The Musician Centric Podcast
Two professional violists, Liz O'Hara and Stephanie Knutsen, explore diverse perspectives in the music field through conversations together and with friends. Whether gaining fresh insights from industry innovators or laughing their way through a show like Mozart in the Jungle, Liz and Steph hope to inspire musicians, particularly freelancers, to feel a sense of agency in their lives.
**Note: This podcast was formerly titled the ViolaCentric podcast**
The Musician Centric Podcast
Mozart in the Jungle Recap! Season 2, Episode 5: "Regresso Del Rey"
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In this week's recap, we're here to whisk you away on a South American escapade—minus the need for frantic passport updates or surprise visa requirements. Our favorite orchestra is on TOUR! Find out what happens when there's apparently no rehearsal itinerary and musicians are unleashed on Mexico City!
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Welcome to the Musician Centric Podcast. We are two freelance violists living and laughing our way through conversations that explore what it means to be a professional musician in today's world. I'm Steph.
Speaker 2:And I'm Liz, and we're so glad you've joined us. Let's dive in hi, everybody, hi, you know, I have to say that I did not like this one as much as the last one. It felt very um, it wasn't multi-dimensional yeah, this episode and it's. It's unfortunate because it's like taking place in south america and they're on tour and it should be like a little.
Speaker 1:I there were parts of it I really liked, but yeah, I agree seems that kind of felt like, yeah, after school special, kind of like don't make assumptions and that's what you're supposed to learn.
Speaker 2:That's pretty true, yeah, yeah. So the orchestra is on tour. Orchestra is on tour and I'm jealous. I want to go on this tour.
Speaker 1:I know, I know, I know it seems, so I don't know, I don't know where they were, but it seemed kind of magical and amazing.
Speaker 2:I definitely saw, like Brazil, and there were certain things you could catch it. You're like, oh, that's where they are, oh, that's where they are, oh, that's where they are. And then, of course, they land in Mexico City. But yeah, I'm going to manifest this, the opportunity to go on a tour of South America.
Speaker 1:I will go on a tour of south america.
Speaker 2:I will go on a tour anywhere out in the universe. Let's be.
Speaker 1:Let's be honest yes, yes, so we were there at the airport. That's where we're starting, and rodrigo and his assistant, michelle, are, you know, in line to get their tickets. And rodrigo is nervous yeah because this is his big homecoming to Latin America and he doesn't know if people are going to be judgmental about him or welcome him back or what it's going to. What's going to be like so?
Speaker 2:that's right, he's, he is, he's very nervous. Everybody else is kind of like in line waiting at the airport for all their stuff to take place and Haley super excited and Cynthia is like I remember when I went on my first tour. Now it's just hotels and I'm like, come on, cynthia, it's still yeah, don't you dare have fun, yeah jaded once again um but it turns out, michelle did not notice that his passport was expired, even though it had like a baby picture of him on it.
Speaker 1:I don't think that's gonna hack it, buddy funny story.
Speaker 2:I've had to renew my passport twice and both times I did it so last minute that I had to have it like express rushed.
Speaker 1:I am not shocked. I am not shocked, but I feel like that's everybody going out of the country that doesn't have the fact, and you know it's like to travel in Europe, don't you need a visa? Now maybe so there's another level of oh gosh. I procrastinated too long. Now it's going to cost me 60 bucks probably means extra.
Speaker 2:I probably won't be going to europe anytime soon.
Speaker 1:Maybe we should all just go ahead and get our visas. Yeah, just in case, just because you never know when a european tour might happen, yeah that's right. It could happen any minute you could be spontaneous any day I like this what if someone wants to whisk you away, like for a lunch in paris?
Speaker 2:you know, you meet like you don't want to say no you don't want.
Speaker 1:You're in like pretty woman and richard gear is like let me take you to rome for some. You know pasta, and you're like I can't because I don't have. I feel like those.
