Oboe teacher suggested that I do three of Britten’s Six Metamorphoses After Ovid in my degree recital programme. She recommended numbers 1, 4 and 6 (Pan, Bacchus and Arethusa).
Lesson on friday afternoon went like this:
Teacher: See the first phrase here? It’s like a sigh. And the second one after that? That’s more of a whine. A lament. Pan’s lamenting because Syrinx turned into a reed flute.
Me: Uh, okay. *tries to play following her direction*
Teacher: And here its as though he has fits or something. He’s sobbing really badly.
-a while later-
Teacher:Honestly, having his lover turned into a reed flute! How pathetic that must be! Now they can’t go for walks in the forest or sit by the fountain, and he can only play on her. She can’t even respond!
Me: *starts giggling*
Teacher: Oh, come on! Imagine your boyfriend turned into a teapot…
Me: *bursts into a fit of laughter*
Seriously, the ludicrousness of it all!
Later on, when we were working on Bacchus, teacher was walking around the room acting like a drunkard, trying to help me interpret the music. That only made me laugh even more. Gosh, I so love my oboe teacher. (: