Audition and Other Stories

Professional trombonist Hecht uses his own experiences to make an audition for an orchestra spot suspenseful in the longest and best of the eight selections in his first story collection, which will be best appreciated by professional musicians. Gregory Lawton, a bass trombonist, failed badly at his last tryout less than a year earlier, but holds out hope that he will land a coveted position with the Detroit Philharmonic, which will eliminate the need to pay the bills with part-time insurance work and freelance gigs. Hecht gives a blow-by-blow account of the process, starting with the coaching Lawton receives ("Dotted eighths and sixteenths, always. No triplets"), and his analysis of the music he expects will be part of the audition. An injection of artificial drama diminishes the realistic effect the author was clearly aiming for. "Dream Date" is the next best of the lot, but its portrayal of obsession%E2%80%94as a married man seeks out an old and very brief high school flame decades later%E2%80%94is underdeveloped. (Oct.)