“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.
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