at about fifty, maybe sixty percent of what I’m capable of when I’m healthy. (And that’s not what I’m capable of when I’m at the top of my game, mind you — that’s just when I’m healthy and able to play.) So I’ve been able to completely learn the parts, which is good, but I’m not able to fully play them, which isn’t.
What I’m doing to compensate for the areas I can’t play is to take longer breathing breaks than normal, so I don’t get too tired out to play. (I’ve also been smart about taking my asthma inhaler and such, as there’s no need to be any more stupid than I must.) And if I have to, I take things in two- or four-measure chunks . . . whatever it takes in order to play the music as written, at least as much of it as I’m able to play at this time.
But the band knew this. The conductor knew this. And they still wanted me to play.
Which is why I will take the stage and do my best on May 16, 2013, at 7:30 p.m. out at Case High School in Racine. The RCB has one “combined piece” with the Case High School’s best and/or senior class musicians, plus four other pieces by Robert Ward, Germaine Tailleferre, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Percy Grainger. The “big piece” is Tailleferre’s “Suite Divertimento,” written in 1977. It’s a mixture of 20th century French and Renaissance idioms, and if we play it as well as we’re capable of, it should be most impressive.
However, the piece I actually enjoy the most is “Prairie Overture” by Robert Ward. Ward is an underrated American composer who died in April at the age of 95, and his piece was written in 1957 for concert band and was only later transcribed by Ward for the orchestra. (Usually a composer writes for orchestra first and band later, if at all, which is why the concert band repertoire consists of so many arrangements.) This piece sounds both American and Western in flavor and style, but has some unique orchestration throughout that was Ward’s trademark.
I’m uncertain how many people in Racine even know about my blog, much less read it regularly. But if you live in Racine and you enjoy real, live music played by real, live musicians, you owe it to yourself to get yourself out to Case High School on Thursday night and hear these pieces for yourself.
As for my plans for after the concert, I plan to take it very slowly until I regain some more energy or strength, even though I really hate having to do so. The medical people I’ve consulted have all told me that since it took months to wreck my health, it’ll take months for me to regain the energy I no longer have. And the only way to regain that energy is to be smart, stay within myself, and try not to push myself overmuch.
All I can do right now is promise that I’ll do things as I’m able, as my health allows. This wasn’t a situation I’d expected to get into by any means, so I have no “playbook” in order to help me get back out of it.
That’s why you may, or may not, see regular blogs from me over the summer months as I do my best to slowly regain my health, strength and stamina. But if I’m able, I’ll continue to comment on whatever strikes my fancy, just as I’ve always done, in the hopes that it’ll intrigue you. Inflame you.
Or at least keep you amused. (Whatever works.)
Pianist Van Cliburn Dies at 78
Very few classical musicians ever become known worldwide. Van Cliburn was one of those few.
Cliburn, who died at age 78 of bone cancer earlier today, was the first American ever to win the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in Moscow (then part of the Soviet Union) in 1958 at the age of 23. He was a Cold War hero ever after, as well as being a symbol of how powerfully music can communicate when, seemingly, nothing else can.
Here’s a link to the Associated Press article about Cliburn, written by Angela K. Brown (courtesy of Yahoo.com). It gives further information about Cliburn’s life, career, touring and popularity, and is an excellent overview of what Cliburn was all about.
But to musicians, Cliburn was about much more than mere symbolism. He played in an extravagant, romantic way that nevertheless effectively communicated any style of music he cared to play. He believed that people should be able to tell if music made sense whether or not they were trained classical musicians, because music was and is intended to move others — and it’s been that way ever since we lived in caves and played prehistoric instruments.
Cliburn played so well that nearly all of his “signature pieces” were recorded. Amazon.com has a list of his recordings, including a compilation of all of his known albums. Mostly, he played well-known pieces from the Romantic period — composers like Brahms, Beethoven, Schumann, and Lizst — but he also enjoyed Debussy, Ravel, and some 20th century composers.
The Washington Post obituary for Cliburn reveals more information about why Cliburn rarely played in public after 1974. Apparently fame was quite difficult for him to bear, as was the constant touring of his chosen profession. Cliburn needed time to rest and recharge his batteries.
After that, Cliburn’s talent was still apparent, but his playing wasn’t as sharp or clean. He sometimes forgot passages, which proves how human he could be (all pianists must memorize their pieces, and when you’re memorizing three or four pieces of at least twenty minutes in duration for a concert, even the most brilliant person with the best memory can make mistakes). He was still a great pianist, but no longer in his prime — yet he continued to play, and give the audience excellent musical experiences, which was a testimony to his professionalism.
