We are performing two reprises this week in the Sarajevo Philharmonic. On Tuesday, we played Carmen and today we are playing La Traviata. Performing these operas again has brought back a lot of memories for me. I remember our very extended, tedious rehearsal schedule for Carmen, and how long the opera seemed by the night of our first performance. It was a lot more fun to play it this week after only having one rehearsal. Our performance went pretty well, although we did have some problems with synchronizing a few of the tempos. The “highlight”, if you will, was when one of the cast members accidentally threw one of the props into the orchestra pit, hitting a violinist. Fortunately, no one was hurt, and I think her violin is okay.
My first performance with the orchestra when I arrived here in September was La Traviata. I was very overwhelmed with trying to understand the language and make a good first impression on my colleagues. I remember only understanding one or two words during the entire rehearsal. (I had at least learned to count, so I got some of the rehearsal numbers.) Despite being in a difficult situation, I was proud of how I played, and held my own. It helped that I had studied the score, and practiced my exposed part ahead of time.
In contrast, during my rehearsal yesterday, I could understand almost everything that the conductor said! I realized that I have learned a good bit of Bosnian, though I still have a long way to go. I feel very comfortable around my colleagues, though I still sometimes worry about what they think of me. (I can’t help it. I care very much about being respected and liked by others.) However, I did not play very well. I was trying to save my good reeds for my quintet concert on Monday (more on that below) and felt extremely tired and distracted by everything going on this week. Hopefully I will do better tonight.
One of the reasons that I’m tired is that I have been rehearsing so much. On top of my philharmonic rehearsals, I have been working with my woodwind quintet to prepare our premiere concert. The quintet rehearsals have been fun, but quite physically demanding for my wimpy little oboe muscles. My colleagues have been very helpful by speaking in English and/or translating so that I do not feel left out. It is great to feel included despite the fact that I’m so different from the others. (They are all Bosnian, male, and older than me.)
I am very excited by the amount of support and attention we have received. We are apparently the first professional woodwind quintet in the history of Bosnia! There are very snazzy posters of the group hung-up all over the music academy. Since I am the only female in the group, I am front and center in our picture. I feel like a celebrity! We are performing in the Bosnian Cultural Center and it looks like we’ll have quite a big crowd. Wish me luck J
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