Klarinet Archive - Posting 000180.txt from 1995/01

From: Claudia Zornow <claudia@-----.COM>
Subj: Prelude and Dance
Date: Tue, 10 Jan 1995 14:05:47 -0500

Anne Bullwinkel asks about James Richens' "Prelude and Dance".
I performed this piece with the Foothill College Symphonic
Wind Ensemble back in 1987.

Truth to tell, I'm not happy with how I did. As Anne says, parts
of it are difficult, and I didn't negotiate those as well as I
would have liked (sorry, Anne, I have no helpful suggestions!).
My tone left a lot to be desired too; I cringe when I hear the
recording now. But that was years and many lessons ago, and I
hope I'd do better today. It was an excellent learning experience
to perform a solo in public (especially since I was never a music
major and have never played a jury or a recital), and I'm glad I
got the chance to do it. The piece itself is actually lots of fun--
have a good time with it!

By the way, Joel Jaffe and I were at the concert that Dan Leeson
described. James Earl Jones was a wonderful narrator, of course.
The composers certainly did use the orchestral forces in vastly
different ways. They didn't use exactly the same orchestra, though--
it took the percussion section quite a while to set up for each new
piece. According to the program, there was originally supposed to
be yet another piece on the program--by a 29-year-old composer, no
less--but it was announced that he had not been able to finish the
piece in time for the performance. A lesson in the risks of
procrastination!

Claudia