Klarinet Archive - Posting 000139.txt from 2009/11

From: "Forest Aten" <forestaten@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] Re: Magnus Lindberg chamber music repertoire query
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:45:11 -0500

Wow...sounds like a "bloody" affair. LOL

Thanks for this information.

-----Original Message-----
From: Simon Aldrich [mailto:simonaldrich@-----.ca]
Sent: Sunday, November 15, 2009 4:40 PM
To: klarinet@-----.org
Subject: [kl] Re: Magnus Lindberg chamber music repertoire query

"The Clarinet Quintet is very difficult. I have played it twice and
recorded it for CBC.
The clarinetist needs to be able to double-tongue for long stretches
(like in a lot of Lindberg's music)."
Forest wrote:
"Simon. Thanks for this info. Can you describe the double-tongue
sections in more detail? i.e. temp, not values...etc."

The Quintet starts with groups of eight 32nd-notes, quarter = 72
(equivalent to 16th-notes at quarter = 144).
Most people can single-tongue this quickly in bursts but not for
extended periods of time, which is the essence of this piece (repeated
32nds for long stretches).
Sometimes the eight 32nds become nonuplets or 10-tuplets (ie faster).
At measure 168 the tempo is quarter = 108 with repeated sextuplets.
For most people this obliges double-tounguing over long periods.
At measure 211 the tempo drops to quarter = 63 but there are repeated
10-tuplets.
And then the coup-de-grace near the end of the piece: at measure 367
the tempo jumps to quarter = 108 with repeated 32nd octuplets (try
saying tiki tiki tiki tiki in one beat, quarter = 108). At that tempo,
the detached notes are as fast as one can physically *double-tongue*
them. At one point the clarinet has 7 straight bars of detached 32nd-
notes but luckily it is in unison with the viola and cello so you can
go only as fast as the cellist's arm can scrub 32nd-notes at 108.

My description might seem to paint a vulgar picture of the piece but I
listened to it again last night and it is an excellent piece.
------------------------------------------------------------
Simon Aldrich

Clarinet Faculty - McGill University
Principal Clarinet - Orchestre Metropolitain de Montreal
Principal Clarinet - Orchestre de l'Opera de Montreal
Artistic Director - Jeffery Summer Concerts
Clarinet - Nouvel Ensemble Moderne

------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------