Comments on: Massive Musical Disaster in the Nutcracker Pit http://doublebassblog.org/2006/12/massive-musical-disaster-in-nutcracker.html double bass news, stories, downloads, podcasts, and more! Mon, 02 Apr 2012 12:37:47 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Zindorf http://doublebassblog.org/2006/12/massive-musical-disaster-in-nutcracker.html/comment-page-1#comment-17038 Zindorf Thu, 01 Jul 2010 16:56:19 +0000 http://doublebassblog.org/?p=733#comment-17038 I think it is disgusting that you wrote about this difficult experience. Would you like it if she wrote about the night you played a bass with plastic strings and a tailpin that kept sliding in while you were playing? If I were her, I would bring you up on charges. And what's with the microphone? Your orchestra has to be amplified? That's pathetic. I think it is disgusting that you wrote about this difficult experience. Would you like it if she wrote about the night you played a bass with plastic strings and a tailpin that kept sliding in while you were playing? If I were her, I would bring you up on charges. And what’s with the microphone? Your orchestra has to be amplified? That’s pathetic.

]]> By: Anonymous http://doublebassblog.org/2006/12/massive-musical-disaster-in-nutcracker.html/comment-page-1#comment-4637 Anonymous Fri, 11 Apr 2008 01:23:04 +0000 http://doublebassblog.org/?p=733#comment-4637 :oops: :oops: :arrow: :arrow: :!: :!: :???: :smile: :smile: :?: :twisted: :twisted: :oops: :lol: :mad: :sad: :smile: :oops: :oops: :arrow: :arrow: :!: :!: :???: :smile: :smile: :?: :twisted: :twisted: :oops: :lol: :mad: :sad: :smile:

]]> By: View_from_above http://doublebassblog.org/2006/12/massive-musical-disaster-in-nutcracker.html/comment-page-1#comment-1938 View_from_above Sun, 06 Jan 2008 05:18:01 +0000 http://doublebassblog.org/?p=733#comment-1938 I sympathize with the harpist, but I don't buy her story. Um...could the other harpist have warned her about the harp??? Could the sub harpist have arrived a few hours early and practiced? Yikes!! I sympathize with the harpist, but I don’t buy her story. Um…could the other harpist have warned her about the harp??? Could the sub harpist have arrived a few hours early and practiced? Yikes!!

]]> By: Jason Heath’s Double Bass Blog » Worst Messiah Mishap ever http://doublebassblog.org/2006/12/massive-musical-disaster-in-nutcracker.html/comment-page-1#comment-1430 Jason Heath’s Double Bass Blog » Worst Messiah Mishap ever Wed, 12 Dec 2007 12:05:34 +0000 http://doublebassblog.org/?p=733#comment-1430 [...] Ross reminded me of this fantastically amusing musical disaster.  Although I like to think of my Nutcracker disaster story as a great holiday mishap, this one really takes the cake.  My  recent slip & slide three [...] [...] Ross reminded me of this fantastically amusing musical disaster.  Although I like to think of my Nutcracker disaster story as a great holiday mishap, this one really takes the cake.  My  recent slip & slide three [...]

]]> By: Jason Heath’s Double Bass Blog » Wintry Mess hits Chicago http://doublebassblog.org/2006/12/massive-musical-disaster-in-nutcracker.html/comment-page-1#comment-1348 Jason Heath’s Double Bass Blog » Wintry Mess hits Chicago Wed, 05 Dec 2007 12:06:14 +0000 http://doublebassblog.org/?p=733#comment-1348 [...] of this upcoming engagement can’t help but remind me of last year’s story titled Massive Musical Disaster in the Nutcracker Pit.  I’ve since learned to disguise the particular ensemble that I’m writing about a [...] [...] of this upcoming engagement can’t help but remind me of last year’s story titled Massive Musical Disaster in the Nutcracker Pit.  I’ve since learned to disguise the particular ensemble that I’m writing about a [...]

]]> By: your_father http://doublebassblog.org/2006/12/massive-musical-disaster-in-nutcracker.html/comment-page-1#comment-368 your_father Sun, 11 Mar 2007 18:30:00 +0000 http://doublebassblog.org/?p=733#comment-368 Try not to fixate on these events.<br/>They ae merely passing moments in<br/>eternity. Try not to fixate on these events.
They ae merely passing moments in
eternity.

