Klarinet Archive - Posting 000028.txt from 2010/08

From: Tony Pay <tony.p@-----.org>
Subj: Re: [kl] Bass Part - Rachmaninov 2
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 2010 10:17:59 -0400

Ken Shaw wrote:

>>I suggest, however, that readers skip the last few messages, which were a=
renewal by Tony of his criticism of me personally, to which I unwisely res=
ponded.>>

Whereas I, of course, suggest that you read them:-)

The performance of Wagner's Tristan Act II under discussion in those
messages turned out interestingly. Katherine Spencer played the solo
most beautifully, but was forced to use two instruments, one in A and
one in Bb. This was because the bass clarinet in A from the
Shackleton collection proved to be too sharp (around A=3D443) to have
working well over its entire range at A=3D437, which was the pitch we
had already chosen. However, she thought it worthwhile to play the
beginning of the solo, which is all in the low register, on the A,
even given the considerable logistical difficulties of getting TWO
bass clarinets to Baden-Baden and back -- among other things.

Daniel Bangham and Katherine were able to have the instrument
beautifully in tune for this part of the solo, but were defeated when
the instrument was required to go into the high register as part of
the subsequent orchestral tutti.

I again thank Keith and others who contributed to this effort; and
reiterate that where matters of artistic judgement are concerned, and
where Wagner himself was shown to have requested the bass clarinet in
A, the opinions of run-of-the-mill orchestral players of whatever
ability are of no particular interest to us -- particularly when
reported second-hand by a source that is demonstrably intellectually
unreliable.

Tony
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