Speaker 2:Those offers now have to with. I got a visa for you, baby.
Speaker 1:It's included.
Speaker 2:The rush to the visa is included in the offer.
Speaker 1:Oh, I want to say some more sweet talk to me, baby.
Speaker 2:So guess who has to be Michelle on tour.
Speaker 1:Oh, haley, I was so angry for her.
Speaker 2:Yeah, she's like saying no, no, no no, no, no.
Speaker 1:And then ultimately, it's like too bad, you have to do this yeah, she wants to be trashing hotel rooms and sleeping with hot latin dudes. I would love that episode if that actually happened.
Speaker 1:That would have made this episode better yeah, not so much, not so much um, so then we see a montage of all the first stop, the first stops on tour before they get to mexico city, and it feels very real actually, because they're they're not letting it look super glamorous, which anybody who's been on tour you know. It's a lot of hotels and airports and uncomfortable bus rides.
Speaker 2:Right, exactly Yep, just kind of shoveling around, sort of surreal. Hopefully they had enough time to see things, but who knows the?
Speaker 1:schedule's kind of crazy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and the last stop is is Rodrigo's hometown.
Speaker 1:Yeah, mexico city.
Speaker 2:They go.
Speaker 1:So they're checking into the hotel and you see virgil with his fake baby. Yes, why?
Speaker 2:why would he bring the fake baby to tour?
Speaker 1:one tour it's. It's the most like. It's the. It's the egg thing that you did in high school where you had to take care of an egg, but it's a baby he's been doing it for like he's been doing it for like six months.
Speaker 1:This is a lot like at some point do you get to just be like all right, I'm ready now yeah, I'll take a real one I'll take a real one now, oh, um, but he's being very specific about you know, you don't drink the water and only get in pink taxis that are that were arranged by the orchestra. We don't need to lose anybody here. Yes, and and warren, of course, is like oh, I, I need to go get gifts for my girls, I'm just gonna go. And I immediately said warren is going to be abducted. I wrote that in my notes warren is going to be abducted. I wrote that in my notes Warren is going to be abducted. He is like the least street smarts of anybody 100% like him wandering around.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's not great. And of course, Haley is riding around in the car with Rodrigo and they're talking about what's coming up and they run into union Bob and DD eating on the street. Except union Bob isn't eating on the street, he's got his lunchables inside his check.
Speaker 1:Well, remember, he's the one that parked, that packed all the toilet paper.
Speaker 2:That's right.
Speaker 1:And the prescription meds. No union Bob is, he's not taking any chances.
Speaker 2:Okay, that makes sense Totally.
Speaker 1:Hey, he's prepared, he knows what his system can handle, he knows what it cannot.
Speaker 2:And meanwhile Rodrigo no longer knows what his system can handle.
Speaker 1:Yes, so he ate some like mystery meat tacos off the street and paid for it. Yep he's got food poisoning, which is not great. You know when he's got a pretty big's. This one review and I did some, some translate, some Google translate, and you know the name of the um. The episode is called regresso del del Rey which is return of the King.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay, and on the um, on the paper, and on the paper it said Return of the King. What side are you on? What side are you on? So I guess the media has kind of picked up on this storyline of are you really from here or are you now like an American?
Speaker 2:Have you lost your?
Speaker 1:allegiances or whatever to Mexico.
Speaker 2:Yes, Yep, yeah, he's struggling with that too. I feel like his identity, you know. But that's also really funny then when he gets food poisoning from the food, because it's like this is American Constitution now.
Speaker 1:Yes, oh, also Haley, let's slip that. Well, she's saying you need to find yourself an assistant while we're down here because I need to practice. Yeah, and I feel her. Okay, she's like on tour with a New York symphony Second oboe nonetheless and she's like I need to practice. And then she says you know, andrew Walsh gets up at 4.30 every morning to practice.
Speaker 2:And Rodrigo's like how the face and you know he's looking rough, and you're kind of like, oh little warren, you silly man yeah, and they're like why are you?
