Klarinet Archive - Posting 000035.txt from 2006/04

From: "dnleeson" <dnleeson@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Good News/Bad News regarding Sibelius' "Swan of Tounela"
Date: Thu, 06 Apr 2006 10:28:43 -0400

Robert, with respect to the Swan of Tuonela, I once had an
incident with a conductor because of that piece. I refer, of
course, to the bass clarinet part because there are no clarinets
in the work as I remember. Half way through the work there is a
bass clarinet solo passage that goes out of the meter; that is,
as the orchestra and English horn continue in 9/8 (I think), the
b.c. has a wacky quadruplet that sound very much as if the b.c.
player got drunk and couldn't figure out how to keep rhythm.

After two tries, the conductor stopped the orchestra and said to
me, "Bass clarinet. You are not playing measure xxx correctly.
It goes like this. Tum te tum te tum."

OK now. How does one handle this? It was clear to me that he was
not wearing his glasses and couldn't see very well without them.
How does one remain politic in such a circumstance and not create
a minor scandal?

I then said, "Maestro, what you just sang is not what is written
in my part. Respectfully, I have an arhythmic quadruplet and I
think I am playing it correctly." (Notice all the bowing and
scraping?)

The conductor pulled out his eyeglasses and looked at the part
carefully for the first time.

There was a great deal of executive harrumphing and then all
became sweetness and light.

I've never forgotten the piece, that measure, or the incident.

Dan Leeson
DNLeeson@-----.net

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