See, even a musician past his or her prime can still thrill an audience. We tend to forget that, as a society, because we celebrate youth, sometimes to the exclusion of all else. But Cliburn was able to prove that a musician of great gifts can still give something back in his performances, even into what most would consider to be an advanced age.
Cliburn’s recordings should help everyone remember just how much talent a young man from Texas had, once upon a time. And how he did his best to convert upon that talent, even if not all music critics believed that he’d fully lived up to his potential.
Cliburn leaves behind many friends and a long-time male companion, as well as many people who adored his music and couldn’t get enough of it, to honor his memory. Thanks to the magic of sound recording, we’ll be able to remember Cliburn and his major musical talent for decades to come.
Really, all any artist can ask for, upon his or her death, is that people remember him and what he did. That’s the standard of success, when it comes right down to it . . . and Cliburn met that.
May his eternity be ever-bright.
Support Your Local Musicians
Tonight, the Racine Concert Band played a concert at Horlick High School. We played four pieces alone, and with the section leaders from Horlick’s Symphonic Band, we played Dmitry Shostakovich’s “Folk Dances.”
Now, we’re fortunate in Racine that people do come to the Racine Concert Band’s concerts — whether they’re the free ones in the summer over at the Racine Zoo, or in combination with local high schools. We tend to have good, solid audiences who appreciate what we do; they enjoy live music, and want to hear more of it.
And that’s what I wanted to talk about — live music. And hearing more of it.
The easiest way to support live music is simply this — go to a concert, and support your local musicians.
I can hear some of you now. “But I live out in the middle of nowhere! We don’t have any musicians here — we can’t have any here! So what am I to do?”
In that case, I’d urge you to look around, because there probably are more musicians around than you might think. But whatever area you live in, you need to get out there and listen to some live music.
And for those of you fortunate enough to live in a big metropolitan area, do me a favor. Don’t limit yourself to the symphony orchestra, though that often is a great place to go for good music; go out and watch whatever music you can, as there’s probably much more going on in your area than you might be aware of.
Consider, please, that in Racine, we have several high school music programs, all of which have their own strengths — these are at The Prairie School, at Racine Lutheran, at Case, at Park, and of course at Horlick. These programs have orchestras, bands, jazz ensembles, choirs, and much more — so get out there and listen to their music.
Also, keep an eye out for community bands and orchestras; for example, the University of Wisconsin-Parkside has both a Community Band and a Community Orchestra. Good music is being made by these groups, and going out to listen to them is often less expensive than seeing a first-run movie.
And, of course, my own Racine Concert Band is in its 89th consecutive season. Winner of the Sudler Silver Scroll for excellence in musicianship and in elevating the cultural and musical environment of Racine back in 1995, the RCB continues to make good music and help get the word out that Racine has more live music than the music being made by the Racine Symphony Orchestra, the Belle City Brass, the Racine Dairy Statesmen (for men only) and Opus 2000 (for women only).
Racine, you see, is blessed with many great musical groups, from choruses (the Dairy Statesmen, Opus 2000) to a brass band (Belle City Brass), to the RCB and the RSO.
But your area — whatever area you’re in — probably has a lot more going on, musically speaking, than seems to be the case. That’s why you should do whatever you can to support music in the schools and in the community — whether it’s rock, jazz, country, swing, symphonic music or anything in between, go out and support your local musicians.
And if you think supporting your local musicians at such a difficult economic time is a frivolous act, I have news . . . you’re helping keep various musicians, music teachers, and associated others employed. Which is a positive thing, possibly even a life-affirming thing — and should be commended.
So, once more — get out there and see a concert or two. And support your local musicians. (Please?)
Quick Hits, August ’12, pt. 2
Folks, it’s been a few days between blogs, mostly because I’ve had much to do and little time to do it in. But I do have a few things to discuss, so let’s get to it.
Congratulations go out to Seattle Mariners’ pitcher Felix Hernandez, who pitched a perfect game on Wednesday, August 15, 2012, against the Tampa Bay Rays. (One of the many excellent stories about Hernandez’s perfecto can be found here.) This was the third perfect game thrown this season by major league pitchers, and it’s already one more than was thrown in the entire 2011 season.
