Inside the Orchestra
Stocking Stuffers
(but, Thankfully, No Socks!)
The First-Ever Official Oregon Symphony
Musicians’ Holiday Gift Guide
The musicians of the Oregon Symphony are nothing if not generous, community-minded and ever-so-helpful – and so, with gift-giving season fast approaching, we thought it would be a nice idea to ask for their personal recommendations on holiday gifts that the favorite music-lovers in your life might find especially welcome. Think of this as sort of a fancy personal-concierge-type shopping service that comes as part of your Oregon Symphony experience at no extra charge. Being musicians, of course, their recommendations tend to be music-related. To wit:
From Violinist Julie Coleman: “I am a huge fan of Glenn Gould's late-in-life recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations. In fact, I have listened to it so much that other interpretations can sound to me like they are missing the point. Last spring I heard a completely fresh and unusually beautiful version on the radio and could not wait to hear who it was. To my great surprise it was my friend and suite-mate from Juilliard, Simone Dinnerstein, and she was being interviewed for the release of her new CD!”
(Collura adds: “I made a note to myself: Don't forget to get a copy of it! So imagine my delight a few months later when I was given the CD by a very thoughtful friend riveted by Simone's live performance of the work in Aspen.”)
From Assistant Principal Flutist Alicia DiDonato Paulsen: “I love giving and receiving mix CDs. They're inexpensive, homemade and such a personal way to give the gift of music. I like to tailor each CD to my friends' individual tastes, introduce them to unfamiliar music or make a mix that has a running theme I just made one with songs about the West Coast, my new home!”
“The quirkiest gift I ever received,” Paulsen also tells us, “was a pair of clarinet earrings. My aunt thought they were flutes. But it's the thought that counts, right?”
From Principal Cellist Nancy Ives: “For the serious student or amateur musician on your gift list – or the professional one, for that matter! – a great gift would be a digital recorder. Not only can they get a recording of their performances with perhaps better sound than through a video camera, they can use it record themselves practicing. This is one of the best ways to improve your playing. It's amazing what you can hear when you listen to a recording that you didn't notice while you were playing, as if mental bandwidth suddenly becomes available for listening and evaluating. The Zoom H2 is an excellent option.”
From Cellist Tim Scott: “I love certain kinds of Christmas music (good Jew that I am) and look forward to listening to it not earlier than mid-December. My favorite CD's are generally of Renaissance Christmas music, but here are three other favorites:
- Noel, Noel, French Christmas Music, 1200-1600, with Joel Cohen and the Boston Camerata (Erato WE 807 ZK);
- A Baroque Christmas, also with Joel Cohen and the Boston Camerata (Nonesuch 9 79265-2) – a fun one, with great playing and fantastic arrangements;
- A Cello Christmas, with the 24 cellos of the London Cello Sound (CALA Records CACD55003).”
From Violinist Jonathan Dubay: “I hope someone has thought of mentioning Tragic Lovers, the newest Oregon Symphony recording, with James DePreist conducting music of Richard Wagner, Hector Berlioz and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It was just released by Delos (DE 3369).”
And, from Trombonist Charles Reneau, what just may be the most thoughtful holiday gift of all: “How about tickets to the Oregon Symphony?!”
