Klarinet Archive - Posting 000320.txt from 2000/09

From: Tony@-----.uk (Tony Pay)
Subj: Re: [kl] Schoenberg
Date: Sat, 9 Sep 2000 19:49:39 -0400

On Fri, 8 Sep 2000 09:31:59 EDT, GrabnerWG@-----.com said:

> Sorry...."Pierrot Lunaire" is one of my favorite pieces from this
> whole era.

You and me both, Walter.

'Der kranke Mond' was *the* number, on a vinyl LP recorded by Bethany
Beardslee and an American group, and heard in a fellow-student's room in
Cambridge at midnight, that completely floored me.

I remember, he played us just that track, to start with. I'd never
encountered anything like it.

This was in 1964. Of course, we were just students; but a group of us
decided that we *had* to perform 'Pierrot' in Cambridge. (This was at a
time when performances of the piece in England were *very* rare.)

We knew we needed a professional singer, and wondered whether we dared
approach Noelle Barker, an English soprano who was an acknowledged
expert in new music.

Well, she accepted both our invitation and the very modest fee we
offered; but then, even more amazingly, she asked us all to her house in
Leeds, during the vacation -- 5 days, we stayed! -- so that we could
rehearse it properly.

Looking back, I think this was one of the most formative experiences of
my musical life.

Thank you so much, Noelle.

And, you may have heard of Sir Andrew Davis, principal conductor of the
BBC Symphony Orchestra, ex of Toronto.

He was the pianist.

David Atherton organised the whole thing, and conducted.

(Bravo David, as always.)

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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