Klarinet Archive - Posting 000759.txt from 2000/06

From: "Alf Hörberg" <alf.horberg@-----.se>
Subj: SV: [kl] Mozart Concerto - Quintet?
Date: Mon, 19 Jun 2000 19:21:34 -0400

John and Tony!
First of all I want to apologize for some very badly chosen words in my last
message. I didn't mean to accuse anybody of being a rapist and nobody should
be ashamed. Accept my apologies from the bottom of my heart.
I was writing in an instant affect and lost my respect for others opinions
and ways of dealing with music that I don't necessarily agree with.

Music is a fine art. It's a performing artform along with theatre. The
problem and the advantage with performing arts is that it takes a performer
to put the art to life.The performer has a responsibility to educate himself
to a maximum to give the art full justice. He has to use his skills,
intellect, experience and HEART to produce/reproduce the music and make it
become a part of himself and not before he has come to a full conviction
should he perform the music.
Does this apply to your project?

To me, the Mozart clarinet concerto is a piece of art that I in my heart
compare with Lionardo's "The last supper", in the "Santa Cicilia delle
grazie" in Milano. They have both survived against very bad odds. After the
2nd world war, all that was left of the church was dirt. Except for the wall
where the fresco was painted. To see the pictures how, with a surgical cut,
the fresco was saved to future generations is truly amazing. Like if it was
meant to be.
1977 an enormous restoration work started to clean it from mold and dust.
They spent weeks and month for every square inch to find the original paint
from Lionardo's hand. They finished recently after more than two decades of
work.
The Mozart concerto has a similar, if not so dramatic history. It has also
survived against very bad odds. The manuscript is possibly for ever gone.
What is left for us is a version printed in 1803 and 199 bars for a
bassethorn in G. Since a few decades a restoration work is ongoing. As far
as I'm concerned it's up to any skilled clarinetist to, out of love, respect
and understanding of the piece, give his own version of what he think is the
truth. In my opinion it doesn't necessarily include arrangements since the
main effort should be to present a complete, not a minimized concerto. The
only contribution will be more mediocre performances of a great piece of
music.
Some pieces of art should be sacred. There is only one Mona-Lisa, one "Last
supper", one Sistine chapel, one St. Peter's Church and one Mozart clarinet
concerto.

I know I'll be accused of being melodramatic but this is truly the way I
feel.

Alf

----- Original Message -----
From: Tony Wakefield <tony-wakefield@-----.net>
Subject: Re: [kl] Mozart Concerto - Quintet?