On a milder note, but staying with baseball, congratulations should also be given to Milwaukee Brewers first baseman/right fielder Corey Hart. Hart, you see, hit a grand slam home run in the eighth inning last night against the Philadelphia Phillies; that grand slam home run was the difference in a 7-4 win for the Brewers. (And to think that Hart had been 0-for-3 with three strikeouts before that, though that’s a bit deceptive as Hart’s previous three at-bats had come against Phillies ace Cliff Lee.)
And in more baseball news, former Brewers ace Ben Sheets, now with the Atlanta Braves, currently has a 4-2 record with a 2.13 ERA in 38 innings pitched; Sheets has also given up 8 walks and has marked 28 strikeouts during that time. (An excellent article from Bleacher Report about Sheets’s comeback is available here, if you’re interested.) Sheets’s comeback has proven to be “the real deal” and I couldn’t be happier for him (in my view, once a Brewer, always a Brewer; best of all in Sheets’s case, he’s on a contending team).
Finally, the Racine Concert Band will play its final summer concert this Sunday at the Racine Zoo. (Showtime is 7 p.m.) So if you’re in the mood for a free concert, please be sure to stop on by and listen to the band.
Update on Oak Creek Shooting; Other Updates
This is yet another day where I don’t really have time to write a full blog post, but do have a number of things to say. So let’s get to it.
First, the latest update regarding the Oak Creek, WI, shooting that left six innocents dead and three innocents wounded is as follows: the Federal Bureau of Investigation has revealed that the gunman, Wade Michael Page, actually took his own life after being shot by the police. Funeral arrangements are being made for the six dead; of the three who were severely wounded, two are still in critical condition, while the third, a local policeman, is recovering with amazing speed.
Second, the Racine Concert Band will have another concert this Sunday at the Racine Zoo. (Showtime is 7 p.m.) I’m to play alto saxophone this week, after playing clarinet last week . . . I view myself as the Vinny Rottino of the Racine Concert Band (with tongue planted firmly in cheek).
Speaking of Rottino, here’s a nice write-up about him that I somehow missed last week from the Let’s Go Tribe blog. This blog discusses Rottino’s career and how he’s always hit, but how his defense isn’t quite major-league ready except at first base and left field — but because Rottino’s not a prototypical power hitter, and those positions usually are played by people who are, that’s why Rottino rarely gets a chance to bat in the major leagues.
I’ve not seen Rottino play third base or right field, but I know that Rottino has a good arm and is an extremely smart player. He’s made himself into a decent catcher despite learning to play the position late (he took it up when he was 24 or 25); he rarely makes baserunning mistakes or fielding miscues. And as I’ve said many times, I believe Rottino will hit if he’s given a chance at the major league level, especially considering the fact that he’s hit everywhere else.
Also regarding Rottino, here’s a link to an article from November of 2006 from the Baseball Prospectus, written by Kevin Goldstein that I somehow missed previously. Goldstein says bluntly:
If you aren’t rooting for Vinny Rottino, there’s something very, very wrong with you. Undrafted out of Wisconsin-LaCrosse, the Brewers signed Rottino in 2003 as a local product who could fill some organizational holes, yet all he’s done is hit at every level, including a .314/.379/.440 mark at Triple-A Nashville this year, good enough to earn him his major-league debut.
Note Goldstein’s first line: “If you aren’t rooting for Vinny Rottino, there’s something very, very wrong with you.” (I couldn’t have said it better myself.)
Mind, Goldstein also pointed out (later in the blurb) that Rottino’s glove is not major-league ready (or that it wasn’t in ’06, at any rate), particularly at the catching position. But it’s been six years, and there has been massive improvement in that area; in addition, Rottino’s overall defense has improved, something that few other baseball players can say.
I keep wondering if Vinny Rottino has read Malcolm Gladwell’s book OUTLIERS. This is relevant because Toronto Blue Jays OF José Bautista, adjudged a late bloomer by many, found Gladwell’s book extremely helpful.
I reviewed OUTLIERS over at Shiny Book Review a while back. What I appreciated most about this book was how Gladwell pointed out that the best way to position yourself for victory in anything is to persist. Providing you have the talent, the skills and the smarts to begin with, persistence is the only thing that will set you apart from the crowd, regardless of your chosen field. Add to that the fact is that sometimes people give up on themselves too early due to forces beyond their control, and it’s obvious what a gifted player needs to do if he or she hasn’t yet made it: just keep trying.
