Klarinet Archive - Posting 000048.txt from 2011/11

From: leesondaniel899@-----.net
Subj: Re: [kl] Mahler 1
Date: Mon, 14 Nov 2011 14:45:45 -0500

I remind Simon that the bass part is for bass in A as well as bass in B-flat. Since I owned an A bass clarinet, I played the work with 6 clarinets using two Blayman bass clarinet stands, each with two extensions for the soprano clarinets. Everyone said I looked as if I were the proprietor of a clarinet factory.

I did play the D part on E-flat but seriously considered buying a D. Good sense got through to me and I didn't.

It is a wonderful piece!! But I have a vague recollection that the D part is separate from an E-flat clarinet part as expected to be played by the bass clarinet player, though my memory on this matter may be flawed.

Dan Leeson

----- Original Message -----
From: "Simon Aldrich" <simonaldrich@-----.ca>
To: klarinet@-----.com
Sent: Monday, November 14, 2011 9:53:08 AM
Subject: Re: [kl] Mahler 1

>I saw the Rochester Philharmonic play Mahler 2 earlier this year. There were 5 clarinetists for that piece!
> I can't imagine what it cost for all that (2 performances + however many rehearsals).

By his 5th symphony, perhaps Mahler was becoming sensitive to orchestra's budgets :)
In his 5th symphony he gives all the "extra" clarinet parts to one player. The third clarinet plays 5 clarinets: bass, Bb, C, A and D (more commonly transposed onto Eb).
One summer at National Repertory Orchestra, the bass clarinetist didn't have an Eb so we did the 5th Symphony with 4 players. Despite being there as principal clarinet, I had my D clarinet with me so I sat beside the bass clarinet and played the D clarinet parts, occasionally transposing them onto Eb for more zing (the timbres of D and Eb clarinets being quite dissimilar). Plus I took the liberty of doubling the raucous and bells-up sections on soprano clarinets. We were students and not yet sensitized to the contentious issue of honouring composers' intentions :)

Simon
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