Klarinet Archive - Posting 000432.txt from 1996/01

From: Neil Leupold <nleupold@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: A swing in the other direction
Date: Mon, 22 Jan 1996 13:42:49 -0500

Dan,

In response to your question regarding whether or not the Mozart concerto
is being performed less these days than before, perhaps this a reverse
effect of the information age phenomenon. Nowadays, people are gripped
by panic-ridden, seemingly alarmist reports of rising crime and growing
holes in the ozone layer, and all sorts of other new and horrific calamities
which are "suddenly" becoming much worse than before. Could it not be that
all of these things have always been there, but news of them simply wasn't
being disseminated as broadly and frequently "back then" as it is today?
When our awareness of our world is broadened, it seems like new
information to us when, in fact, the status quo was humming along in the
background all along without our knowing it.

Assuming that my above logic is feasible, then perhaps the apparent (and
"apparent" is the key word here) decrease in frequency of Mozart concerto
performances is due not to an actual dearth of people putting it on their
concert programs, but due more to a decrease in the dissemination of
information regarding the ones which are still taking place. If the
Fresno Times ('just making that up -- there really isn't such a thing, is
there?) were to start a new feature page in their pink section, wherein
every local, regional, and national performace of the Mozart concerto
received a critical review, we might decide in our minds that the dang
piece is being played too MUCH!

Neil

On Mon, 22 Jan 1996, Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.edu wrote:

> Lots of terrific inquiries recently on reeds, mouthpieces, mechanical
> things. All important. They'll come up again and again. But sometimes
> those subjects don't interest me and I wait for something to pop up
> that does. It's been about a month now and nothing has popped. It
> is time to stir the pot.
>
> Of all the things that have NOT been discussed on this list is a key
> element of most player's repertoire, the Mozart Sinfonie Concertante
> for four solo wind instruments and orchestra, generally, though not
> always, including a clarinet.
>
> Either no one is playing it (in which case it is not surprising that
> no one speaks of it), or else it is so taken for granted that there
> is nothing that need be said about it.
>
> Caution!! In 20 years or so, that work won't even be played very
> much and when it does get played, it will probably be in the flute
> version rather than the clarinet version.
>
> It is tough for clarinet players to lose any repertoire, but a
> concerto by Mozart?????? That's tragedy.
>
> Do you notice how many fewer performances of this work there are
> than there used to be? Is that my imagination?
>
> Comments anyone?
>
>
> ====================================
> Dan Leeson, Los Altos, California
> (leeson@-----.edu)
> ====================================
>