Our next show

[Joe Guy]

Speaking of accordions....

[BoSoxGal]

It could have been worse -- it could have been an accordion.

A couple of months ago my cousin posted this same joke on Facebook, only it was they left more Red Sox tickets next to the pair he had in the car. I replied it could have been worse, they could have left Patriots tickets.

[Sue U]

A couple of months ago my cousin posted this same joke on Facebook, only it was they left more Red Sox tickets next to the pair he had in the car. I replied it could have been worse, they could have left Patriots tickets.

It's an all-purpose set-up.

[Sue U]

Speaking of accordions....

I've played the Ruslan y Lyudmila overture several times, but I've never heard it like *that.*

[Big RR]

And I'll be glad not to hear it that way again.

[Bicycle Bill]

You know what having perfect pitch is, don't you?

That's the ability to throw an accordion into a dumpster so it lands on top of the banjo without hitting any of the sides.

-"BB"-

[Sue U]

Our Holiday Pops concert is always a bit goofy and often includes Hanukkah Habanera, a mash-up of the Carmen aria with The Dreidel Song and Hanukkah O Hanukkah. It's a love-it-hate-it kinda thing but it always makes me laugh; if you've never heard it, here's a version:



Because apparently that's not silly enough, this year we're doing A Winter Miracle, which is the same concept but using Vivaldi's Winter as the base. Here's the Cincinnati Pops doing it in their Christmas show last year:



Still not sure which one I love/hate more.

[Big RR]

You're right Sue, that is a quandary, although I will say I don't like, let alone love, either. But I guess there will be some in the audience who love both. FWIW, I usually avoid pops concerts when I can as they usually contain a lot of music I don't care for. I will song them, if I have to, but try not to because of silly music like that. Often it takes just as much, if not more, effort to learn these pieces, ad that it time I'd rather not spend.

[Sue U]

With our 2024 Holiday Pops show now in the books, my stand partner sent me a link last week to the recording of "Minor Alterations" below, which we agree should be on next year's program:



Rehearsals start again next week, so it's a five-week sprint to the next concert. I started working on Dvorak 8 over the Christmas weekend because the parts are available on IMSLP, but the Price piano concerto and Coleridge-Taylor's Bamboula are not, so

[Big RR]

Nice.

We start the 13th rehearsing an all Copland concert.

[Sue U]

We start the 13th rehearsing an all Copland concert.

What's on the program?

[Big RR]

I haven't seen it yet, so i'm not sure. I'll let you know.

[Sue U]

We got a little Philly tee-vee in advance of our concert today. The theme was John Williams movie scores (you know, May the 4th and all):

https://phl17.com/video/philharmonic-of ... /10675006/

The entire cello section showed up wearing Yoda ears

Today we sold out our 1300-seat venue. We're doing the same show again in two weeks in the next county over at a hall almost twice the size, which we're considering expanding/moving to. We'll see what kind of audiences we can attract and whether our musicians are okay with the distance.

[Big RR]

1300; nice audience. If we get more than 200 we're ecstatic. I went to a free concert of Haydn's The Creation at Sacred Heart Cathedral (really, I guess, Basilica) in Newark Friday with the NJ Symphony and the Cathedral (augmented by additional singers and excellent soloists) and I doubt we got more than 300-400.

[Sue U]

1300; nice audience. If we get more than 200 we're ecstatic. I went to a free concert of Haydn's The Creation at Sacred Heart Cathedral (really, I guess, Basilica) in Newark Friday with the NJ Symphony and the Cathedral (augmented by additional singers and excellent soloists) and I doubt we got more than 300-400.

Wow, I can't believe that Haydn concert wasn't more of a draw. That church is spectacular, I've been by it many times but never had an occasion to go inside (my son lived a few blocks away on Mt. Prospect Ave. until last year). And it's right on the park so there are always a lot of people around; they probably could have rounded up another 400 people just by going across the street with some "free concert" signs.

We always sell out three of the four Philharmonic concerts we schedule each season; the mid-winter show in February is more sparsely attended, but we still get the hall about 3/4 full. I'm not crazy about moving to Gloucester County, but if we can fill a 2400-seat hall I'd certainly do it. (The Pops has also been close to selling out its 900-seat venue in Burlington County every show the last couple of seasons, and we're looking for a larger space for that group as well.)

From yesterday's concert:

Violin (l), bassoon(r)

[BoSoxGal]

What's with the cow at the end of the news piece?

[Sue U]

What's with the cow at the end of the news piece?

It's a prop left over from a high school show; it's been sitting around backstage for years. For all the "serious" music we do, we're mostly a pretty silly bunch.

And speaking of serious music, found out yesterday that we're opening next season with Shostakovich 5, which I'm so excited to play. I last played it in high school 50 years ago in NJ All-State Orchestra.

[BoSoxGal]

What's with the cow at the end of the news piece?

It's a prop left over from a high school show; it's been sitting around backstage for years. For all the "serious" music we do, we're mostly a pretty silly bunch.

And speaking of serious music, found out yesterday that we're opening next season with Shostakovichh 5, which I'm so excited to play. I last played it in high school 50 yeas ago in NJ All-State Orchestra.

One of my most favorite pieces of classical music! So very emotional and powerful.

Maybe I will have to take a road trip in my new wheels.

[Big RR]

Sue--your next concert sounds good too. I'm sure it will be a draw.

The Haydn was performed in English (the Shaw translation), which I thought would be a draw, but apparently not (FWIW, I like the German better; haven't really heard the original English translation, but the Shaw translation is generally regarded as more accurate, and the English is fairly modern . so I expected a better turnout). I guess it's probably marketing--I heard about it from some friends who attend a RC church in the Newark Dioceses, but hadn't otherwise heard of it.

[Sue U]

One of my most favorite pieces of classical music! So very emotional and powerful.

Sue--your next concert sounds good too. I'm sure it will be a draw.

Shostakovich 5 is always a popular choice. I think of its movements this way:

1. Terror and menace
2. Joyful dance/winking at Mahler
3. Ethereal beauty, rising to intensity
4. Triumphant conclusion

The woodwind parts in the third movement -- especially the flute duets -- are just gorgeous. And if the audience isn't already cheering at the end of the piece, we'll have done something terribly wrong. I mean, the music itself pretty much demands a standing ovation.