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Re: when to retire

Author: Dutchy
Date: 2007-09-19 15:02

Well, I think that in any professional field, you're going to have the Young Turks who are impatient for the Old Fogies to step down and get out of the way, but I haven't noticed that the Old Fogies seem to think this means they ought to hasten their exit, and tactfully remove themselves so the young'uns can have their chance. If anything, it seems to make them more determined to hang on until they're carried out feet-first. [grin]

And this is not necessarily a Bad Thing, because the Young Turks all too soon will be Old Fogies themselves, and then it'll be their turn to hang on by their toenails, no matter how many snippy remarks the second oboe may make about their technique.

I think the time for an orchestral oboist to retire is when he can't do the work any more--if the technique really is noticeably slipping, so that even the other sections start to notice--or when he's completely bored to death with it, "If I have to play Beethoven's Fifth one more time, I'm gonna explode."

Then is the time to step down gracefully. But not until then. No matter how many Young Turks with performance majors from Curtis are chafing in the wings. [wink]