Happy New Year!

A few years ago, on a New Years Eve concert, we did a whole show of Viennese waltzes.  Waltzes have a fairly complicated system of repeats and Da Capos, and it is pretty easy to get lost if you're not on your toes.  At the end of this particular concert, after we played the final chords, we were supposed to shout "Happy New Year" in unison. (I know, so cheesy.)  Something went HORRIBLY wrong in the final number though.  The brass took a repeat that the strings did not take, and we ended up more or less crashing to a halt instead of properly ending the show.  I mean, we played three big loud chord-like crashes, but everyone was in the wrong place and freaking out.  It was without QUESTION the single most disastrous moment I've been a part of as a professional.  We ended the entire concert in a stunned silence. I've always wanted to go back in time and be the one person in the entire orchestra who remembers to gleefully scream "Happy New Year!" after such a disaster.  Now, at work, whenever something is going very very very badly, Janz and I wish each other a Happy New Year.  The phrase "Happy New Year" has become synonymous with "this is a stupid plan and it's not going to work."

Comments

[ReigningFrog]

This absolutely cracks me up! I can TOTALLY see you screaming "Happy New Year!" with a huge sarcastic grin on your face. (For some reason when I picture it, you are also wearing one of those cone-shaped New Year's hats (in metallic purple). And some of the guys-- GH, JL, and DS-- are wearing top hats. And, Diana S blows a streamer in my vision after you shout HNY.) Can't you picture it?

[Heather B.]

Da Capos

Back to the beginning! I learned that in music class today! Go me!

[Ron Spigelman]

Kate
I can't believe I found your blog, you mentioned it to me last time I was in Buffalo when I mentioned to you my blog that I co-author with Bill Eddins(sticksanddrones)I seem to remember this performance but not conducting it, please tell me it wasn't me!
Happy New Year!
Ron