Klarinet Archive - Posting 000166.txt from 2004/01

From: Jeremy A Schiffer <schiffer@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] NY Philharmonic concert/clarinetists slighted
Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2004 16:34:53 -0500

On Sun, 4 Jan 2004, Dan Leeson wrote:

> Jeremy A Schiffer wrote:
>
> > Speaking of which, I happened to drop by Avery Fisher yesterday and caught
> > Mark Nuccio playing the Brahms quintet. The playing was superb,
<snip>
> > Aside from a little water problem, my only quibble was with the tempos,
> > as they seemed a bit slow to my ears.
>
> While everyone has a right to make any critical remarks they wish about
> any aspect of a concert, matters of tempi are so very personal that it
> is unreasonable to presume that what is in your or my heads in terms of
> speed is sufficiently accurate than someone else's view is, therefore,
> wrong. Not that you said that, but it is inherent in any criticism of
> tempo.

No, actually, it isn't. The tempo can affect the artistry of a piece,
which is what I believe happened here. Allow me to clarify, since I did
not elaborate in my first message.

In this particular case, for the first several minutes of the first
movement, I felt that the musicians were having a hard time keeping the
piece together. A few entrances were a bit off, and there was a distinct
lack of tension in the music (I realize that's a subjective term, to say
the least, but bear with me...). I wish I had a part in front of me so I
could point to the exact spot, but there was a notable shift before the
recapitulation, and by the time it hit that point (~8:30-9:00 into it),
the performance 'came together,' and stayed at that level throught
the rest of the three remaining movements.

I've been a musician long enough to conjecture about what happened: it
sounded as though they were struggling to settle on a tempo in the first
movement. Anyone who's performed before knows this phenomenon, and I
believe that the slower than 'normal' start may have thrown the ensemble
off at first.

Don't get me wrong, though; the performance overall was spectacular, and
Mr. Nuccio's playing was some of the best I've ever heard on the
instrument. Not a gap in the sound, no inconsistencies in tone, and
beautiful phrasing too. In the larger context of the performance as a
whole, the opening few moments did not - in any way - detract
measurably, which is why I made only a passing comment initially.

> Notes are very much criticizable, phrasing, intensity, etc. But tempi
> are just too variable for there to be a standard.

And never did I call for one. However, I think that for most pieces, there
is a preferred - standard if you will - range, though that range can vary
widely in some pieces (Beethoven 9, 3rd mvnt (I have CD's that clock the
movement anywhere from < 10 minutes to > 19 minutes)) or not at all in
others (Souza's Stars and Stripes (does any wind player not use this to
calibrate their internal metronome to 120?)).

For the Brahms, I happen to own two recordings, and in both the first
movements were taken at least 10bpm faster than Nuccio and co. played them
yesterday. Was the tempo "too slow"? Objectively, no. But did the slow
tempo possibly affect the opening few minutes of the piece? I would have
to ask one of the performers to be sure, but my hunch is yes.

-jeremy
http://klezmer.org

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