Klarinet Archive - Posting 000141.txt from 2006/09

From: "colin.touchin@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] words and notes
Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2006 07:27:52 -0400

Hi all, maybe when we use the word best part of us is aiming to give
an objective assessment of the quality of composition, the writer's
skill, the originality, the structure, etc.; when we use favourite it's
more subjective, what we like, without necessarily defining why; and
when we say great it's something which we believe has stature
amongst all creations whether for our instrument or not. But we'll
never agree on these words or how we personally use them or how
they're generally attached to works of art - hence we can never agree
about works which might fall into one or other or several categories.
To some degree all of the above opinions are present in some
proportion when we use a descriptive word - and that's why we'd like
to share lists - to see if we can somehow refine our words the better
to understand our notes. There's greatness, goodness and favour in
all the concerti mentioned, but maybe not consistently so. And
sometimes a performance/performer can turn our opinion more
towards or against a work: anyone hearing Charles Neidich's
recordings of the Weber works with the unconducted Orpheus
Chamber Orchestra (which I admire hugely) would probably have a
different reaction to the compositions than someone hearing a more
regulated, prosaic account, if these were the only performances
available from which to appreciate the composer. Those of us lucky
enough to hear many versions of works can get further inside
towards the essence of the work whoever delivers it. As a long-time
adjudicator, one of my pleasures is to ponder the effect the music
I've heard hundreds of times continues to have on me despite any
assault thrust at it by, shall we say, developing artists!
Dan's point about band works, and another comparison of Mozart
clarinet with say Sibelius violin or Dvorak cello concertos, raises the
problem of whether the medium is chosen by the composer to say
just what needs saying and whether it works well enough with those
resources. From the purely compositional point of view, the Mozart
clarinet concerto is as finely and imaginatively written (for solo and
orchestral resources) as any of his late piano concerti, but he wasn't
expressing the emotions that Sibelius or Dvorak put into their violin
concerti; which could lead to a technique versus expression debate.
As a band composer and conductor I agree with Dan there are very
few worthy large-scale band works - The Winds of Nagual by Michael
Colgrass, Music for Prague of Karel Husa, Towards a Dark
Millennium of Joseph Schwantner and John Barnes Chance's
Symphony No 2 would perhaps appear on several lists as more
recent equally worthy examples as the Hindemith, which is not quite
as long as Dan remembers - it packs a mighty compositional punch
in 3 movements of about 18 minutes.
There may be a common thread here - to be truly contentious - is
any great wind music as great as the greatest string quartet or full
orchestra or solo piano repertoire (Beethoven comes to mind .. ) ?
;-)) Best wishes, Colin Touchin

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