Speaker 1:carrying your violin around you know, like oh, yeah, and he's like, oh, my insurance policy says that I have to keep it on me at all times yes, I don't think that's what.
Speaker 2:Is that a thing? I don't think that's a thing I don't think so let us know people we don't know mine, does not say that. I don't think mine says that. But then again I'd be lying if I said I read the whole thing. So that's true um, yeah, no, he's. He's clearly very shaken up about it and rodrigo has a solution. He has somebody he thinks he can help, he that can help, he has connections, he has connections. So, in comes, Manuel oh. Manuel, manuel I want to go on a joyride.
Speaker 2:I mean, that's what we all tuned in for I want to go on a joyride with Manuel.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he drives a flashy BMW. He's a problem solver.
Speaker 2:He is a problem solver and he is a load of fun.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, and it gives us a little window into what rodrigo might have been like when he was yes, when they ran together I loved, I loved like the all of the exchange when they were just like talking to each other and hanging out, having great time and I'm glad we got subtitles for a lot of it, um, because it happened real fast, but the back and forth is just so funny. And then, and then they're just like, yeah, they're like making stops along the way. You know, manuel's got to pick up his I don't know, is it his sister-in-law, is it his cousin? Is we don't really know? He's like a friend, um, a babysitter, who knows like it's yeah, they're in a bar and they're hanging out and so all the meanwhile, warren is like what, can't we just go to the police and file a report?
Speaker 2:Can't we just? And you know Manuel's like no, no, no, no, no. I'm going to get to the bottom of this. And he's asking for details. He's like I'm going to find out how to get your violin back. You know I'm going to find this thing for you.
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Speaker 1:So they're making all these stops. Meanwhile we flash back to the hotel where everyone's staying and their poolside.
Speaker 2:And this is a cute little scene.
Speaker 1:So Cynthia's lounging on a chair and there's a live music being played and Union Bob comes over and invites her to dance, which is really cute, and then they make a little dinner, dinner date a little deal, have a little no strings attached fun with each other yeah I love that, I love that for her too. Yeah, hayley even gets to relax a little. She's forced to, she's forced.
Speaker 2:Cynthia, yeah, throws her phone away yep, and, and, and, dd's there gang is there. Meanwhile, up above from the window we see Gloria and a very hot looking lover. I don't know when did he come from, it's.
Speaker 1:Pavel.
Speaker 2:Was it Pavel? Yes, oh, I didn't know that. I thought it was somebody. She met down there.
Speaker 1:Oh no, I think it was.
Speaker 2:Pavel. Oh, okay, that's been brewing and they're really doing a thing. I knew that from the last episode, but I didn't know if he would come on tour with them, so that's I mean obviously, well, that's.
Speaker 2:I mean I didn't get a close-up, so who knows if it was really him but she's having all kinds of fun, or she's having fun with pavel, which is equally as great, equally great. Yes, yes, the whole thing in there is having a great. They're having a great time also at the pool, although rodrigo's freaking out because he's calling and haley's not answering.
Speaker 1:But you know what are you gonna do right, um, and I wrote this is a complicated relationship between rodrigo and madelineelle, because he, like, pulls a knife on rodrigo. Yeah well, there's a whole, yeah, so he's.
Speaker 2:So he's in his car and the police start chasing him and we don't know why the police are chasing him, which is kind of a whole like funny sidebar. But then it turns into this wild like a car, like a literal car chase from like an action movie, where he flips around, he gets out of traffic, they evade the cops, they get out and, yes, rodrigo is very mad, understandably, because he's like hey, like I, I like have stuff I have to do here.
Speaker 1:He's like tiktok yes, I have a concert to conduct and like t minus one hour and in all fairness, man was like hey, you don't even know what real life is like anymore.
