 The Oboe BBoard
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Author: Wes
Date: 2013-11-08 22:04
Congratulations on obtaining a good oboe/eh position in Bangkok. You will get used to the change in culture, soon. I've found your comments on reedmaking quite useful.
A couple of decades ago, I spent a month at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Bangkok and also some time at the elegant hotel near the water where the famous author stayed. The food was great and the people were also wonderful. A representative of the company I worked for played bass in the king's jazz band but I did not get to play with them. As he played the alto saxophone, I made lists of big band pieces with alto solos for him but I don't know if he ever played them.
It should be good for you as I'm sure you are quite familiar with the pieces and solos you mentioned. The rehearsals sound kind of long, however. Good luck!
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Author: WoodwindOz
Date: 2013-11-18 05:50
Hi Cooper,
I just wanted you to know that I have been following your blog and I find myself nodding along to everything you have written, as right now I am experiencing a lot of it on a much smaller scale.
I have been back home in Perth for 5 months now (wow!). I learnt to make reeds while I was in the US, so now I am returning to Oz as a self-sufficient oboist for the first time. When I got back here, it was just starting winter, and Illinois hadn't quite finished its own winter, so I got a lot of cold weather for months on end. Summer has hit us two months early here now, and it was a shock to the reed situation. I am finding out new things about my reeds since changing climate, and a lot of it is the same as you. Heat is a huge factor right now! It was 41C/106F the day of my last rehearsal last week! But then air conditioning kicks in, and changes the story! Like you, I am leaning towards a wider shape consistently and prefer old reeds whereas I used to play on relatively new reeds. Old reeds don't care about the climate changing! This of course means that I am going to have to practice more outside of rehearsals in order to break in reeds, which I am not so good at.
I am also developing 'chops of steel' as I have been asked to play principal in one of our local orchestras for this season, we are doing Mahler 4, Mozart Piano Concerto no.10 and Marriage of Figaro. Additionally, I am doing a community band (Christmas carol season) and a couple of quintet gigs. It has been a few weeks since I have experienced fatigue as I am playing so much, and I hope it can stay like that!
Best of luck to you, Cooper, but I am sure you will succeed in doing whatever it is you wish to do. I am happy you have had this chance in Thailand.
Rachel
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Author: Wes
Date: 2013-11-22 08:03
It would be great if you could comment on the effects of the Bangkok enviornment on your reeds. It would also be interesting to learn of the conditions of your work and other situations, such as the orchestra tuning.
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