Klarinet Archive - Posting 000276.txt from 2003/04

From: "Wendy Bosma" <bosma@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Piccolo +Eb (was: floor hamsters)
Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2003 00:33:33 -0400

How can you say that it wouldn't be much different from 2 Bb clarinets?
Have you ever heard an eefer, Bill? This talk about an eefer choir is going
to give me nightmares! Most of the conductors I've played under won't even
let me take my pretty Eb out of its case. One of my favorite conductors,
whose name escapes me at the moment, once asked me, you know how to get to
eefers (or two piccolos) in tune?

Shoot one of them.

He did eventually let me play Grainger's Lincolnshire Posy, but it took a
lot of persuading. Maybe John Varineau can help with his name. He's old
and cranky and one of the best conductors I've played for. He's very
strict: during rehearsal there is no talking, no playing even one note
extra after you've been cut off, and when it's time to tune you better be
paying attention. At the time he was conducting the staff band at Blue
Lake. I guess it was 1997. I want to say that his name is short, like one
or two syllables, and possibly starts with maybe a "B"? I can't believe
I've forgotten his name; he was one of my favorites.

Wendy

-----Original Message-----
From: B. Rite [mailto:b1rite@-----.net]
Subject: RE: [kl] Piccolo +Eb (was: floor hamsters)

Seriously, I don't see how piccolo + Eb would be much different than
(say) 2 Bb clarinets, which has been done many times. If you don't
like high pitched instruments, then it wouldn't work for even one
instrument, of course, much less two or three or four (EEFER CHOIR
!?!?!?) of them; but combining two different high-pitched instruments
could increase the variety of sound character a bit, which would help as
the pitch approaches the top of our hearing and perceived variety
diminishes.

I wonder if Sean Osborn is listening ??? <heh! heh!>

If you want to hear some stunning piccolo concerti, easy on the ears - I
promise you - (and one flute concerto), I recommend:

"Les Concertos Pour Flute-Piccolo", Vivaldi, Calliope CAL 6630, which is
available from B&N online among other places. I mistakenly posted that
Rampal is the soloist, but when I looked more closely, he's the
conductor. The piccolist (?) is someone named Jean-Louis Beaumadier.
This CD also has "7 Fantasies" for piccolo by Telemann.

Cheers,
Bill

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