Obomoboe?

Last night I played my oboe for the first time in years (yes, I fit the stereotype of quirky/elitist fours who play obscure wind instruments). Ryan, Fed and I sight-read through a Mozart quartet (sans our violinist) and although it sounded cacophonous, it was so much fun, in a very nerdy kind of way. Note: these are the same friends with whom I play nerts and speed scrabble, both dorky games that I love. Wow I sound like a huge nerd.

Playing the oboe has been on my mind recently. I’ve been thinking about people who have been significant in my development over the years, and one of them is my oboe teacher. I took lessons in her basement back in Ohio for eight years, starting from fifth grade until I graduated high school. She was an inspiring and encouraging presence in my life. The more I think about her influence on me, the more I am grateful.

Also I was thinking about the concept of reverence. (For those of you who don’t know, I have been on an ongoing Ignatian retreat, so such spiritual topics have been on my mind as of late.) I was thinking about moments in my life when I experience the feeling of reverence, and one of them (besides being in nature or in big beautiful cathedrals) was being in a symphony hall. This inspired me to want to attend the symphony, but also to bust out my oboe.

I was talking with my friend Suzie about the symphony this past weekend, and somehow it came up that I played the oboe in high school. I made some comment about how it’s difficult to sound beautiful on the oboe, but easy to sound really bad. This prompted her to tell a story about a senior recital she went to in high school, featuring her friend who played the flute and another girl who played the oboe. They played a duet together, and apparently the oboist kept making this honking sound like every other measure. I wish I could tell this story with the sound effects because it was extremely comical. After the recital she told her flautist friend that she sounded really good, but she should lose the oboist. How sad, yet hilarious.

Finally, I’ve been listening to the Sibelius Symphony #2, which is one of my favorites. For those of you who don’t know what an oboe sounds like, or who have only heard honky-sounding oboes, this final movement features a nice oboe solo.