Lady of the Camellias

The Sarajevo Philharmonic has spent this week rehearsing for an upcoming ballet performance.  We are playing for a ballet titled “Lady of the Camellias”, which depicts the story of “La Traviata” using a compilation of music by Verdi.  At the beginning of March, when I saw that the orchestra had 11 rehearsals scheduled before the performances, I was surprised. (We usually have 4-5 rehearsals before playing a concert of new repertoire.)  I couldn’t believe that there would be so much to rehearse.

            It turns out that my part is incredibly demanding.  I have to have good control over the entire range of my instrument, play extremely soft in certain passages, and execute tricky technical passages with fast articulations and awkward fingering patterns.  On top of all of these challenges, I have to play certain parts of the ballet without any breaks, so I my embouchure is constantly on the verge of fatigue.  So needless to say, I really appreciate having all of these rehearsals so that I have time to figure out what kind of reed to make and how to pace myself for the concerts.

            Fortunately, we have a very good conductor from the Bolshoi Ballet to lead us through the rehearsals and the premiere.  He has a great ear, and has fixed many of the intonation and balance problems that constantly plague our orchestra.  I’ve been forced to think more than usual about my timing, phrasing, and articulation, which has been a good challenge for me.  But having such intense rehearsals has been exhausting, and I am really looking forward to having a free weekend to recover.

            Besides rehearsing, I have been trying to be outside as much as possible.  We are having great spring weather here in Sarajevo!  It’s sunny almost every day and the snow has finally melted.  One of my favorite things about Sarajevo is that most of the restaurants set up tables and chairs outside when the weather is nice, so I’ve been doing a lot of al fresco dining with my roommate and our friend Adi.  I’ve also made several excursions to the park in Ilidza, including my first jog of 2012.  I really love warm weather, and can’t wait to enjoy it during my final three months here!