A Bass-ic Understanding

Have you ever had one of those days when you wonder where the time went?  Well, that happened to me today.  I was in my practice room looking over the music I have to prepare for a number of upcoming concerts, which is fairly substantial, and felt a sudden panic.  Staring back at me from my stand are symphonies of Beethoven, Prokofiev, and Shostakovich, and concertos of Rachmaninoff, Stravinsky, and Tchaikovsky.  All of which are to be performed with the ISO in next few weeks.  When you add in my regular practice regime and a looming recital on the horizon, that is a lot of notes to learn in a short amount of time.  

But you know what.  That's just the way I like it.  Before joining the ISO's bass section a year and a half ago, I worked primarily as a freelance musician where you mix and match your schedule to perform with various orchestras on an as needed basis.  This also allows for one to take a week off to catch up if you want.  For this reason one of the biggest adjustments for me, but one I was happy to make, has been performing a different program every week we are on stage.  That means a lot more work at home to be ready to go for the next week's show, but I really enjoy the challenge of staying sharp and learning a large amount of repertoire regularly.

I remember when I was in school marveling at the number of projects many of the teachers would take on at the same time.  Many had orchestra jobs, chamber music groups, or other pet projects that required as much or more time as their teaching position.  I once asked such a teacher how he managed to get everything done and do it at a high level.  His answer was simple and poignant, as most truths tend to be.  He said, "I love what I do, but I won't be able to do it forever.  I want to bust my hump to be as good as I can be for as long as I can be, so I don't wonder 'what if' later."  I like that answer a lot.  

Classical musicians train for years, many beginning as children, to be able to perform the masterworks of Bach, Beethoven and the rest.  I for one feel very fortunate to be able to present them from week to week with the ISO, even if it does require a little more prep time.  Now if you will excuse me, I have to go practice.