Klarinet Archive - Posting 000093.txt from 1996/09

From: Laurence Liberson <hardreed@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique
Date: Thu, 12 Sep 1996 09:32:01 -0400

David Niethamer said:

> Jacqueline - you asked about playing the 2nd part, and then switching to
> Eb, and Elizabeth Lim said it isn't done. But we do it here in Richmond
> Symphony, because by contract the Eb job is part of the 2nd job. So we
> play our respective parts through the "March to the Scaffold", then switch.
>
> Of course this doesn't solve your Eb clarinet problem, because, while
> *you* are warmed up, your Eefer is not!
>

Exactly!

Depending on the number of clarinetists in the section, you have a
few options:

1) Although I've done this a couple of times, I wouldn't choose to
play the 1st part as written (playing both big and little clarinets,
that is!). Frankly, I don't know too many 1st players who would!

2) As per David's experience, you could play second and switch for
the last movement, being sure to keep the E-flat warm.

3) Since we have four in our section, we don't have that problem,
and with a university orchestra you probably don't either: The 1st
player plays 1st, the 2nd player plays 2nd and the E-flat player sits
on the stage waiting to play the last movement (while the 1st player
catches up on his/her reading!). That's what we do most of the time.
I just make it my point (as the E-flat player, naturally!) to play
along occasionally in the louder tutti spots, especially in the
"March to the Scaffold," in which I play practically the entire
movement on my E-flat.

After all, since the 1st player gets hanged at the end of that
movement, somebody has to take up the slack!

Good luck!

Larry Liberson
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
hardreed@-----.com