More Ramblings from the Kauffman

   My charmed life continues with a friend sharing a free ticket to one of the season's last symphony performances. To my ears, the selected songs were a bit odd together, but what the heck do I know? I'm a symphony amateur. And each individual selection was great: Rimsky-Korsakov's "Overture to May Night", Prokofiev's "Concerto no. 1 for violin and orchestra in D major", Beethoven's "Overture to Egmont", a surprise dance to honor an outgoing board member, Bernstein's symphonic dances from "West Side Story", and Saint-Saens' "Bacchanale" from Samson et Dalila. (The first, third, and last being my favorites.) And, to top it off, I listened to KCUR's broadcast of the KC symphony hour all the way home: Beethoven's "Concerto no. 3 in C minor".
   My fascination with the symphony continues. If I could live for 10,000 years, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have invented an oboe or a contrabassoon. How cool is it that someone dreamed up these crazy things? The instruments and their dramatically different voices astound me. The ability for 80 people to be so well-orchestrated, while playing such challenging music, is incredible. The music itself is so layered and complex; I can't wrap my mind around composing it. But I am perfectly fascinated in learning by observation, even without training, and with precious little knowledge of classical music. I feel like I've discovered an exotic land filled with treasure... And apparently everyone knew about it but me.
   I don't recall ever attending a symphony until college, when Charlotte invited me to see Amy play. It was enjoyable, but not terribly memorable, as it was an isolated experience. All these recent trips have me hooked. When I was a child and it was time to select an instrument for band class, I distinctly remember having no idea what to try. I didn't even know what any of these contraptions sounded like. How do you choose? (My answer: I chose clarinet because one of my friends did. It was deemed "the girl instrument", just like the flute. Imagine my surprise when I began taking lessons and I sounded like a goose being tortured.)
   But the point is, I'm into it now. Better late than never, as they say. Perhaps I could still pick up an instrument? I asked Lindsey to bring her violin when she visits in a couple of weeks. M instrument of choice would be a cello, with violin being a close second. Maybe I'll be in an orchestra when I grow up. Or become a biologist, photographer, veterinarian, chef, mountain climber, deep sea diver... I'm narrowing a little. I'll figure out what I want to be eventually. Too many fun choices, too little time.
   P.S. What is up with that harp music? Those notes look HUGE! I must learn...