Klarinet Archive - Posting 001424.txt from 1998/03

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: Anna and the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 1998 22:29:34 -0500

> From: MX%"klarinet@-----.52
> Subj: Re: Anna and the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra

> I had the honor of getting shipwrecked south of the southernmost city in the
> world, so here is my input:
>
> This may be the southernmost English-speaking city, but the
> following two cities compete with them for the honor of being
> southernmost habitable city in the world:
>
> Punta Arenas, Chile (53.09 S)
> Ushuaia, Argentina (54.47 S)
> Christchurch, NZ (43.42 S)
>
> I don't think the cities of Punta Arenas or Ushuaia have a stable
> symphony, but I don't really know. I just visited there at the end of
> 1997 and shipwrecked off the coast of Ushuaia on January 5 of 1998.
>
> Helen Eby

Helen can say that she is the finest shipwrecked clarinetist and
it is an assertion that will be challenged by few people.

But Helen, why do you say that you "had the honor of being shipwrecked"?
I can understand one saying that "I had the honor of meeting the queen,"
or "I had the honor of receving the grand prize for the finest basset
horn player in Christchurch, NZ" but shipwrecked??

But now the question arises, what is the northernmost symphony
orchestra in the world? Would that be in Norway, Finland, Russia??
Then, if we can decide on a starting point, we can pursue the
issues of the eastern and westernmost orchestras.

> MV Logos Shipwreck survivor in 1988 (along with 135 other people - nobody got
> hurt)
> Have been playing clarinet for four years
>
> Dodgshun family wrote:
>
> > At 06:18 AM 30/03/98 EST, you wrote:
> > >Am I incorrect of thinking of Christchurch as the southernmost
> > >large habitable city in the world? Or do I have that mixed up
> > >with some other town?
> >
> > There are cities south of us in NZ, but they are smaller. One, Dunedin,
> > does have an orchestra - the Dunedin Philharmonic - but they don't play at
> > the level of the CSO - I don't think they're a full-time pro orchestra. As
> > for the rest of the world, I'm not sure whether there are any cities further
> > south than us, and as I can't find my atlas, I can't check. Just as a point
> > of interest, our population is about 350,000.
> >
> > >And the reason why I found this possibility fascinating, would be
> > >that every time Anna plays a concert there (or even if Anna happens
> > >not to be present for a particular concert), the works being played
> > >are receiving their southernmost live performance on the globe.
> >
> > This is likely!!
> >
> > >I have no idea what I could do with this information, but it sure
> > >would be neat to say, "Oh I did the Ginastera variations and no
> > >one in the world south of me played them as well!"
> >
> > As the CSO are playing very well at the moment (they've imported a few
> > players, including a Auckland clarinettist who is wonderful - I now learn
> > from her, and I didn't realise how little I knew until I went to her!) this
> > is fairly possible. They did "The Pines of Rome" the other night, as well
> > as Vaughan Williams' 5th Symphony and some other stuff, all of which was
> > excellent.
> >
> > >I once played the Mozart Requiem in El Centro, CA. Now I don't
> > >know if many of you know of this city in California but it is
> > >really remote, lying halfway between Los Angeles and Yuma, Arizona.
> > >So I was sitting in the motel room practicing basset horn when
> > >it dawned on me that I was probably the finest basset horn player
> > >in El Centro. It pumped up my ego so much that I began to look
> > >for places where I could assert that there was no one better than
> > >me in this or that respect. But the idea of living in
> > >Christchurch and being the finest southernmost basset horn player
> > >in the world would really be a distinctive thing.
> >
> > Um, if any basset horn player moved here they would most definitely be the
> > best - we don't have any basset horns in Chch. There are two in Wellington
> > (NZ capital - further north) with the NZSO which are flown down here
> > periodically, and one in Auckland, but none here. I've never had the chance
> > to play one, and we usually just do without.
> >
> > I'll have to find out about whether Chch has the southernmost pro orchestra
> > - just as soon as I find my atlas.
> >
> > Anna
>
>
>
=======================================
Dan Leeson, Los Altos, California
Rosanne Leeson, Los Altos, California
leeson@-----.edu
=======================================

   
     Copyright © Woodwind.Org, Inc. All Rights Reserved    Privacy Policy    Contact charette@woodwind.org