Another Holiday, sort of

“Is this is what you do with Eternity?” asks Andie MacDowell.

It’s Groundhog Day, again. As I’ve often said, it’s one of my favourite movies of all time, partly because I think that Groundhog Day with Bill Murray is actually a very serious movie masquerading as a light, funny movie. If I were ever called upon to teach a course in say, ethics or karmic redemption, that film would definitely be on the syllabus. I particularly love it because it manages to ‘teach’ a lesson without being preachy or condescending.

It was a good day today, one I wouldn’t remind reliving (although not forever, to be sure).
There was the review in Georgia Straight. And it didn’t rain today. A pat on the back from the boss didn’t hurt either.

Experiencing a law of Musical Economics
I’ve been going to Gamelan rehearsals twice a week now, because of our upcoming concert on February 21st. It’ll be at the UBC Museum of Anthropology. In fact, I’m learning firsthand a rule that my father has codified after many years of performing music:

Arno’s Law of Remuneration
The amount of money that you will receive for a concert is inverse to the amount of effort expended in preparing and giving the performance.

This means that if you don’t work hard on a concert program, if it’s something you’ve played many times and comes together easily, you’ll be paid well. If it’s hard music that you have to practice and rehearse a great deal, forget about any payment. My father played Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue many times. So many times, that the last 10 or so performances were probably a snap, and sure enough, they paid well. But if he played Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunnaire, or perhaps Leon Kirchner’s Sonata Concertante for Violin and Piano (I remember that was incredibly difficult because I turned pages for it but I really liked it nevertheless), he didn’t get a penny.

The music for this concert that I’m playing in on the 21st is very hard. Yup, I’m getting bupkis.