Or

Blowin' up the Rockies

Volume II, Issue 6

Saturday, June 6, 1998

The last day of the conference - once again, where has time flown??  Time enough for a few housekeeping issues, a few sessions, and what's bound to be a zany finale concert.

The morning starts bright and early with Froydis' session on warmups.  She has us all up out of the chair doing some calesthenics and breathing exercises, and then points out a million good things to start the day with.  At one point she says 'OK, you are now warmed up" and starts into some good (musical) exercises for all.  I wish I would have written them down - it would be dynamite daily practice material.

The next session, by Joan Watson, isn't really applicable to me ("Going for Gold - Goal Setting, Audition Preparation, and Nurturing your artist") so I head down into Banff to try and get my C$70 for the park pass back.  Miracle of miracles everything works OK.  I then tell the person helping me that I want to go ahead and purchase a one-day pass (C$10) because I did go out into the park for a day.  She seems a bit confused as to why I'd want to do this, but eventually takes my money.  Hey, they didn't have to give me a refund - and it only seems fair that I did pay for the day we did use the park facilities.

Banff is a charming, if just a little touristy town, and I spend the next couple of hours roaming around, mailing postcards, getting a small souvenir for my wife, gassing up the car which by now is nearly empty (and I don't anticipate too many gas stations open the next morning at 4), and doing similar things.  The problem with having this conference in such a wonderful location is that you want to spend some time out and in it.  I know that some people have scheduled extra days here; others, like me, skipped some of the conference to surround ourselves with what, for some, will be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see this part of the world.  Banff also has a surprising amount of Arts (yes, capitol A) given the size and location of the town.  What a nice change.

I get back for lunch and the rat pack discusses the possibilities for the evening.  It looks like we will try to hit a pub or two in town after the last concert, but it depends on how late that runs...

I catch a little of Ab Koster's Master Class on Natural Horn and it looks like he's as good a teacher as he is a performer.  After that, we queue up for the run-through of the ensembles that will be playing that night , figuring out
who we are after, where we are going to sit on stage, and all that.  The last rehearsal of The Magic Flute goes pretty well, and we work out our surprise for later that evening.  Or, so I think ..

The 4pm concert included:
 

Again, most things went well, though Pherigo and Thompson did not seem pleased with their performance.  Peter Kurau's performance was quite winning.  The Horn Ensemble Japan seemed to have a few familiar faces from last year's "Ultrahornists" but whatever, they played well.  Takato Saijo, performing Poem, was the winner of the H.E.J.'s performance competition and played quite well.  Spiral put the nine horn players in an actual spiral layout, which made for some interesting effects.

After dinner everyone gets dressed up (well, not everyone) for the Finale Concert.  First up is William Hopson with a couple of his wonderful alphorn calls.  After that the program is turned over to the nine or so ensembles.  The paying members are probably not too thrilled about all these groups coming out on stage - the applause usually fades out before the groups get on stage.  Our group is fourth, so I get to listen to a couple of the others (John Kowalchuk's adaptation of "O Canada" works well, though he's not credited in the program) before having to run back to the stage of the other theatre to set up.  Jeff Snedecker does a head count, and we're missing a few players.  We have nobody to play second until the virtual last second when one of them comes in the side door - whew.  I end up being the only player on eighth - which I can deal with.  ;-)

We spring our surprise on the audience.  Jeff starts to conduct and we start playing the intro to Beethoven's Fifth - definitely not what is on the program.  He mocks confusion and starts us again.  More Beethoven.  At this point he yells out "it's the Mozart" to which we all go "Ohhhhh...."  I'm not sure from the audience reaction whether they know it's a joke or think we are serious ..

Anyway, we get through the Overture to the Magic Flute.  It could have gone better; it could have gone worse.  I pump out the eighth part for all I am worth - it's a really, really fun bass part.  When we stand to take our bow, the other eighth player (Pete Exline, who had loaned me a clock at last year's IHS) comes out on stage - he had gotten there 2 seconds after the stage doors had closed and they would not let him in!

We dump our horns in the theatre next door and come back out.  I have a seat and a young man behind me complements me - whether on my 'tuba' playing or on the ensemble's playing, I am not sure.  The rest of the ensembles play on - and then it's time for Herr Professor G to do his schtick.  I cannot give his routine justice here other than to say it was incredibly hilarious.  Again, the non-horn players in the audience probably had no idea what was going on.  The Professor has some serious water problems, then he gets his hand stuck in the bell.  He sits on the floor and works getting it out - only to have the horn go sliding off-stage.  Then, an e-flat alto horn comes sliding back, and the Professor does as good as can be expected.  He reads an ode to Kopprasch, then comes on stage with a double-bell horn, a la an old double-bell euphonium.  He uses the second (forward facing) bell to great effect during the rest of the program.  Oh, and how could I forget - the real professor, Hans Pizka, comes on stage to show how the Long Call is supposed to be done!

Intermission .. time to get the horns out again for the massed choir, which is doing two movements of the Water Music.  We get out on stage, do our thing, and get off.  The rat pack meets out in the lobby after that - while the Canadian Horn Quartet is on-stage doing the premier of the Elizabeth Raum Horn Quartet - and given the time, about 10pm already, we decide to go ahead and miss the rest of the Finale Concert as some of our number are starving and need food.  We hop in the ol' reliable rental car, test my parallel parking skills, and start walking down Banff Avenue.  We head into the first pub, order a beer, and find out that they have just stopped serving food.  Grr.  So, we start talking about all sorts of things; Catherine breaks out her Harrah's dice (from her keychain) and the whole lot of us, Catherine and John and Leigh and Bruce and I, take turns rolling the darned things.  It appears I am the only one at the table with a tenuous grasp of how craps works, so I explain and then we all roll until we win or lose a round.  This is too much fun, so we head down the road in search of food.  The Rose and Crown pub is still open *and* serving, but the noise coming from upstairs is too loud to bear.  So, we eventually end up at a place which serves all sorts of exotic game and specializes in fondue.  I order a sausage platter which is way too much food and share it around the table.  Eventually, everyone's stomach is full, it's around midnight, and reluctantly I tell everyone that I'm going to have to head back because of the 4AM wake-up call the next morning.

We get back, say our good-byes, and I head to the room for a few hours sleep.  Naturally I cannot get it but do slip off for a couple of hours.  I manage to get up, pay my bill, get in the rental car, and head back without incident.  While waiting in the departure lounge, I notice that Froydis and a couple of other players are on the same flight, but elect to leave them alone.  They probably appreciate that.

Respectfully (and finally) submitted,

Ron Boerger