Kitara Concert Hall

Tonight, we played our second concert with Ricardo Muti at the Kitara Concert Hall here in Sapporo. Tomorrow, we're leaving for Tokyo to play the same program. We played Verdi's La Forza Del Destino Overture, Mozart's Concerto for Oboe with the principal of Vienna, and the Schubert Great Symphony. The concerts were amazing. Muti has such a command over the orchestra and a spontaneity that keeps the excitement high. During the second movement of the Schubert Symphony, I got to thinking... I spend a lot of time worrying about the future and trying to make a career for myself. It's so easy to forget what you're doing in the present while worrying about the what might happen to you. But I've always tried to remind myself, and everyone around me, that the present is all we will ever have. We could easily spend our entire lives worrying about the future. For the time being, no matter what happens to me, I'm satisfied knowing I was part of some of the greatest music and that I got to work with one of the greatest musicians of our time. I hope to keep this in mind and enjoy every moment I have, because I've dismissed a lot of great experiences because of self doubt and fear. (I don't know who exactly is reading this, but don't tell anyone.) But these concerts were really first rate. Everyone played with passion and skill, and I think the bass section could have been measured on the Richter scale. (There were eleven of us, the 10 students plus the principal of Vienna.) I wish I had more words to describe the experience so I could share it with all of you, but great art is far beyond that.

I had a rehearsal early this morning for the PMF Vienna Woodwind concert. (I'm one of two string players that had to be up early this morning, but I'm over it.) We're playing the Dvorak Serenade No. 1 on Friday night. I stayed up way late last night, and got about 2 hours of sleep, but how could anyone be tired when you get to play with musicians like this? After the rehearsal, I had some down time before the next bus, and walked around the park by Kitara Concert Hall. There's a Shinto temple (see pictures above), and many monuments, some for World War II, and others I couldn't tell what they were for. I might spend a lot of my free time there. Ever since I started reading and studying Zen, I've wanted to visit places like this. I had only heard about them, and seen pictures. I need to sleep, we have to leave early to leave for Tokyo tomorrow.

Quote of the Day: "I can't wait to watch Sumo and take a nap." (And I did)