Tuesday. They buried Dad today at the Kitty Rest Haven. I left some catnip on his grave.
Mr. Bassett Horne returned for lunch today, without Cora Anglaise. The Lake City Phils are doing Eine Alpensinfonie this weekend. She’s at the bottom of the double-reed pecking order at the Philharmonic, so she has to go get the lupophone.
Such a damn nuisance. All because Richard Strauss didn’t know how to write for the heckelphone.
There’s some exciting news: the Lake City Youth Orchestra has an opening for a clarinet this year. Auditions are in six weeks. Mr. Horne thinks that Roderick should go for it.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith think it sounds wonderful, but Roderick hesitates. He's never auditioned for anything and isn't sure if he's up to it. Mr. Horne says he'll coach him every week until the audition. He also let him in on a secret: he’s one of the clarinet judges, so he knows exactly what they will want him to play.
Ain’t meritocracy great?
After lunch, Roderick grabbed his clarinet and they set up again in the living room. I assumed my customary position on the ottoman. After scales and an etude, Mr. Horne showed him the symphonic excerpts he should work on for the audition: Beethoven Fourth, Brahms Third, Tchaikovsky Fifth.
Then they discussed what solo to play. Mr. Horne told him he should never bring the Mozart Concerto to an audition. Everyone's heard it a million times, and they’re sick of it. Also, the judges know it intimately and they’ll catch every mistake. Much better to pick some obscure piece by some composer nobody knows. He suggested the first movement of Crusell’s Clarinet Concerto No. 1.
I looked it up in Grove. Bernhard Henrik Crusell was the most significant and internationally best-known composer from Uusikaupunki, Finland. If obscurity is a virtue, Crusell is a goddam saint.
After Mr. Horne left, Roderick ran over to tell Bibi he’s working on something by a Scandinavian composer. As if she gives a shit.
Anyway, the die is cast and Roderick seems pretty excited. Six weeks to prepare!
Gets my mind off Dad.
All for now.