Klarinet Archive - Posting 000400.txt from 1995/04

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.EDU>
Subj: Prokoffiev Romeo and Juliet
Date: Sun, 23 Apr 1995 09:22:22 -0400

Today is the final pair of performances of the complete ballet, "Romeo
and Juliet" of Sergei Prokoffiev who had the unfortunate experience of
dying on the same day as Stalin, so no one knows that he is gone.

I am playing the b.c. part and rarely does one find such a thoroughly
musical, enjoyable, and delightful part to say nothing about the
magnificence of the entire score for the ballet.

It is a hard blow under any circumstances and two a day for three
straight days is exhausting. By the time of the second and third acts
of the second performance, one's concentration is completely shot.

Still, the beauty of the score is so haunting that, despite being
numbed, it is still delightful to play. Wonderful piece. I hope
you all have the opportunity to play it some day.

It is brazen bass clarinet writing. Bold. When the young toughs
of Verona are strutting around town showing their stuff, the bass
clarinet is used to show just how snotty these kids are. And
when Juliet (and Mercutio) are dying, the bass clarinet is used
to show how ominous death is. It's the whole gamut of human
emotions with the bass clarinet taking part in so many of them.

I'd work my way through 10 Nutcrackers to do one Romeo & Juliet.

====================================
Dan Leeson, Los Altos, California
(leeson@-----.edu)
====================================