It’s the time of year

now that spring is in the air…

No, wait. Not that. I apologise for the earworm (if you got earwormed).

Four weeks, Four groups, Four gigs

That’s what I means to say.

The last few weeks have been, unsurprisingly, busy for music – it is, after all, that time of year.

Gig 1 – West Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra (WYSO)

The first of this run was a good mix of Holst, Gounod, Mozart, & Haydn. No real surprises, but it was nice to not have to play (or, rather, count) my way through the Gounod. The full programme:

• Gounod – Petite Symphonie. Y’know, the wind thing. I’ve played second oboe in it a few times; it was nice to be able to sit back and leave it to real wind players for a change.
• Mozart – Piano concerto #23.
• Holst – St Pauls Suite
• Haydn – 104.

And that last piece was the fun, in terms of having to fix a timpanist at veeeerrrry short notice. Huge thanks to Clive for coming out of retirement.

Gig 2 – LUUMS String Orchestra

Half a gig, really, as they shared the event. First outing for this group – previously, LUUMS had a symphony orchestra and a chamber orchestra; now they have the Symphony orchestra and the string orchestra. The full programme:

• Anderson – Plink Plank Plunk – a new one on me
• Finzi – Prelude for String Orchestra – ditto, I think
• Ben Frampton (one of the double bassists, a student at the University) – a new composition whose name I’ve forgotten, so – ditto. Definitely.
• Tchaikovsky – Serenade for Strings – ah, no, this one I’ve definitely played before.

Good fun, and hopefully the orchestra will go on

Gig 3 – LUUMS Symphony Orchestra

This was the big one, and included:

• Bizet – Carmen Suite #1 – got flashbacks to my youth with this one, having played for LYOG’s production of Carmen back in the day
• Copland – Rodeo Suite – all four movements. Some tricky bits, and one movement where the basses play for two lines, and that’s it.
• Vaughan Williams – London Symphony.

Now that was a gig. Hard work. But it was good to be at the back of a section of four bassists, for a change.

Gig 4 – CLYO

Joining CLYO as an adult player to help beef up the bass section, for a short programme of what they’ve been working on recently. Included:

• Smyth – Wreckers overture (well, chunks of it – a mahoosive cut in the middle, for reasons.)
• Grieg – Norwegian dances (the first three)
• Kreisler – Praeludium and Allegro in the style of Pugnani – for strings & violin solo (the leader is stepping down this term)
• Borodin – second symphony, fourth movement.
• Selection from “Polar Express”
• Anderson – Sleigh Ride

I dunno, you play no Anderson for *years*, and then two come along at once…

/

I think that’s it for the year, for playing. There’s not much chance of fitting in any more, given that I’ve got a couple of singing things lined up. I’ll have to remember how that works.