Klarinet Archive - Posting 000104.txt from 1999/11

From: "Kevin Fay (LCA)" <kevinfay@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] Auditions (was, hard stuff)
Date: Thu, 4 Nov 1999 18:41:09 -0500

Tony noted re my observations on the hard stuff:

<<<I'd like to know where these 'clueless' auditions occur. Are you talking
about amateur orchestras? Surely not.>>>

Actually, I was . . . that and things like "chair placement" for students in
school.

I have seen more than one community orchestra that has gleefully awarded an
open wind chair to a child (loaded term, that) who has just graduated from
university. Of course, the kid plays a fine audition -- usually a couple of
pieces from their senior recital, learned mostly by rote, showing all kinds
of technique.

After a couple of rehearsals, it becomes clear that what is coming out of
the kid's horn is perhaps not at the same level of performance as what was
heard at the audition . . . and golly, it might have been a good idea to see
if they could actually play in tune with another human being!

<<<On the other hand, it is necessary to guard against the danger of
accepting outright someone who cannot do the job technically.>>>

Certainly; no argument from me. If you can't cut the part, you shouldn't
get the gig.

For some professional gigs in this country, it does become a very hard task
indeed to pick a "winner" when there are many applicants, all of whom could
perform the job -- the audition committee does what they have to in order to
find the "best" candidate. After all, they can hire but one person per
chair.

I'd hope that all auditions and personnel matters for "major" orchestras are
conducted fairly and professionally. I suspect that the vast majority of
them are. I fear that some are not -- I'm thinking here of the ordeal that
Munich put their 1st female trombone player through. (Of course, she won
the screened audition, but the music director refused to accept that a woman
could actually be a good principal).

The point of the post (and this one, too, provided that there is one) is
that there are some passages in the literature that get used as audition
pieces simply because they are difficult, even though the audience will
never actually hear the clarinet amidst the din. From time to time, too
much stock is put into whether or not one can play the opening of Daphnis &
Chloe note-perfectly, when other attributes of one's playing (like tone) can
be overlooked. I wished that this happened less frequently.

kjf

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