Klarinet Archive - Posting 000897.txt from 2000/06

From: Keith <100012.1302@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] klarinet Digest 21 Jun 2000 18:54:32 -0000 Issue 2342
Date: Thu, 22 Jun 2000 00:45:52 -0400

Message text written by INTERNET:klarinet@-----.org
>From: "Diane Karius, Ph.D." <dikarius@-----.edu>
Subject: RE: [kl] Conductors--Rant
Message-ID: <1DB5CC80F8E@-----.EDU>

Someone (I forgot who) wrote:
> > I'm oftentimes struck at how little the players actually bother to lo=
ok
> at the conductor. =

> Looking at the conductor can be dangerous under the right =

circumstances - a group I play with recently performed Rhapsody in =

Blue. The conductor was adamant in trying to conduct the opening =

gliss. In the first rehearsal, I started the run up from the g and =

she gave beat 4 of that measure - the sound heard was not a gliss, it =

was me swallowing my reed:-). =

> The conductor solved the problem once and for all at the =

performance - the walls were white, she was waving the traditional =

white baton, and wearing something with long white sleeves. My =

depth perception under those conditions is sufficiently poor that I =

couldn't pick out the down beat from the other motions no matter =

what I did. =

<

Some of my best friends are conductors, but conducting the opening of
Rhapsody is tasteless, bizarre and counterproductive. They have to be
disciplined here. A good method is to look at them pointedly for the down=
=

beat at the start, then, pointedly and obviously SHUT YOUR EYES
while playing the gliss. Most of us can memorise this much. And keep =

them on their toes by dwelling just a little longer than they expect abou=
t =

a quarter tone below the top C. =

Keith Bowen

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