Klarinet Archive - Posting 000623.txt from 2003/09
From: "Stephen C. Moore" <stmoore@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] Francaix Concerto Questions
Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2003 02:08:45 -0400
Hi Fernando,
I get what you're saying and I've decided I'll leave the part untransposed and
just "suck it up" :) I spent about 4 hours this evening trying out sections
of the piece and even working small sections up to tempo. I think its doable
at the reduced tempi (In the recording with Francaix conducting, he takes it
slower -- especially the 4th movement)..
I figure I could probably learn a page of it in the amount of time it would
take me to enter the part into Finale and transpose it anyway :)
--
Stephen C. Moore / stmoore@-----.edu
Technical Assistant, CS Department, New Mexico State University
Fernando Silveira said:
> Hi Tony and others,
> I am sorry to write, once more, to the list about that subject but I think
> that some points should be cleared.
> There is no dubts about the qualities of the Françaix's Concerto. But, for
> me, become a doubt about for what instrument it were composed: that should
> be the best contribution to clear all that stuff.
> Compare that case (Françaix Concerto be played on A clarinet) with the folow
> exemples:
> **How would you fell, and judge, a very high level performance of the Mozart
> Clarinet on Bb clarinet, played on a serius Symphony audition??? Or attend a
> chamber music recital and hear, for exemple, the entire Stravinsky Three
> Pieces played on Bb clarinet???
> My answer is that the player can be a very good musician, but missed, a
> litle, the respect with the author's wishes. And, maybe judging on a
> contest/audition, if there are two or three players on the same level, the
> jury would choose, for that reason, another player that show more respect
> with that. See, historical aspects are inheret to a good musician.
> We have to be in mind that when the composer start to write the music, they
> choose a particular timbre that he wants. Why Molter choose write a clarinet
> concerto for "D" clarinet??(please, it is not just a deal with keys) Why so
> many composers (Ravel, Stravinky, Strauss, etc.) choose write important
> passages for Eb/D clarinets (some passages not in high range of the Eb/D
> clarinets)??? TIMBRE.
> So, for those reasons, I said to Stephen to "think about that". I didn't
> said it is wrong or somethink like that.
> I am convinced that any good clarinetist can, for shure and without see the
> player, know if one masterpiece, like Françaix, has be played one a diferent
> clarinet them indicated on the music.
> For me the main quality of a good musician is, like Tony said, "inspiring,
> entertaining and moving your audience" and not "show that you are [just] a
> musician worthy of winning an international competition", but, as a clarinet
> specialist, you will never put aside tecnic aspects of the literature of
> your instrument. Of course we, that play clarinet, should be more concerned
> about inherent aspects of the clarinet that the simple "audience" do not
> know. For that reason the audience is not allowed to judge on a contest.
>
> All the best
>
> Fernando Silveira
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Tony Pay" <Tony@-----.uk>
> To: <klarinet@-----.org>
> Sent: Monday, September 22, 2003 7:59 PM
> Subject: Re: [kl] Francaix Concerto Questions
>
>
>> On Sun, 21 Sep 2003 15:38:42 -0600 (MDT), stmoore@-----.edu said:
>>
>> > Recently I received my copy of the Francaix Clarinet Concerto and
>> > thought it might be a very effective competition piece. I do have
>> > some questions though..
>>
>> Yes, it might be a very effective competition piece.
>>
>> I well remember encountering this masterpiece on a tour of Australia. I
>> had just played the Mozart concerto, and was invited to a student party.
>> The first thing that happened was that someone showed me an LP of the
>> Francaix, played by a French virtuoso, and asked me what I thought of
>> it. I had to admit that I'd never even *heard* it. Smirking, they then
>> played it to me, and I came to realise that what I'd done myself that
>> evening paled into insignificance by comparison. I'd obviously have to
>> go away and regroup.
>>
>> (But I never made it.)
>>
>> > 1) I have always heard that the greatest hinderance to this piece is
>> > the fact that it is in the key of B major, making many of the passages
>> > akward. Would it be legal for me to load the part into Finale and
>> > transpose it for A clarinet, providing I don't give my copy to anyone?
>>
>> Actually playing the concerto was never 'possible' for me; but my
>> opinion is that it would certainly be legal -- and perhaps even
>> desirable -- to do this. Certainly, 'Francaix's understanding of the
>> clarinet' doesn't IMO preclude it.
>>
>> [snip of other questions to which I don't know the answer]
>>
>> Fernando said,
>>
>> > Hi Stephen, you said you would attend some contest with that concert.
>> > Is it true? If so, you should be more concerned about transpose it for
>> > A clarinet. As I alread be a member of the jury of some international
>> > clarinet contests, I can say to you that any good clarinet player will
>> > know if you play it with an A clarinet. Think about that...
>>
>> Gosh. Then they'd all be out to *get* you, of course.
>>
>> An international clarinet jury (note the lower case) is much more
>> concerned with what instrument you played it on -- and whether that made
>> it *easier* for you than it was for the others -- than whether you
>> inspired, entertained and moved your audience with how you played it.
>>
>> Hence the lower case. Because I also have already been a member of
>> such a jury, I'm not so cynical about juries.
>>
>> But of course, if you aren't capable of inspiring, entertaining and
>> moving your audience, you may well want to take his advice.
>>
>> Fernando further said:
>>
>> > No, I am saying that on one contest the main meaning is that any
>> > attendant should have the same level of dificults and show their best
>> > with the same conditions.
>>
>> That's the *main* meaning, you see. Not to show that you are a
>> musician worthy of winning an international competition.
>>
>> On the other hand, I understood rather that the Francaix concerto was to
>> be a part of Stephen's chosen concerto repertoire, and not a set piece
>> to be played by all competitors.
>>
>> Sean then said,
>>
>> > I think it's a great concerto, and hope it doesn't remain out of
>> > print.
>>
>> With the greatest respect for Sean's view, and with an already
>> established respect for Sean himself, I totally disagree. I think it's
>> a tawdry potboiler.
>>
>> (Someone will now tell me that that's because I've just admitted I
>> 'can't' play it:-)
>>
>> Bye the bye, how are you doing with the Castelnuovo-Tedesco Sonata,
>> Stephen, now I've finally actually completed the research for you?
>>
>> http://www.woodwind.org/Databases/Logs/2003/05/000449.txt
>>
>> Tony
>> --
>> _________ Tony Pay
>> |ony:-) 79 Southmoor Rd Tony@-----.uk
>> | |ay Oxford OX2 6RE http://classicalplus.gmn.com/artists
>> tel/fax 01865 553339
>>
>> .... Bottomless pit of needs & wants.
>>
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>
>
>
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