Klarinet Archive - Posting 000187.txt from 2004/04

From: "Bryan Crumpler" <crumpletox@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] Re: Int'l Competitions w/out Int'l Jury
Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2004 22:56:56 -0400

<< it became apparent that those judges voted against me for concerns that
my playing style was "too European" (whatever that meant). >>

=========================================
From: "Joseph Wakeling" <joseph.wakeling@-----.net>

These aren't the same people that changed the name of the French Fries in
the government dining halls, are they? :P
=========================================

HAHA! Umm... The competitions were in Texas. Had a bit of George W influence
in there. But.... I doubt it really made any difference since the judges
were from elsewhere in the states. Thanx for the laugh.

=========================================
From: "Don Hatfield" <dhatfield@-----.org>

Oh, no...will this turn out to be a "light sound versus dark sound" thing???
Or are we talking the interpretive style, or even a combination of the two?
=========================================

I don't know... one of the comments was "I'd like to hear a warmer sound in
the upper register" - my high notes tend to be piercing at loud dynamics I
guess... but when they're close up and not in the "audience" per se but at
some table 10 ft in front of you... I don't know how "warm" a clarinet sound
in the upper register really can get.

In the Masterclass we had midway through the competition, the woman on the
panel said something about European wind players being too virtuosic. Guess
that goes to the heart of what a lot of Europeans say about the American
style being too conservative and boring. But I'm not European... Last I
checked, virtuosity - within reason - was not a bad thing. But those
clarinetist that just go in helicopter spins when they play is probably too
much. I remember seeing the Berlin Phil one time on TV when I was just
starting in '92, and since they were on risers, you could see everyone in
the back. The clarinetist was movin' around in his chair so much he could
have started his own airline.

======================================
From: "David Blumberg" <FilmPromotion@-----.net>

[snip1] Afterwards he shared the Judges Scores with me and on Dynamic Range
one Judge gave him a 1 out of 5 points, another gave him a 5 out of 5 points
- FOR THE SAME TASK....
It sure isn't like Olympic Swimming Scoring!!!! [/snip]

[snip2] At the risk of offending any of our European members, the Judges
were
possibly inferring that your tone was too dark, too weak, too polite -
who the hell knows....[/snip2]
======================================

Hmm... well, it certainly isn't like Olympic scoring. It's all subjective...
no scoring system at all for some of them. There just seems to be no real
weighted criteria or quantitative data that could qualify a performance.

But regarding the sound... I would opt for "who the hell knows". Too dark,
too weak, too polite don't describe my sound or performance style at all.
Haha...

---

Bryan
http://www.whosthatguy.com

Chatten met je online vrienden via MSN Messenger. http://messenger.msn.nl/

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