Arpad and Istvan have arrived!

Well, it's been a while. I missed rehearsal on 1/30 due to a travel mishap. We all missed rehearsal on 2/6 because of the blizzard. The break might have been worth it, because we saved another week of waiting. That's right, when we returned this week, we part of what we'd been waiting for: two movements of Jan Van der Roost's Sinfonia Hungarica - 2. Arpad and 3. Istvan.

Before you get your hopes up, you should know due to unforeseen circumstances (that are too complex for this editor to get into), we will not be performing the first movement 1. Attila. It's slightly disappointing, but we're all going to have to get over it. Afterall, Arpad and Istvan have a lot to offer on their own. I can say that already, and we've only read them each once.

If you've ever been in a band, you know how sight reading goes. It's kind of like ice skating. You're unsteady at first, and although you're propelling yourself forward, there's no real ease or grace about it. You are generally tentative. After a few strides, you get a little more confident. But then, something comes in your path - a rough patch of ice, some kid that can skate circles around you, and you fall. With the music, instead of the rough patch of ice or kid that can skate circles around you, you encounter difficult technical passages, tempo changes, key changes, etc. Each one (potentially) throwing you off a little.

I have to say, it wasn't that bad. Yeah, we stopped along the way to regroup, make sure we were all in the same place, etc. We got a sense for each one - and in talking with my neighboring musicians, we think we're really going to like these pieces. I can't fully speak for the rest of the band, but I'm not sure these pieces are that technically challenging, but they are more what we like to call "lip busters". Lots of blowing. But again, I think we'll really enjoy them when they come together. And, almost more importantly, the audience is going to enjoy this concert.