From the Orchestra........................................................................................... This month we look forward to putting you in the holiday spirit with two of our classic holiday favorites: Very Merry Pops and Handel’s Messiah. If you already have tickets for both the Pops and Messiah and are in the mood for even more holiday cheer, Linda Eder returns to the Houston Symphony to sing many of her Christmas favorites. December also marks the return of Christoph Eschenbach, our former Music Director, who will lead the orchestra in Gustav Mahler’s powerful Fifth Symphony. As a bass player, I love performing this piece, and I always look forward to Maestro Eschenbach’s bold interpretation of the work. The holidays and music always seem to go hand in hand, and for many around this time of year, you can’t have the holidays without the “joys” of travel. While I enjoy traveling, flying with a double bass has its own challenges and makes the process of getting to and from somewhere even more stressful. Many of my colleagues in the orchestra are able to simply place their instrument in the overhead bin. Cellists and bass players don’t have that luxury. While cellists have the option of purchasing a seat for their instrument—at great expense these days—bass players must check their instrument with their luggage. My fiberglass travel trunk is almost seven feet tall, and with the bass inside, weighs in at 96 pounds (just under the maximum 100-pound weight limit for most airlines). It’s the same drill every time I fly: my travel trunk is on wheels, so after unloading it from my car, I Eric Larsen strap my luggage to my back and wheel the instrument up to the ticket counter. The ticket agent is rarely double bass happy to see me and charges me an oversize fee ranging from $50 to $400 each way (depending on the airline). Next, a TSA agent transports my instrument to the inspection room where the trunk is opened and thoroughly inspected. Finally, my bass is taken to the plane where it sits on the tarmac until it is ready to be loaded. Once I see my instrument loaded onto the plane I can breathe a bit easier, and luckily my instrument has always arrived in one piece! On behalf of my fellow musicians in the orchestra, I wish you happy holidays and safe travels!
December 2011