Klarinet Archive - Posting 000550.txt from 1998/07

From: <SDSCHWAEG@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] More solos....
Date: Sun, 19 Jul 1998 22:44:53 -0400

In a message dated 7/19/98 7:47:24 PM Central Daylight Time,
charette@-----.org writes:

<<
Chris,
You may have played all these pieces, but have you really played them well?
Some of these pieces could easily take a couple of years to play reasonably
well - ask any grad student! I understand your wanting to expand your
repertoire, but possibly you might want to go back and re-try a few pieces.
When Morales tossed in the Concertino at ClarinetFest to fill in for an
absent performer, it may not have been played to my taste, but it sure was
done better than any high school player I've ever heard. Now, I've never
heard you, and you may possibly be able to play it as well as Morales - but
if not, then consider going over these pieces again. Most of the pieces you
named are part of the backbone of the repertoire and could probably benefit
from even more work on your part.
>>
I agree with Mark! The Mozart Concerto alone could take years to master (and
is on just about every audition list, and so deserves continued work).
Remember, too, that mastery of a piece of music goes beyond the ability to
play it technically, and interpretation develops with age and experience. Ten
years from now, you'll likely look at a lot of these pieces differently, and
again ten years past that. Don't consider them "finished" just because you've
worked on them once! Suzuki students continually and systematically review
their repertoire, all the way back to "Twinkle" - there's always more to
learn! You might consider reworking one of these you haven't used already for
contest this year, but if you want something new, I don't see Brahms or
Schumann on this list, the Rabaud or Messager Solo de Concours, or anything
contemporary - maybe the Osborne Rhapsody - or even the Finzi Five Bagatelles
- not a real "serious" piece, but nice for recitals. You've got a lot of
years ahead of you, Chris - cover all the ground you can, that's commendable,
but be sure you're not rushing through too fast. Best of luck!
Susan Schwaegler
Augustana College

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