The day breaks and the prognostic is not good. My muscles are stiffer than a porn star on extra-strength Viagra. And I have to play Mozart today. Oy.
Mozart #25 used to be called the “Emporer” concerto before Mr. Beethoven’s E flat concerto stole that title. It’s a wonderful, noble piece which is the very apex of Mozart’s concerto writing. I’ve played/conducted the piece just a couple of times so I know what to expect. So, Bill, slam a couple of Advil and do a slow, easy warm-up.
But surprise, surprise – I’ve forgotten about a couple of things. First of all, the CSO isn’t in the habit of doing this kind of play/conduct routine. There were some “deer in the headlights” looks during the rehearsal. I’m trying to encourage folk to think like they’re playing chamber music and spend most of the time listening very hard. Progress is made. But the other thing I forgot is that because I have the piano in the “butt-in” position there is a balance problem. I have to pound out some of the sixteenth note passages a lot more than I expected. Pay attention to the acoustics, Bill – they’re important.
After rehearsal it’s a lunch of a few of the musicians. I get the feeling that they’re main concern is the economic stability of the organization. The CSO doesn’t pay much and there have been some ups and downs fiscally. But in order for the musicians to get paid better the orchestra is going to have to raise money to pump up the endowment. As it stands I think the CSO endowment is around $2.3 Million, while the orchestra has a budget of around $8M. Following the standard endowment calculation in order for the endowment to have a significant long-term impact on the orchestra it should stand around $24M. One would think this is possible – both Bank of America and Wachovia headquarter here in Charlotte. Of course, to paraphrase something I once heard about Rockefeller – “he didn’t get rich giving other people money.” Bankers are notoriously stingy, which is how they make money. But gee, there’s money here. The orchestra just has to find a way of tamping into it. Of course this is much easier said than done.
Afternoon off, thank god.
Night rehearsal. I dislike night rehearsals immensely. The band is tired, I’m tired, the world is tired. Here’s the decision going in – do some work on Griffes. Work on the 2nd movement of Tchaik, play through the third, and then touch the 1st since it’s been two days since we’ve looked at it. I’m pleased with how things have progressed. The orchestra has remembered most of what we have worked on. That is always a good sign. I can’t even count how many times I’ve been with a band where you go back to things you’ve work on two days ago and it’s right back where you started out. But now we’re making music and it makes a person happy. Early out of rehearsal so that we are all fresh in the morning. Tomorrow is an open rehearsal and then the concert. We shall see then how Charlotte likes our program.
Good night and good luck.
Thank you so much for the Friday Open Rehersal. I kept my children out of school for a special “family field trip” to hear some Mozart and see you conduct the CSO. It was great to see you in person. Both of my kids, but particulalry my 7 year old budding pianist, were quiet impressesed that you played the Concerto from memory! We all really enjoyed the White Peacock – surprisingly, it was our favorite piece of the performance.
Thank you so much for coming to Charlotte. Your energy and absolute love of performing and conducting is so evident. If Charlotte would like to draw more attention to the Symphony, especially from ecclectic, non-traditional, middle class folks like my family, having a conductor who is so joyful conducting would be a gift and a reason to attend performances more frequently. Thank you for sharing your talent with us today!