Klarinet Archive - Posting 000009.txt from 2001/10

From: "Lacy Schroeder" <LacyS@-----.org>
Subj: RE: [kl] Great orchestral bass clarinet part
Date: Tue, 2 Oct 2001 14:11:52 -0400

Dave-

Speaking of Suk and bass clarinet parts....I played Joseph Suk's Pohadka
last year with the orchestra at my school (I was playing principal) The
bass clarinet part only plays in the last movement and only has whole
notes. The guy playing bass clarinet thought it was pretty funny. At
least he had a good sense of humor about it! It's a wonderful piece,
however. The third movement is a lament over the death of his
father-in-law, Dvorak, and is one of the most beautiful things I've ever
heard. I'm so glad that my orchestra conductor at school is a Czech
music nut!

Lacy

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Dave Spiegelthal [mailto:Spiegelthal.Dave@-----.COM]
> Sent: Monday, October 01, 2001 8:38 AM
> To: klarinet@-----.org
> Subject: [kl] Great orchestral bass clarinet part
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> If anybody wants to hear an orchestral work with a bass=20
> clarinet part that's
> truly dynamite, listen to Joseph Suk's "Asrael" Symphony. =20
> Suk was a pupil (and
> son-in-law) of Dvorak, apparently not well known in the U.S.,=20
> but the works of
> his I've heard thus far have terrific bass clarinet parts. =20
> His music, if you
> had to describe it in words, seems to be an amalgam of Dvorak=20
> (no surprise
> there), Mahler, and maybe some Vaughan Williams or Benjamin=20
> Britten. The bass
> clarinet has a hugely important part in "Asrael", not only=20
> adding color and
> harmony throughout, but often carrying the melody. There's=20
> probably more good
> bass clarinet in this work alone than in a dozen typical=20
> symphonies by just
> about anyone else. I also recommend any of the English=20
> orchestras, as their
> bass clarinetists uniformly have a marvelous sound. My=20
> current recording is by
> the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic conducted by Libor Pesek=20
> (1991), and it is
> fabulous in every way. Suk's works are not too easy to find=20
> in stores, but are
> available from the larger Internet CD retailers.
> David Spiegelthal
> Calverton, VA
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