Tuesday, October 18, 2011

The Berlin Bläserquintett comes to town!!!

Today was one of those days that starts off horrifically, and then escalates to beyond your wildest dreams.
I couldn't go to bed until late due to the nap that I NEEDED to take yesterday. And then I guess was stressed about all the happenings of today and didn't sleep well on top of that.
So it started when I got up at 6:30am.. which is early for me, and biked to a hospital of which I was unfamiliar with the location. I found it after a few wrong turns. AT&T your 3G network could be faster...
At the clinic I had the privilege of undergoing the obligatory tests that women have when they turn 21.. if they haven't already. I can't tell you how much fun that is. Joy incarnate.
Then I showered and crashed for 30 minutes until my favorite class, piano. (ps. my least favorite class actually.....) But this is how the story gets better and better.

I found that my current grade in piano is passing, which really was joy incarnate. I don't know how I have such a good grade, it's magic.
Then straight to my "Islam and Sexuality" course. It's lame, most of the kids just sit there and nod as the prof. talks, no one actually does the reading... and the prof. is catching on. lol
I enjoy that class if only because it encourages discussion, though my eagerness for discussion I think is often off-putting to the prof. as I don't always agree and have strong points to make.
Then I ran to bassoon master class which was being lead by Marion Reinhard the new bassoonist for the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet, or as I remember from my German class "Bläserquintett." Jawoll!!
I got to play for her before the end of class, and though I felt like I didn't do that well I must have fooled everyone else. She never stopped me during the first movement and then asked for the second!! I was actually shocked, dead serious. But it was fun, she kicked my rear by playing stuff I could barely do 10X better when she sight read. It's crazy. CRAZY AMAZING!!! Anywho, it's all due to Leah's banana bread that kept my blood sugar at a normal level. Thank you Leah!! 
Then I ran to music history lab where we listened the mice on steroids and called it music. Thank you Milton Babbitt, you can go where the other goblins of the underworld unite. Maybe there your music (which is more than 12 years old) will find some appreciation and autonomy. Hey, no one's gonna touch it down there, and you can get it out of our universities thank you very much.
I was proud to turn in my jazz composition for that lab with piano accompaniment. Here's the lyrics;

"It's a Monday, Monday Monday moo
My man Mikey, asked me what to do
And I told him, it's just a Monday moo."

No one else may be able to appreciate it, but I laughed. The back story is, I had a lame jazz composition due the next day (Tuesday) and had been asked by my friend Michael to come watch a movie.. which of course I had to decline in order to write this composition.
So that is the backstory to my 12 bar blues lyrics. True blues. :p

Then I had a lesson immediately following lab where Ms. Jensen gave me the thumbs up on my performance in studio and then I had to attempt some "basic skills" that we get tested with for midterms and finals. I had been so caught up with recording for Meg Quigley that I hadn't been working on them. Ps. finally got my application and recordings submitted for that. WOOHOO!!! Oh to be DONE!!!

That evening I went to the performance that the Berlin Phil Quintet did. It was amazing.
I've never seen such liquid awesomeness on stage in front of my very eyes. Frau Reinhard has the craziest big German reeds I've ever seen!! She's got this sound that fills the room, you can almost touch it because of it's amazing presence!! Then something really cool, she let me get a picture with her, which was Laura's idea, and a good idea too! If and when I get that photo it will be directly below. SHABAZAM!!

from left to right: Me, Frau Reinhard, and Laura Miller
This day started with ick and ended with SICK!!!

I love UT Austin. End of story.