Klarinet Archive - Posting 000525.txt from 1995/03

From: Josias Associates <josassoc@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: Configurations: Schubert
Date: Wed, 22 Mar 1995 17:34:18 -0500

To: Laura Bornhoeft

Your message interested me partly because I had performed
"Shepherd" last Sunday (March 12th) as an unannounced encore during a
recital in which the only scheduled composition for that combination was
Gordon Jacob's "Four Seasonal Songs."

Both the singer and I had played with the pianist (separately
though) for many years. There was no one to dictate our configuration and
we arrived at our position locations rather democratically. The singer
stood near the crook or curve of the piano -- as is usually the case --
and I was seated to the right of the keyboard, about a foot behind being
co-linear, and I was rotated about 20 degrees clockwise -- toward the
audience. During rehearsals, we were concerned initially that the
clarinetist and pianist might lose contact with each other, but it turned
out to be a non-problem. We were all comfortable with the arrangement,
and the pianist had no trouble following the singer and clarinetist.
Although I was slightly behind him to his right, he said he was able to
see me with his peripheral vision.

As to how effective that configuration might be, I would defer to
the opinions of the two Klarinet Bulletin-Board members who attended the
recital.

One final note: The jacket of the recording on which Harold
Wright plays the "Shepherd" with Benita Valente and Rudolph Serkin has a
photograph of Wright and Serkin playing. Since the "Shepherd" was the
only piece on the recording that involved the clarinet, I assume that
the singer was present during the taking of the picture but was merely
not in the photograph. Both Serkin and Wright were positioned almost
identically to the way we had performed on the 12th.

I tend to agree with Thomas Labadorf that the singer is the
soloist and that the clarinetist's role is to provide an important
obbligato supporting part.

Connie

Conrad Josias
La Canada, California