Music

I do wonder, sometimes, whether I shouldn't just stop this business of playing in the orchestra. I am not very good at it. It takes a lot of time - and a significant amount of money. There is not only the travel cost - with petrol now costing NZ$2.07/litre (for you lucky Americans that's about US$6.00/US gallon :-)), that's a non-trivial expense. And there are other expenses. Well, why do I do it? I don't know but every year I think of quitting - and I don't. So now this year's concerts are half over. We started our rehearsal yesterday for the 9-10 August concerts. We are playing two pieces by De Falla (interlude and dance from "La Vida Breve" and "Nights in the Gardens of Spain"), a short suite by Debussy (just called "Petite Suite") and (the nasty one - from the horn player's point of view) Ravel's piano concerto in G. The soloist is Christopher Hinterhuber. Though we are not the NZSO, I wish you could all come - I love seeing my friends at our concerts.