36 Years Ago

36 Years Ago, Vienna 1971—A Student Journal

Day 066: One-step-in-front-of-the-other

36yearsago.com

Vienna 1971—A Student Journal
A year of music, study, travel, sightseeing & friends.



Day 66 — One-step-in-front-of-the-other
07-October-1971 (Thur.)

Sergei Prokofiev Wikimedia Commons

TRANSCRIPT

Second horn lesson.

Found out that because I didn’t do too well on the audition—that they’re expecting a lot of improvement.

I’ve decided to really work hard. But I also get extremely frustrated, hopeless, and angry. As a result, I swear a lot.

At my lesson, it was so-so. Next lesson is Monday already, and I have a lot of new stuff to work on. Rough.

Saw
War and Peace by the Bolshoi. Very impressive. Very monumental—long, and big, and [a] grandiose ball scene. Very enjoyable. I liked the music by Prokofiev—only objection; very long with a lot of single monologues. Conductor, world-famous cellist, Rostopovitch. Unbelievable opening and finale.


REFLECTIONS

Sergei and Wikimedia Commons. No, that's not me in the opening picture, though you might think so since it's 36 years later. That's one of the most prominent of the 20th-century Russian composers, Sergei Prokofiev (1891–1953). Sergei (you may call him Sergei), wrote the opera, War and Peace, that I see later tonight. I typically see photos like these on Wikipedia. Here is my question. The photo came from Wikimedia Commons that allows people to post images from Wikimedia Commons on their websites, usually by following the stated conditions and attributing the photo. The Prokofiev photo was attributed as public domain in Russia. What do you think, should I post more of these? Originally, I was only going to post the photos that I personally took in 1971, but I have already broken that rule a few times. Let me know.

Moving on. Really.

Horn lesson, moving on. I have my second horn lesson and learn that they will let me study at the academy but I need to improve a lot. Since I am not actually going for a degree, I suppose that they are giving me some slack. So, that’s good news. All I have to do is work harder. Remember, don’t give up; one-foot-in-front-of-the-other; and all that stuff. Quite honestly, it is easy for me to say that now, but I can tell you that I was seriously stressed by all of this back then.

Damn it. Oh, I swear a lot. I never would say that I am a swearing type of person. Perhaps I am. I do swear occasionally, mostly when I lose my temper, especially at the damn Xerox machine at work while it is constantly jamming. See, there I go again. Winking

Music to the rescue. Thank goodness I was in Vienna, the city of music. Would I have fared as well if I were in school in the middle of Minnesota? Not certain, unless I took up cross-country skiing, perhaps. In Vienna, I’m able to go to a bunch of concerts at standing-room prices—and with friends.

War and Peace. This opera by Prokofiev is a long one. Performed again by the Bolshoi Theater Company, as I write, always an incredible performance. They were in town for a bit, I see. Here are some notes and links on Sergei Prokofiev and War and Peace from Wikipedia.

John

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