Rottino has shown the value of persistence in his ten-year-long minor league career. He’s improved his skills throughout, and has continued to hit at every level. And by doing this — working on his craft, and refusing to give up — Rottino has put himself in a position to win. Which is all he, or anyone else, can do.
I have a lot of sympathy for Rottino, because my journey with regards to publishing has been slow. Yet all I can do is show that I do have the talent and just keep trying; this means I have to keep writing and editing, keep networking with other writers and editors, etc. And of course continue to review books, as half the time this is how I end up getting to know a new and interesting writer.
Rest assured that I will do, in my fashion, what Rottino has done in his — keep getting better, and keep putting myself in a position to win.
My beloved husband Michael would expect no less.
Second Blog-i-versary . . . Some Quick Hits
Folks, my second “blog-i-versary” passed on July 10, 2012, without comment, mostly because the weather in Wisconsin has been extremely hot. While I’ve continued to blog here and there, certainly this hot and humid weather we’ve had — which has destroyed crops, damaged lives, and caused all sorts of financial problems, as our 2012 summer is being compared to other, difficult summers like the summer of 1988 and worse, the “Dust Bowl” summer of 1936 — has gotten in the way.
That said, I’m very pleased that my blog is still here, two years after I started it (two years and a week, to be precise). I hadn’t anticipated this, but I suppose this blog still being in existence shows a good side to the Law of Unintended Consequences after all.
Here’s a few quick hits as to what’s going on right now in Wisconsin, aside from our dreadful weather:
Last night, the Milwaukee Brewers dropped a heartbreaker, 3-2, to their arch-rivals the St. Louis Cardinals. Particularly troubling in this loss is the fact that the Brewers led, 2-0, in the top of the ninth; closer John Axford got the first two outs (though both were long fly balls caught close to the fence, meaning both hitters nearly hit the ball out of the park rather than made these long, loud outs), then loaded the bases. Eventually, three runs scored, and Axford was removed from the game; Kameron Loe got the last out.
So, what happened to the Brewers in the bottom of the ninth? The hitters put too much pressure on themselves, that’s what. Corey Hart, who’d hit his 17th HR of the year earlier in the game, went to a 3-2 count before striking out. The next hitter, Rickie Weeks, took a few pitches, but also ended up striking out. And Martin Maldonado — well, he didn’t do anything, either. So the Cardinals closer, Jason Motte, got the three outs he needed, while the Brewers closer, Axford, was wild in and out of the strike zone and didn’t pitch effectively. Now, it looks like Axford may have been removed from his job as Francisco Rodriguez (K-Rod) has 19 holds and 1 save, and has looked far better than “Ax,” and no one can blame Brewers manager Ron Roenicke for wishing to try someone else at this point.
Oh, yes — the guy who started the game, rookie pitcher Mike Fiers, pitched extremely well (again), but didn’t get the win due to Axford’s meltdown. (I like Axford a great deal, and believe part of his troubles with command of his fastball and breaking ball come down to the usual problems relief pitchers have from time to time. But I have to call ’em as I see ’em.)
Otherwise, I’m continuing to work on AN ELFY ABROAD, and have some reviews planned this week at Shiny Book Review for Stephanie Osborn’s third book in her “Displaced Detective” series, and for Rosemary Edghill’s VENGEANCE OF MASKS . . . I may even review another book on economics, to keep my hand in the game. So stay tuned.
Finally, I played a concert with the Racine Concert Band last Sunday; for the record, I played second alto saxophone, and didn’t have any solos, though I did have a few good parts. I was glad I was able to play the concert despite the heat and humidity; the crowd at the concert (which was free, as it always is) was a bit diminished, possibly due to the heat, but we still had a couple of hundred people there and that’s encouraging. This was my fourth service for the band this year; I have a few more planned later this month and into August, though I hope to be playing clarinet at that time (I say “hope” because originally I’d been scheduled to play my clarinet on the last concert).
But whether I’m playing in the group or not, if you live in Southeastern Wisconsin and love free, live music, you owe it to yourselves to get out to the Racine Zoo and take in the Racine Concert Band. Concerts are at 7:30 p.m. on Sundays in July, and are at 7:00 p.m. on Sundays in August through August 19. There’s a wide variety of music, including marches, show tunes, light operas/operettas, and more — and best of all, it’s free.
Now back to our regularly scheduled sweltering, already in progress.
Barb Caffrey's Blog 