Nutcracker Suite Sweetness
Monday Memories
My three-year old's favorite Christmas music this year is The Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky. She says she loves it because it is "ballerina music". Of course listening to this classic (well, technically it is from the Romantic period), brought to mind some Nutcracker memories.
A very special memory occured ten years ago. I was about 5 months pregnant with my oldest daughter. I had also returned to playing the cello pretty seriously. I had taken some lessons that summer, was practicing more, and playing in our community orchestra with my mom. Each year a small part of the orchestra was selected to play for a production of Nutcracker ballet staged by a local ballet troup. The only disappointment was that my mom wasn't needed that year so we didn't get to share in the fun aka hard work together. [Mom is a violinist and there are always many more violins available than cellos.]
We rehearsed extra hours and I faithfully practiced my orchestra part each night. I've never been really good at practicing orchestra music in the past, but this was very important to me. I also thought it was good for my baby too, since she was resting right behind my cello and felt every vibration. Even my doctor thought it was good for her! I figured out that my daughter had been to seven performances of Nutcracker before she was even born!
We performed seven times over a long weekend and I remember looking for enough black maternity clothes to wear something unique at each performance. (Kind of silly since I couldn'be seen down in our pit!)
[A "pit orchestra" is an orchestra that accompanies a variety of stage performances including operas, musical, ballets, etc. The musicians sit beneath the stage and sometimes are literally in a pit not visible to the audience, hence the name "pit orchestra".]
I've played in a few pit orchestras, but most times I could see the action when I wasn't playing. This orchestra pit was literally down in a pit and partially under the stage. I could hear every wooden-toed step of the ballerinas, but never got to see any of it!
I think there were only about four cellos and we really "bonded" in that pit. It had been a long time since I felt really a part of something like that. I was a musician again. I was also just starting to feel my baby's moves and Tchaikovsky really made her dance. As a remembrance of that experience I purchased a small nutcracker figurine and noted that it was "For Baby 1996". Each year we remember that Christmas with warm hearts.
In December of 2003, I joined my mother and that baby girl in a performance of The Nutcracker staged by that very same company in that same high school auditorium. Afterwards we enjoyed the Nutcracker Tea and my big girl met some of the cast as well. It was not only my big girl's first time "at the ballet", it was mine as well! [I studied ballet for eight years, but that doesn't count!]
My little girl was 5 months old at the time and didn't come along. I'm getting excited about taking all of us again to the Nutcracker Tea in a year or two!
http://technorati.com/tag/Monday+Memories
My three-year old's favorite Christmas music this year is The Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky. She says she loves it because it is "ballerina music". Of course listening to this classic (well, technically it is from the Romantic period), brought to mind some Nutcracker memories.
A very special memory occured ten years ago. I was about 5 months pregnant with my oldest daughter. I had also returned to playing the cello pretty seriously. I had taken some lessons that summer, was practicing more, and playing in our community orchestra with my mom. Each year a small part of the orchestra was selected to play for a production of Nutcracker ballet staged by a local ballet troup. The only disappointment was that my mom wasn't needed that year so we didn't get to share in the fun aka hard work together. [Mom is a violinist and there are always many more violins available than cellos.]
We rehearsed extra hours and I faithfully practiced my orchestra part each night. I've never been really good at practicing orchestra music in the past, but this was very important to me. I also thought it was good for my baby too, since she was resting right behind my cello and felt every vibration. Even my doctor thought it was good for her! I figured out that my daughter had been to seven performances of Nutcracker before she was even born!
We performed seven times over a long weekend and I remember looking for enough black maternity clothes to wear something unique at each performance. (Kind of silly since I couldn'be seen down in our pit!)
[A "pit orchestra" is an orchestra that accompanies a variety of stage performances including operas, musical, ballets, etc. The musicians sit beneath the stage and sometimes are literally in a pit not visible to the audience, hence the name "pit orchestra".]
I've played in a few pit orchestras, but most times I could see the action when I wasn't playing. This orchestra pit was literally down in a pit and partially under the stage. I could hear every wooden-toed step of the ballerinas, but never got to see any of it!
I think there were only about four cellos and we really "bonded" in that pit. It had been a long time since I felt really a part of something like that. I was a musician again. I was also just starting to feel my baby's moves and Tchaikovsky really made her dance. As a remembrance of that experience I purchased a small nutcracker figurine and noted that it was "For Baby 1996". Each year we remember that Christmas with warm hearts.
In December of 2003, I joined my mother and that baby girl in a performance of The Nutcracker staged by that very same company in that same high school auditorium. Afterwards we enjoyed the Nutcracker Tea and my big girl met some of the cast as well. It was not only my big girl's first time "at the ballet", it was mine as well! [I studied ballet for eight years, but that doesn't count!]
My little girl was 5 months old at the time and didn't come along. I'm getting excited about taking all of us again to the Nutcracker Tea in a year or two!
http://technorati.com/tag/Monday+Memories
posted by Susan at 10:52 AM
2 Comments:
I love cello memories. This combined you the kids and your mom--and music. That's great.
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Monday Memories
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Norma,
I could probably have an entire blog of cello memories, but then I really wouldn't have any time to make some new ones!
Thanks again for your technical assistance too!
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