Rehearsal woes

As usual, I anxiously anticipated resuming rehearsals after our long winter break, but our first two orchestra rehearsals were disappointing.

• The “powers that be” can’t seem to agree on a repertoire.
• We haven’t gotten our music folders yet.
• Maestro wants to sight read for the next few weeks to decide what we should play for our spring concert.
• We have no money in our budget, so we all have to ante up.
• And next week’s rehearsal is cancelled because the high school is having their musical.

Actually, I’m not really all that upset; I just hope everything will work out.

So ... last week we sight read Stravinsky’s Petrushka. There weren’t enough cello parts, so the following took place:
Maestro: [to me] Just play the string bass part an octave lower than written.
Me: [muttering to self] It doesn’t matter, I won’t be able to sight read it anyway.
Maestro: Yes you will.
Me: Oooops, did I say that out loud?

Another highlight:
Maestro: [In the midst of sight reading “Oklahoma”] Stop … STOPPP…. I got lost.

Someone pronounced “Oklahoma's,” antiquity and denounced “Judd is Dead.” The exact words escape me, but it was indeed laughable. There’s still much disagreement in the air regarding the fate of poor Judd and Oklahoma.

Other contenders: An Andrew Lloyd Webber Medley, A Muppet Medley, Selections from Aladdin, Chariots of Fire, The Midnight Fire Alarm March, and two generically-titled classical medleys.

Everything is on hold for another 2 weeks. But on a happier note, having no orchestra music to practice will now allow me to concentrate all my efforts on the Bach Minuet No. 1 from the Suite in G Major which I just started at my lesson this week.

… and so to Bach.