Klarinet Archive - Posting 000381.txt from 2004/09

From: "dnleeson" <dnleeson@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Waterson trios
Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2004 09:27:36 -0400

Howard, I can't be of any help to you about a recording of the
Waterson trios, but I did want to mention that I wrote a piece
for the Instrumentalist magazine about 30 years ago which spoke
of the 10 worst clarinet works ever written and which included a
Waterson composition. The one I attacked was "The Mozart
Pretentious Clarinet Quartet." It was, of course, the Waterson
quartet which I never was successful in playing with anyone
because we always ended up laughing. In one session in New York
City, the wife of one of the players went into labor while we
were playing the piece and we refused to stop until we finished
the movement. She was yelling, "Oh!! My water burst." And we
looked at her, said, "We need another 10 minutes," and went right
back to the insanity of that piece. I don't believe that any 4
players can actually play the work without stopping occasionally
to laugh.

Of considerable curiousity to me is who Waterson was and what
motivated him to write such elaborate clarinet ensemble pieces
including both the trios and the infamous quartet.

Dan Leeson
DNLeeson@-----.net

-----Original Message-----
From: Howard Shertzer [mailto:shertzhg@-----.edu]
Sent: Wednesday, September 22, 2004 6:08 AM
To: klarinet@-----.org
Subject: [kl] Waterson trios

I wonder if anyone knows if there are any recordings of the James
Waterson
trios for 3 Bb clarinets.
He wrote 2 Grand Concertante trios. They are great fun to play,
in spite of
the lack of a place to breathe for two pages on the first part.
I have searched the internet to no avail. I would love to know
how a
professional phrases these trios.

Howard Shertzer
Email shertzhg@-----.edu

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