Jason Schwartzman, one of the show’s producers, said it wasn’t trying to recreate New York in the 1980s, nor were they aiming for a documentary about Ms. Tindall’s life. AIDS had a sweeping impact on the Broadway community in that era. And drug use and casual sex were prevalent. “Our show is not an adaptation, but the book is the touchstone for this whole thing,” he said in a telephone interview. “Blair’s book was a moment when the sheen on classical music was lifted.”

Marilyn Cole, a freelance oboist, was hired to train Ms. Kirke for her role as Hailey Rutledge, the New York City comer with dreams of joining a world-class orchestra. Ms. Cole, who has played in Broadway shows and numerous orchestras, said her primary concern was that the producers would portray her New York peers as petty and backbiting. They didn’t. “I came here and found an oboe community that is really a community,” she said.

She oversees Ms. Kirke’s “oboe playing” on set. (With a few exceptions for credits and selected scenes, the music is from existing recordings that have been licensed.) And, as one might expect, oboe players are the most nitpicky about the actress’s performance. “A lot of the time they say she needs more of a roundness in the pursing of her lips,” Ms. Cole said. “But the comment I hear from non-oboists is that they are happy with her work.”

Indeed, everyone has an opinion. Mr. Weitz grew up in New York City and heard from Orin O’Brien, a family friend who in 1966 was the first woman to become a member of the New York Philharmonic. “She took me to task for all the swearing,” he said, laughing.