I haven't played one Messiah this season

[GoddessOfGuinness]

and it wasn't even on purpose. It just happened that way.

I'm not unhappy about it. Unless the conductor, choir and soloists are top-notch, I fall asleep while playing. It doesn't matter whether I'm on 1st, 2nd, or viola.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

1. Yes, it's way overdone

Do you also fall asleep during the Nutcracker?

I was an offstage voice this season for a folklore (non-ballet) production of The Nutcracker, arranged for folk orchestra (accordion, woodwinds, violins, hammered dulcimer, mandolin, trombone, guitar, and percussion). No, we didn't do the "aaah-aaah-aah-ah-aaah" part, although there was a lot of Tchaikovsky's music in it. Instead, we sang Central and Eastern European folk songs along with the orchestra. The Chinese, Arab, and other ethnic dances were all done with authentic choreography to authentic music, and the dancing was spectacular at times.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

2. I've never done the full ballet

I love the music, though. And the fiddle parts in the Suite are too difficult to fall asleep over. I also never tire of Amahl and the Night Visitors.

This season I'm feeling particularly badly for my friends who play Nutcracker year after year here in DC, and depend upon the income. This year's run was cancelled due to a labor dispute between the dancers and management. The dancers were seeking adequate compensation for injuries received on the job (a horrifically taxing schedule, as I understand it). Management is too Scroogish to comply.