On Tuesday, May 16, 2006 at 11:59:31 PM UTC-7, Matthew B. Tepper wrote:
> jrs...@aol.com appears to have caused the following letters to be typed
> in news:1147847708.9...@y43g2000cwc.googlegroups.com:
> > Matthew B. Tepper wrote:
> >> jrs...@aol.com appears to have caused the following letters to be
> >> typed in news:1147845437.0...@j73g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:
> >>
> >> > Matthew B. Tepper wrote:
> >> >> jrs...@aol.com appears to have caused the following letters to be
> >> >> typed in news:1147833862.0...@i39g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:
> >> >>
> >> >> > Michael Schaffer wrote:
> >> >> >> jrs...@aol.com wrote:
> >> >> >> > Michael Schaffer wrote:
> >> >> >> > > david...@aol.com wrote:
> >> >> >> > > > Jeff writes:
> >> >> >> > > >
> >> >> >> > > > "The opera pit is the hardest job in orchestral playing"
> >> >> >> > > >
> >> >> >> > > > Thank you.
> >> >> >> > > >
> >> >> >> > > > -david gable
> >> >> >> > >
> >> >> >> > > Sounds good. How do you guys know? Have you ever played in
> >> >> >> > > the pit of a real opera house? No, high school plays don't
> >> >> >> > > count.
> >> >> >> >
> >> >> >> > Darn it, Michael, you called my bluff. In the last decade I've
> >> >> >> > only played Puccini, Mozart, and Wagner (Siegfried!) from a
> >> >> >> > pit, not counting school days stuff. No Verdi. Maybe a dozen
> >> >> >> > different productions, and had to turn down a bunch of other
> >> >> >> > gigs due to time constraints. Got paid for them, actually,
> >> >> >> > which amuses me to no end.
> >> >> >> >
> >> >> >> > Love playing Wagner, don't you?
> >> >> >> >
> >> >> >> > --Jeff
> >> >> >>
> >> >> >> Not too much. It's fun, but often it's also too long and too loud
> >> >> >> in the pit. Actually, it was a few performances of Parsifal that
> >> >> >> sealed my lurking decision not to spend the rest of my life in an
> >> >> >> opera pit. And that's not even a particularly loud opera. But
> >> >> >> it's soooo loooooong. I used to get really bored in a lot of
> >> >> >> operas because they are so long and there are very long stretches
> >> >> >> which aren't challenging to play at all, so I decided, no,
> >> >> >> thanks, that is about as much fun as sitting in an office say in,
> >> >> >> day out, ding the same paperwork. There is nothing wrong with
> >> >> >> that, but it is a question of character. I used to like playing
> >> >> >> symphony much more, but by that time, I had also gotten too
> >> >> >> critical of most of the conductors and what they did, or rather
> >> >> >> did not do. But enough of me. I played in the German National
> >> >> >> Theater in Weimar and in the opera in Leipzig. Where did you
> >> >> >> play?
> >> >> >
> >> >> > I can't believe you played in an opera and have so little interest
> >> >> > in discussing opera. Whenever it comes up (as here, for example)
> >> >> > you duck the question.
> >> >>
> >> >> Why am I reminded of Berlioz' _Evenings in the Orchestra_?
> >> >
> >> > Because I used the word "duck"?
> >> >
> >> > --Jeff (who likes the Ruddies best of all)
> >>
> >> Ah, but how many nonconfronting ripostes do you have to make before he
> >> sputters into ad hominem arguments?
> >
> > So which kind of duck do you like best? ;-0
> Mallards, of course. And the Carlos Kleiber recording I enjoy the most is
> his Beethoven 5th.
> --
> Matthew B. Tepper: WWW, science fiction, classical music, ducks!
> My personal home page -- http://home.earthlink.net/~oy/index.html
> My main music page --- http://home.earthlink.net/~oy/berlioz.html
> To write to me, do for my address what Androcles did for the lion
> I ask you to judge me by the enemies I have made. ~ FDR (attrib.)

(2023 Y. upload):

"Carlos Kleiber, Live in Chicago, 1978 ( Weber, Schubert, Beethoven )"