Whilst looking round the house the other day in search of my copy of ‘The Oxford Dictionary of Modern Quotations’, I was startled to come across a quartet of tiny bassoonists, all of whom looked exactly like me. They were playing a piece of music – Dvořák’s ‘Humoresque’, I think it was. I immediately found my camera and took a video of them, as proof that I am not telling lies:
I very much hope you enjoy this video, because there are three similar ones coming up in the near future!
So a couple of years ago I played in a concert with Durham University Palatinate Orchestra and I took a video of the concert and at the same time someone else took a high-quality audio recording of the concert, and originally I intended to combine the two in order to create a video that also had high-quality audio with it but I never got round to it, until recently that is when I’ve put together the two recordings and put them on YouTube, so now if you like you can watch the entire concert but with really good sound like you might get on a C.D. or something, and if you want to do that then here are the videos which I hope you very much enjoy:
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4
And yes I did type that all in one breath.
This is the third time I’ve been involved with a production of this operetta, and I must say it is by far the most surreal! If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like if Pirates had been written by Monty Python, I believe this will give you a fairly accurate impression. Of course the music is all there, catchy as ever, as is the wonderfully witty libretto from Mr. Gilbert. Just don’t be surprised if things take a slightly bizarre turn!
Nerdy Photos
Right, here’s a quiz for you. Here are three photographs, one from each of the three shows I’ve done recently: Barnum, Legally Blonde, and The Pirates of Penzance. Using your knowledge of musical theatre orchestration, see if you can determine which is which.
Nerdy Video
As one final bit of excitement for today (I wouldn’t want to overload you now, would I?), here’s a video of me playing some bits of bass clarinet for one of the aforementioned shows. This will be of interest if you like the bass clari, or if you’re thinking of giving me a bass clari gig but need some evidence that I can actually play the thing. Also, if you’re struggling on the quiz then you may find that the title of this video gives you a little hint.
Like any conscientious reed player I’ve been giving this a listen in advance, and it sounds like it should be great fun. I’ll be playing clari, bass clari, bari, and tenor saxophoni, and if the rumours are to be believed then we musicians will be in view on stage. So if nothing else you’ll get some good quality eye candy.
Now isn’t that nice? A big musical mosaic on the southbound Northern line platform at Tottenham Court Road. What’s more, I managed to photograph it without falling onto the tracks. What a good day.
But let’s take a moment to consider this work of art, and what instruments it is attempting to depict. At first glance I suppose most people would assume it is a pair of saxophones, perhaps alto and tenor. However, the clearly cylindrical (rather than conical) bores show this not to be the case. A more likely candidate would be a pair of bass clarinets. That certainly fits the general shape, especially the distinctive curve of the neck, but we are then faced with the problem of why there are two different sizes. Perhaps the larger one is a bass and the smaller an alto? This cannot be true either, for if one of them was an alto it would have a much straighter neck. Maybe the smaller one is a bass and the larger a contra-alto? Again, this theory falls flat because the contra-alto has a much more dramatically curved neck than either of these examples. You could almost suggest that both are basses, and the smaller one is simply further away, if it weren’t for the fact that the smaller one is clearly in the foreground. A pair of basses, one in Bb and the other in A? Surely not – their sizes are far too dissimilar. At any rate, these are the issues that keep strange folk such as myself awake at night.
If you’ve read this far then I assume you have enough of a nerdy interest in woodwind instruments to appreciate a picture of my setup for this week’s run of Kiss Me, Kate at the Rhoda McGaw theatre in Woking:
Note that I play the piano with my left foot during the scene changes. By the way, my offer of a free chocolate biscuit to anyone who comes to say ‘hello’ still stands.
Now, I do like a challenge, but being positioned behind the musical director is a new one to me!
Secondly, I managed to get a little clip of me playing The Worst Pies in London during the dress rehearsal, which you may find enjoyable. This video makes up for all the occasions when I’m drowned out by other instruments:
I’ll conclude by saying that this really is an excellent production, and anyone with access to North North North North North North North London should most certainly come and see it. Here are the details.
