First Recording, NOW!

Holy Cow, more than 2 thousand visits to this blog deserves a celebration!

People from countries on every continent (as per Blogger Statistics) – it’s really amazing to get all your visits! So I gave myself a kick in the back-side to do the recording I hade announced several times since the holidays…. I hope this is a present and not a punishment!

I feel like apologizing for this performance, but I think I’ll ask you instead to post your comments, both good and critical. I hope I already have a justification for the criticisms and, well I can always hope for some good ones…. but I really want everyone to be honest and straight-forward.
So here it is:…. yes the A-natural 2 minutes in is intentional!

My rebirth on the oboe! Not my best, but my best for this weekend!

The piece is entitled Gammal Fabodpsalm från Dalarne (Simple folk-tune from Dalarna, Sweeden) written by Oskar Lindberg – I did the MIDI orchestration myself (more on that later… really not as easy as I had expected). I was given the honour of performing its North-American premiere (or so I was told) as the solo oboe (it could have been clarinet or trumpet, but I was chosen) with the McGill Wind Symphony in 1992 (or 1993?) --- back then, I was a decent player!. The experience was simply amazing: things had been going so bad for me all week (my keys holes filled with water all day) that I actually phoned my parents to stay home. They came anyway and God saw it fit that I should perform to my best that night. When the conductor made me stand for the applause… I was in another world and I consider it easily the greatest moment in my performing life.

I chose this one for my rebirth because the tune just started playing in my head, one day I was very discouraged at the notion of playing ever again because of chronic pain. Looking up pictures of Dalarna (Sweeden), it becomes obvious why the music speaks to my soul so much! Anyone who loves the living world will understand what the music is saying.

My last public appearance was in 1998, except for a brief and intimate tune for family at the anniversary mass for my late brother’s funeral in 1999. I have been trying to practice as diligently as I can and make as many reeds as I can for the past 8 odd months, but this blog gave a glimpse at how this is not so easy. I have to admit, This release means a whole lot to me to play again and I really, really appreciate the correspondence I have enjoyed through the Oboe BBoard, Facebook, Twitter and others. To feel like a musician again is simply indescribable.