Klarinet Archive - Posting 000807.txt from 2004/01
From: "Karl Krelove" <karlkrelove@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Rossini: Introduction, Theme, and Variations
Date: Wed, 28 Jan 2004 11:18:40 -0500
Rebecca,
I agree with the other responses that it's a bad idea to choose something to
play that's over your head in a performance situation (I'm assuming for the
moment this is either an audition or a grading procedure at school), but I'm
not clear about the situation. What, in this case, is "solos and ensembles"
(is it an audition for a public performance, a grading exam, a class
discussion, something else?) and do you need to play a particular kind of
piece (does it need to have an ensemble accompaniment? orchestra? can it be
unaccompanied or composed to be played with a piano?). Is it elective or are
you required to play for it?
What you should choose to play depends a lot on these parameters. If it
needs to be under six minutes and accompanied by orchestra, you're probably
going to end up cutting SOMEthing up. If it can be anything of your choice,
there's literature available.
Also, you don't exactly say much when you admit to having "a little trouble
with" a couple of measures. How much is a little and what if anything have
you tried to solve the problem (just repetitively practicing the passage
with no plan may not be enough)? High G is often a problem for high school
players (I've listened to my share of County and District auditions). If
they are the ONLY problem, Elise might help you solve it. The problems in
Variation 1 might be as simple as an alternate fingering. In Variation 2 it
might be simply a question of trying to play at too fast a tempo. Or (others
may disagree), for my money if the range is your only problem, you might
just drop the Gs (and the Fs) in Variation 1 down an octave and do the same
with the G (and maybe the E for a little more consistency) in Variation 2,
and then the variations may be much more playable for you.
Aside from the question of whether or not it's right to try to hide from
your own technical weaknesses by cutting and pasting in this way (other
posters have already covered that), another part of the problem with what
you've suggested is that it makes a mess of the piece's structure, jumping
from triplets to quadruplets and then to a completely different "B" section
in another variation instead of the repeat. It's a "Reader's Digest"
approach that is hard to justify if a public performance (or even an
audition) is involved in which your musical taste and sensitivity are as
much on display as your technique. Especially if a couple of fingerings or
octave changes would allow you to play the theme and one or even two
variations intact.
My 2 cents worth.
Karl Krelove
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Rebecca Brennan [mailto:u_cant_kill_the_rooster@-----.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, January 27, 2004 5:40 PM
> To: klarinet@-----.org
> Subject: [kl] Rossini: Introduction, Theme, and Variations
>
>
> I know what I may be getting into by posting this, but I encourage your
> opinions, because I need reactions to this. I'm asking my teacher
> about this
> (our very own Elise!), but I still want to see if there are a lot of
> objections.
>
> For solos and ensembles, I am playing Rossini's Introduction, Theme, and
> Variations. I only have 6 minutes to play, so parts have to be cut. I can
> play half the intro, the theme, one of the 1st three variations, the 4th
> variation and part of the last page. This mainly concerns the 1st three
> variations, because I have weaknesses in all three. In the 1st
> variation, I
> have trouble with the high Gs when you get to measure 9. In the 2nd
> variation, I have a little trouble with measures 3 and 4. To avoid these
> weaknesses, I have devised a plan, which I personally think is
> clever, but
> others may disapprove.
>
> I can play the 1st variation up to measure 7 and a note in measure 8 and
> then jump to the second variation and start at measure 8 where
> the repeat is
> with the pickups to measure 9. When I get to the repeat at 16, I
> can jump to
> the pickups to measure 9 in the 3rd variation.
>
> I like it, but my concern is that others may not. I think that it
> is a good
> way to give a taste of all of the variations while concealing my flaws.
>
> I would appreciate any input. Good or bad.
>
> -Rebecca
>
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>
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