Speaker 2:Like this is real life, like I'm living a real. So they have this fight, but then the funny part is, like you said, this knife gets pulled and they start laughing together. Meanwhile I wrote poor warren at this point, so I'm like warren is just standing there. He's got to be like what all this is happening. In spanish it's like what is happening right right it's yes it's wild. It's a wild storyline yeah, so they. They find someone who has a violin oh, after, after rodrigo hot wires, a car after he hot wires.
Speaker 2:The car. That's right, they needed a different car so they could go incognito yeah, rodrigo has um all kinds of skills that we didn't know about, just makes it harder so they?
Speaker 1:there's a contact that manuel has who has a violin. It is not warren's violin, but this guy can play violin.
Speaker 2:this is, this is insane, like he's literally playing like the opening. What concerto was he playing?
Speaker 1:Zygmunt Weizen. Yeah, it's like the beginning of you know, a showpiece.
Speaker 2:And he's like listen to this thing, you know. So they end up taking that violin because they don't know where he is. And they're like you know, let's just call the police now and manuel's like, hold on. He's like I haven't.
Speaker 2:It's like just give me a little more time, right, give me a little more time yeah, he's like a detective and we have no idea, like what he's up to we don't know where, like I'm thinking to myself, like he must have some connection somewhere, that's, or he knows, as warren is describing the details of this event to him, he's like getting an idea in his head of who he's talking about. Or, you know, like he, he can help him this way.
Speaker 1:Right, that's, it was a tall guy and a medium guy and they ran down the alley and he punched him the right yeah, the right right handed and yeah, um, so we're.
Speaker 2:you know we're picking up more and more information about that, but now it's getting to be concert time.
Speaker 1:Yes, and I was having a full on panic attack. I'm like this is what I have nightmares about, that I have a concert in you know an hour and I don't have my viola. That's the stuff of nightmares.
Speaker 2:That is the stuff of nightmares the stuff of nightmares.
Speaker 1:The stuff of nightmares. Gloria um talks with thomas on the phone. Who's stuck?
Speaker 2:in houston, which is also.
Speaker 1:I wrote also the stuff of nightmares, totally for multiple reasons yeah, and there's a moment where gloria is like, you know, she, her, she's there to schmooze, she's there to make money for the orchestra, get people to donate, and so she's trying to talk with this um senator delgado delgado and um, it was just I was. I thought it was cute that she was trying to speak spanish I was trying to figure out if he was the.
Speaker 2:Um, if he was the guy I, I think he was in. Uh, for those who watched, if he was in ozark oh, I didn't ever watch that I think, and I think he was very scary in ozark, so I don't know if he's gonna play a good guy. I haven't often seen him play a good guy. I will say if ever okay that actor who's? Delgado and we're not done with him because he's like a pretty recognizable actor.
Speaker 1:So he, you think he's gonna be in the next one.
Speaker 2:I think there's got to be some storyline with him coming up, okay, but they're also talking about Rodrigo's big time mentor, his first teacher.
Speaker 1:Right, he's given this honored seat to, and he's very excited to have him there, and and we haven't seen him yet I don't think no no, um, but apparently everything works out and they get back to the hall in time, because rodrigo is backstage with hayley and he's nervous because, yeah, like you said, this is a significant thing for him. His mentor is going to be there, rivera, and he goes on stage and he dedicates this performance to Rivera, who is not in the box that he had reserved for him.
Speaker 2:He looks over, he doesn't see him and it's like then he just looking and he's hoping that he's there. I'm like, oh, it's okay.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, I felt for him.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:And then they play the huapango.
Speaker 2:Yep, I'm going to play that this week too, are you? I love that piece it's fun, it's really fun.
Speaker 1:Well, anyway, they do a great job. There's a standing ovation, people are super enthusiastic, and then they have the after concert reception and Gloria is trying to get Rodrigo to talk with the Senator who apparently has lots of money. I think they're trying to get money from this guy, right.
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah, but they don't get that chance at the reception he gets to see.