> Hello Alf,
> I am sorry you feel this way. I do not wish to insult you, or indeed any
> other player/performer, least of all Mozart.
> But I am indeed very serious. Would you allow me to ask you what is the
> difference between the concerto, that is the <solo> part, being
accompanied
> by an orchestra, a wind band, (there has been an arr. in the publishers
> catalogues for years), an electronic reproduction, A piano reduction,
(which
> I dare say has been used several times for performance in addition to
> rehearsal) or a string quartet. If the guy is stuck out in Central
Australia
> without an orchestra, and he has string players who wish to be included in
> his idea, and he has the part prepared, then why not let him go ahead. I
> agree that an Eb clarinet arr. is unthinkable, and I will be the first
> person on the planet to refuse him. As a composer myself, I cannot see the
> point of view where some consider that music can be considered to be
> <masterpieces>. There have been <masterpieces> written which have never
seen
> the light of day, in their original form, due to composer/publisher
> disagreements. Mozart/Beethoven, the whole range of who we call Masters
have
> had run ins (at some stage of brilliant composition) with their publishers
> who have insisted that they (the composers) must make changes - cuts etc
> etc. In fact it is known that publishers editors have made almost new
> compositions in their quest for sales. Mozart was indeed a great master,
but
> what a <bloody> life he had trying to make a living. The poor sod just did
> not know how to make it work as a profession. He did not have any business
> acumen, and I dare say he spent his money as soon as he earned it. What a
> wasted life. What a waster! Today, we all hold a different view,
mistakenly.
> Had he been alive today in the 21st cent. he would still be asked to
perform
> his music of course, for <so little money> that he <will still die a
pauper
> in the year 2035>, because he would still be the same person, sadly, with
> out the where-with-all how to make it work. One has to take <business
> opportunities> in every sphere of life, whether one is an engineer, or a
> composer. An engineer will build a bridge and be paid the appropriate
amount
> of remuneration for his efforts. Do pop stars receive fair remuneration? I
> do not need to tell you that serious composers also do not.
> There is far too much idolatry in serious music, these days. To divert
> momentarily - I purposely did not enter into the conversations re the
basset
> clarinet/concerto . I wanted to learn as much as possible, as I know very
> little of the history of it. But now it has calmed, it has to be seen as
> fact that the solo part is a mish mash of Mozart and Stadler, and his
> publishers editors. I believe it will remain forever so. As an
> <arrangement> if you like. So, continuing with idolatry in serious music -
> it compares to young people going overboard when they see Michael Jackson.
> Handel wrote his Messiah in a couple of weeks or so. He did <not> see God,
> he saw 3 full plated meals to make him fatter twice a day. He probably
> spewed up over the original copy of the Hallelujah Chorus.
> It`s false and unfair to criticise me (and John) when we have to earn a
> living in <this> world, just as much as you and the bridge builder. I
don`t
> want to be referred to as a Master in 250 years time. I want to earn a
> living in the year 2000. Mozart did not, in his era. If I can do that by
> playing and teaching Clar./sax., playing piano, composing and ARRANGING,
> instead of being a rapist, or a critic, then I would wager your annual
> salary against mine that Wolfgang himself would have said "Go ahead".
> Best wishes,
> Tony Wakefield
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Alf Hörberg <alf.horberg@-----.se>
> To: <klarinet@-----.org>
> Sent: 18 June 2000 18:41
> Subject: SV: [kl] Mozart Concerto - Quintet?
>
>
> > John and Tony, who can be serious about such a project. Here, people
have
> > spent half a lifetime researching, arguing, thinking, trying-out and
> > experimenting trying to restore this piece. It's an ongoing discussion
> about
> > small things like, if this note should be played an octave lower or that
> > note should have one sharp or not. Than this comes up, hey, let's get
the
> ax
> > out and demolish the piece and see what happens. It shows such a lack of
> > respect for this master-piece and the people who have put down thousands
> of
> > hours of research that you should be ashamed. It's like cutting
Mona-Lisa
> > out of the picture for the background didn't go with the wallpaper.
There
> > are other pieces to commit rape to that are less fragile than the Mozart
> > concerto. Just get the hands off the concerto and play the quintet K.581
> > since you have that instrument setup available
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Tony Wakefield <tony-wakefield@-----.net>
> > To: <klarinet@-----.org>
> > Sent: Sunday, June 18, 2000 5:58 PM
> > Subject: Re: [kl] Mozart Concerto - Quintet?
> >
> >
> > > John,
> > > I havn`t heard of this in U.K. before, but if you are <serious> about
> this
> > > project, if you can find the means to finance it - for example a
> > publisher,
> > > I will certainly look at the possibility of reducing the orch. acc. to
> > > string quartet. Mail my e-mail address to discuss further please.
> > > Tony W.
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: John W. Sheridan <otare@-----.au>
> > > To: <klarinet@-----.org>
> > > Sent: 18 June 2000 01:42
> > > Subject: [kl] Mozart Concerto - Quintet?
> > >
> > >
> > > I am considering performing the Mozart clarinet concerto in next
year's
> > > Eisteddfod here in Alice Springs and as a full orchestra is neither
> > > available, much less practical would like to know if any arrangements
> for
> > > a string quartet are available - 2 violins, viola, cello/bass.
>
>
>
>
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