]]> By: Jason Heath http://doublebassblog.org/2006/12/massive-musical-disaster-in-nutcracker.html/comment-page-1#comment-139 Jason Heath Fri, 29 Dec 2006 14:00:00 +0000 http://doublebassblog.org/?p=733#comment-139 I'm glad that I don't have to find any software to reload my bass during performances. That must have been nerve-wracking for the synth player. I’m glad that I don’t have to find any software to reload my bass during performances. That must have been nerve-wracking for the synth player.

]]> By: Anonymous http://doublebassblog.org/2006/12/massive-musical-disaster-in-nutcracker.html/comment-page-1#comment-132 Anonymous Thu, 28 Dec 2006 18:10:00 +0000 http://doublebassblog.org/?p=733#comment-132 A quick follow up on the Ballet San Jose celeste story. The orchestra does have a celeste but it is such a poor instrument that the musicians preferred using the synthesizer which was already in use for the choral section - no room for a choir in that pit. Not enough work for the poor celeste to defend investing in a new one. On the night in question the lost celeste "voicing" in the synth was known before the performance but the software to reload was not found until after the show. It was a known but awful outcome. The player held up admirably under bad conditions. A quick follow up on the Ballet San Jose celeste story. The orchestra does have a celeste but it is such a poor instrument that the musicians preferred using the synthesizer which was already in use for the choral section – no room for a choir in that pit. Not enough work for the poor celeste to defend investing in a new one. On the night in question the lost celeste “voicing” in the synth was known before the performance but the software to reload was not found until after the show. It was a known but awful outcome. The player held up admirably under bad conditions.

]]> By: Jason Heath http://doublebassblog.org/2006/12/massive-musical-disaster-in-nutcracker.html/comment-page-1#comment-122 Jason Heath Wed, 27 Dec 2006 05:59:00 +0000 http://doublebassblog.org/?p=733#comment-122 That is hilarious! I wonder what is going on in a dancer's mind when there is a massive screw up like that. It is too bad that Ballet San Jose is using a synthesizer rather than a real celeste. We are still using one in Milwaukee for the time being. That is hilarious! I wonder what is going on in a dancer’s mind when there is a massive screw up like that. It is too bad that Ballet San Jose is using a synthesizer rather than a real celeste. We are still using one in Milwaukee for the time being.

]]> By: Anonymous http://doublebassblog.org/2006/12/massive-musical-disaster-in-nutcracker.html/comment-page-1#comment-117 Anonymous Tue, 26 Dec 2006 18:37:00 +0000 http://doublebassblog.org/?p=733#comment-117 We had something similar happen this year in the Ballet San Jose Nutcracker. The celeste part has, for the past few years, been played on a synthesizer rather than a real celeste (sadly...). At one afternoon's show, the Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy began (celeste solo) and it sounded like someone with bandaged hands was playing; wrong octaves, missing notes in chords, and I think wrong notes as well (it was the same player who's been successfully playing the part for many years). I had to put my head in my lap to keep from laughing out loud, and I think we in the pit were all pretty wide-eyed. This kept up through the whole movement, though the player switched octaves which helped a little after the first couple of bars. (It sounded a lot like a bizarre version of the piece that has made the rounds in emails the past couple of years, which appeared to have been recorded by a very bad junior-high band.) After it was all over, this seems to have been the cause: this year they have been having a complete blackout of lights during the final bows of the dancers at the end of the show. Apparently the loss of power (on the previous night's bows) messed up the programming on the synthesizer somehow, but it wasn't discovered until that moment in the next show when the celeste enters!<br /><br />I can only imagine what the dancer must have been going through in her head trying to dance to that mess of wrong notes! We had something similar happen this year in the Ballet San Jose Nutcracker. The celeste part has, for the past few years, been played on a synthesizer rather than a real celeste (sadly…). At one afternoon’s show, the Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy began (celeste solo) and it sounded like someone with bandaged hands was playing; wrong octaves, missing notes in chords, and I think wrong notes as well (it was the same player who’s been successfully playing the part for many years). I had to put my head in my lap to keep from laughing out loud, and I think we in the pit were all pretty wide-eyed. This kept up through the whole movement, though the player switched octaves which helped a little after the first couple of bars. (It sounded a lot like a bizarre version of the piece that has made the rounds in emails the past couple of years, which appeared to have been recorded by a very bad junior-high band.) After it was all over, this seems to have been the cause: this year they have been having a complete blackout of lights during the final bows of the dancers at the end of the show. Apparently the loss of power (on the previous night’s bows) messed up the programming on the synthesizer somehow, but it wasn’t discovered until that moment in the next show when the celeste enters!

I can only imagine what the dancer must have been going through in her head trying to dance to that mess of wrong notes!

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