Speaker 1:Rivera Right and they have a really lovely little fun kind of back and forth, and Rivera is a character clearly yeah, yeah, it turns out that he doesn't want to sit in the box because the box seat doesn't have as good acoustics. You can't hear what's going on in the hall, so he likes this specific little sweet spot in the orchestra seating that, um, that has really good balance. You can hear everything, which makes total sense yes, um and oh yeah, that's.
Speaker 2:The other thing too is they have plans to spend time together, so I'm guessing we're gonna get to see that too. I hope I don't know yeah, another episode, yeah I want to see both those storylines play out a little more, but all in all like yeah, just a sort of rousing success for Rodrigo at his hometown and that's nice to see. And it's nice to see Manuel and his wife there hanging out they look fabulous, having a great time.
Speaker 1:And Manuel that dress dress. Yes, that dress was amazing it was like gold and off the shoulder and her hair was like snatched back she looked great and also his suit oh, I didn't notice that as much super, super, super good looking suit.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was like shimmery nice, so sheen to it. Um. So he says you know, rodrigo, to rodrigo, you gotta grab warren and come outside yeah, yes.
Speaker 1:so then we realized that manuel has been like sherlock holmes sherlock holmesing in the background and he has solved the mystery of the violin. And it turns out that Warren was going to ship it back home, but claim that it had been stolen in Mexico and claim the insurance money.
Speaker 2:Yeah, trying to commit insurance fraud, warren.
Speaker 1:Insurance fraud. Yeah, he's struggling. He's living in New York City. He's got like what, three kids, Two in college. Yeah, I mean he's working for a symphony orchestra. That might go on strike.
Speaker 2:He's worried about the strike. Yeah, he feels like he's in desperate straits.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it's not okay to do that, but I can see where he's coming from.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, but I like that it turned out that way. I think it's a lot better than the cliche type of thing that that storyline could have played out with, and right.
Speaker 1:So this was the after school special conclusion got to the bottom of it.
Speaker 2:He was real smart about it and he and he shared how he figured it out and everything and and um, and rodrigo was very upset and also very compassionate and, I think, handled it well and who knows how that storyline's gonna play out. But I thought it was amazing also to see manuel and his wife get in the stolen beater car. Yeah, that rodrigo. Then hot wires for them one more time in their fancy gear from the gala.
Speaker 1:Yeah yeah, he's fun. These are real people, real characters from rodrigo's past, and it was nice to see him reconnect with that version of himself yes it was.
Speaker 2:It was very lovely that the it was. It was kind of fun. It was a to see him reconnect with that version of himself. Yes, it was. It was very lovely that the it was. It was kind of fun, it was a whirlwind. I feel like the episode was like a real whirlwind. Um, yeah, I don't know something about the pace and energy of the city or something like that was kind of cool.
Speaker 1:Um, yeah, but I would be totally exhausted if I was on a tour like this. You have to go on some like caper where you have to find the stolen violin yeah, yeah, it would be a long day oh my god I'd be all about it, though you know that'd be fun yeah, well, mean think of the stories that you had. I know.
Speaker 2:And then you go play with like an extra fervor.
Speaker 1:Yes, yeah.
Speaker 2:So okay it wasn't that bad. The recap was better.
Speaker 1:Yes, the recap, once we boiled it all down. Yes, yes, we hope you enjoyed it.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and stay tuned for the next one. We hope you enjoyed it Absolutely and stay tuned for the next one.
Speaker 1:If you'd like to support the podcast and get access to bonus content, consider joining our Patreon community. You can buy all your musician-centric merch, including shirts, water bottles, koozies and a variety of other fun items.
Speaker 2:Our theme music was written and produced by JP Wogeman and is performed by Steph and myself.
Speaker 1:Our episodes are produced by Liz O'Hara and edited by Emily McMahon.
Speaker 2:Thanks again for listening. Let's talk soon.
