Klarinet Archive - Posting 000831.txt from 2000/05

From: Tony@-----.uk (Tony Pay)
Subj: [kl] 'That audition' again
Date: Thu, 18 May 2000 06:37:44 -0400

Around a year ago, I described an audition for the first clarinet in a
professional orchestra not in the UK, for which audition I had been the
'outside consultant'.

The subsequent discussion on the list turned on two things: firstly, the
suitability of the Mozart concerto as a preliminary audition piece -- I
said it wasn't suitable, others responded that on the contrary, it was
(and I was right;-) -- and, secondly whether, having 'accidentally'
eliminated in the first round behind a screen the person who was doing
the job successfully on a two-month contract, we were justified in
deciding to pass him to the second round on the basis that we must have
made a mistake.

To the question of whether or not we should pass him, my answer was,
'yes, we should,' but the judgement of the union representative, and
what prevailed, was, 'no, we shouldn't.' I continue to maintain that
the preliminary audition process, particularly when it includes the
Mozart concerto, is a very blunt tool, and that if we possess other
relevant information about a candidate's ability, we should use it.

Anyhow, briefly, I want to report that I was invited to return to the
fray this year, again behind a curtain.

Last year's competition was only for three month contracts; so we had
chosen two players to fill the first clarinet position only
temporarily, which I hadn't really understood at the time. And one of
these players *I* had personally preferred, on the basis of the
audition.

*This* year's competition, however, would be for a permanent place in
the orchestra. And this time, the basic audition piece was the Nielsen
concerto, which all *52* entrants had to play, from the beginning
through the fast staccato passage with the side-drum. I think this is a
much more intelligent choice of eliminator for such a position, though
as you can imagine, it was something of an endurance test for us.

Anyhow, to cut a long and necessarily confidential story short, the
upshot was that we wound up again with the two players we had chosen
last time, and *also* with the very one we had thrown out in the first
round, as the final three candidates for the post. They then had to
play all the difficult orchestral passages for us, and to take direction
in how to play them, for us to choose the final winner.

So, this year's poser:

Guess which player we finally appointed.

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

..... Beam me up, Scotty, but leave the others here.

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