Klarinet Archive - Posting 000032.txt from 2010/08
From: "Keith Bowen" <keith.bowen@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Bass Part - Rachmaninov 2
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 2010 13:00:32 -0400
Hi Tony,
Thanks for letting us know how the 'period' Tristan worked out. I was
delighted to make a tiny contribution towards getting the sound of a A bass
heard. It's interesting that Wagner had not heard it himself when he wrote
Tristan, as he had not by that time heard Lohengrin.
That was a fine compromise that Katharine Spencer chose. The Shackleton bass
is indeed sharp to the pitch you needed, but the characteristic differences
of the A bass are most pronounced (and, I think, most exploited by Wagner)
at the bottom end, and most needed in the opening solo. Interestingly, I
heard the same passage played at the Colorado Music Festival a couple of
weeks ago, and found myself wishing for the bass in A! I must try the
Shacklton instrument again now that Daniel Bangham has laid hands on it.
The 'King Mark' solo is in Ab for the A bass and G for the Bb bass. Here is
a clear example of Wagner choosing an instrument that is *not* "right" for
the key. It may have been the tone colour, or he may have perceived a
difference in the character of the instrument being played in a flat key
rather than a sharp key. For whatever reason, he chose it, and, as you say,
the fact that many players choose to play it on the Bb bass is of no
evidential value.
Keith
-----Original Message-----
From: Tony Pay [mailto:tony.p@-----.org] =
Sent: 10 August 2010 15:18
To: The Klarinet Mailing List
Subject: Re: [kl] Bass Part - Rachmaninov 2
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
responded.>>
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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