Klarinet Archive - Posting 000294.txt from 1999/11

From: Tony@-----.uk (Tony Pay)
Subj: RE: [kl] More about 'that' audition
Date: Mon, 8 Nov 1999 20:58:11 -0500

On Mon, 8 Nov 1999 20:57:58 -0500, webler@-----.net said:

> > Indeed, all the candidates played the Mozart really quite badly, and
> > after the first round, we were worried that there would be *no-one*
> > good enough for the job.
>
> Just for my own curiosity, what stood out about the poor performances
> of the Mozart? Was it sloppy fingering, poor articulation, lack of
> dynamics, over exaggerated dynamics, incorrect tempos, or all of the
> above?

Well, I suppose all of these in varying degrees. Not so much technical
inability as misconception of what is required in this sort of music.
If someone isn't rhythmic, not because they can't play rhythmically, but
because they think that romantic rubato should be the norm, how can you
assess their rhythm?

As I tried to indicate elsewhere, it may be that in the US the situation
is different. This concerto seems to bring out the worst in people in
some cultures. It's as though it betrays that they have the wrong
musical background. And given that in Italy, say, most of them play
from the Ricordi edition, how can they not?

I well remember listening to a student on a postgraduate course, who had
never played Mozart for me, playing the piece for some other professors.
It was all I could do not to bury my head in my hands at the thought
that they might think *I* had anything to do with how he played.

(In fact, shamefully, I may have done just that.)

Tony
--
_________ Tony Pay
|ony:-) 79 Southmoor Rd Tony@-----.uk
| |ay Oxford OX2 6RE GMN family artist: www.gmn.com
tel/fax 01865 553339

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