NOI continued... with a glimmer of Chautauqua

My quartet at NOI (Julie, me, Jenna, Charon):

My Chinese speaking buddies at NOI:

Bonnie, Elizabeth, and me, giving our best impression of one of the faculty members at NOI.

Taxi drivers seem to make a great impression in my life. I could speculate for a while about why I think this is, but I think I would rather just tell you about the most recent one, who drove me from the Erie airport to Chautauqua, New York. When I got into his cab, he asked me if I was a smoker, because he saw me lurking outside the baggage claim area, facing the wall with my back turned to the world. I think he must be a smoker, as there was a very faint scent of cigarette smoke coming from him. I quickly let him know that I was actually just trying to tell my mom my internet banking password without anyone hearing. His face sort of fell, and I think he was a little disappointed that he had misguessed and we didn't have that common ground. However, as we started up the road for Chautauqua, he seemed to light up again and told me all about the Amish settlements, the vineyards of Pennsylvania, the NASCAR track, and all the wonderful treasures the country of New England has to offer.

NOI ended with a bang on Saturday night, with Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony, Janacek's Sinfonietta, and a newer piece written in 1997 by Thomas Ades called Asyla. I found it a very fascinating piece. Here is an excerpt from our program notes:

Asyla is the plural of "asylum," and Ades's work of this title can be read as a meditation on the diparate meanings of this term. Asylum can be a refuge, an escape from political oppression, or it can be a place which, though ostensibly for rehabilitation, is locked fom the outside. Tus, Ades juxtaposes manic, sometimes ecstatic, music with calmer music, some melancholy, some serene.

This work was detested by several of the students in the orchestra, but I really thought it was remarkable. The third movement is especially frightening. The setting is an ecstasy bar, from the point of view of someone experiencing a trip after shooting up. Ades's description of this is powerful and terrifying. Here is a video of part of this movement (not us--I wish I could post something with us, but I don't even have the recording of it yet).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuyoSznLJNg&feature=related

Most of NOI passed in a flash, but I got to play some really fantastic works, including Strauss's Don Juan, Beethoven's 8th symphony, Brahms's first symphony, Rachmoninov's Symphonic Dances, Sensemaya by Revueltas, and Ravel's La Valse. We had some pretty incredible viola facutly as well: the principle of the Cleveland Orchestra, Bob Vernon; the acting principle of the San Francisco symphony, Yun Jie Liu; the full time viola professor at the University of Maryland, Kathy Murdock; and the acting assistant principal of the Minnesota Orchestra, Matt Young.

Bob Vernon is quite a character. He is a good teacher who has placed many students in professional orchestras. Being principal of the Cleveland orchestra has certainly given him a lot of confidence. Some of my favorite quotes were:

"Is there anything that I haven't played?"

"I want you to think for yourself and ask questions, but you will see that I'm right, and there is only one way to play this passage."

"Now, if you asked a truck driver if your rhythm was good, he would probably say, 'Yeah, it's pretty good.'"

Playing for him was like standing in front of an arsenal and putting a bullseye in front of my face. He ripped me to shreds. I felt awfully humiliated when it was over, and burst into tears when I had a lesson with Kathy Murdock later that day. I had scheduled a lesson with her to see how well we work together since I am thinking of applying to the University of Maryland for graduate school. I felt riduculous afterwards since I felt like I left the impression that I burst into tears during my lessons. But at least I know how she handles that situation.

I hated Mr. Vernon with all of my heart for a few days, but my emotions settled down after that. However, I played a mock audition in which I played Mozart 35 (the excerpt Mr. Vernon helped me with). The conductor loved it, with all of Mr. Vernon's changes. So, he may have ruined my week, but he made me play the viola really well... it was pretty revelatory; being ripped to shreds actually shot me up a level in my performance ability. I have been pondering this ever since--wondering what it would do for me if I actually were under that kind of a teacher. Since I am looking at grad schools right now, and trying to decide what kind of teacher I want, it is certainly food for thought.