 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: theclarinetist
Date: 2003-12-31 05:11
The more CDs I get and the more clarinet music I hear, I often wonder why many of these pieces are not performed much (assuming they're not). For example, the Corigliano Concerto (which isn't new to me, but it's one of my favorites). How often is a piece like this performed? What about other modern concertos like Milhaud (as mentioned in another post) or McKinley (there are many to name, I'm just thinking of a few). Some other pieces like the Bozza and Tomasi concerto can't even be found on recordings that are currently in print (to the best of my knowledge).
Will these pieces ever be "common rep" for more than college juries? Furthermore, and on a somewhat related note, why are clarinet concertos so rare at symphony performances (at least in the cities that I've lived in). I live in Houston, and it seems like every single Houston Symphony program has a violin or piano concerto, but hardly ever a clarinet (or flute, saxophone, guitar, french horn, trumpet, harp etc). Why is this?
I'll think about the Corigliano concerto because I'm very familiar with it. It has some features that I think would discourage performance. For example, having off-stage players all around the hall, and having to re-arrange the players on stage between the 2nd and 3rd movement. As a person planning a concert program, I would think that things like this would make a song less desirable for performance. Is this a real problem, or am I just thinking to much? It seems like as a composer of modern music, you have to reconcile your artistic license with your desire to have to piece widely performed, if such demands in music make them less likely to be performed.
Any ideas on this or reason why wind (and "other") instruments and modern pieces seem to be so under-represented on concert stages (or do I just happen to live in a city whose symphony never features wind players)?
THanks
Donald Hite
theclarinetist@yahoo.com
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2003-12-31 05:18
I don't know for a FACT, but heres what I'd wager . . .
My logic would tell me that the reason there aren't as many clarinet feature performances as violin feature performances would be due to the sheer number of clarinet performances available compared to those of a violin or piano. The clarinet is a fairly new instrument, and while it definitely has great pieces to perform, if clarinetists performed more concertos in a season, there would be less time to cycle through again. I mean, would you want to hear the mozart concerto by a principle clarinetist every other year? My guess is yes but would the general audience want it? No. They would want variety. So they keep it few and far between for clarinetists.
Violins however have been around since the Flintstones roamed the earth. And so they have a lot more reportoire to choose from. Hence they get to play more.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: theclarinetist
Date: 2003-12-31 05:26
It's true that clarinet has a smaller rep, but smaller than the piano or violin isn't saying much! I think if we fully exhausted the rep, we could go for a decade+ without having to repeat a piece (obviously, no one except clarinet players wants to hear a clarinet at every program). I've never even seen the "old standards" like Mozart and Weber on a symphony program (I did see the Copland in Oklahoma City Symphony. That was the only time I've ever seen a clarinet concerto on a program). The funny thing is that almost every single piano concerto I've seen at the symphony is either Beethoven or Mozart. The piano has a dizzying repetoire of concertos alone, and I wouldn't be suprised if 90% of them rarely ever get to a live audience more than a few times. It's kind of a shame.
Don H
theclarinetist@yahoo.com
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2003-12-31 23:15
Pittsburgh did the Copland recently
Todd Levy did the Hindemith with his orch.
I would love to hear the Rochberg performed live.
I wish the Corigliano clar. work was as lovely as the ("red")violin concerto.
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Author: mnorswor
Date: 2004-01-02 04:35
The simple fact is that clarinet concerti do not sell as many tickets as violin, piano or cello concerti. It's a sad truth, but a truth nonetheless.
--Michael
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Author: D Dow
Date: 2004-01-02 21:03
The Carl Davis concerto is very melodiC AND AUDIIENCES LOVE IT!!!
David Dow
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Author: CPW
Date: 2004-01-02 21:08
DDow....is there a cd avail or sound byte available of the Carl Davis concto.?
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Author: Keil
Date: 2004-01-03 20:16
In March Anthony McGill will be performing the Copland with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. You're more likely to find the Copland and Debussy on a concert before you find the Mozart. Maybe it's due to it's length. The 1st mvt. alone is 12 minutes +
I think the reason you find more violin and piano concerti performed is because there are more violin and piano soloist, supply and demand. I think an audience in general would get more excited to hear a virtuostic violin or piano work seeing as how virtuosity on these instruments is common place in the majority of their repetoire.
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Author: rbell96
Date: 2004-01-03 20:29
People do program clarinet concertos! In the last year I have heard:
Copland
Mozart (twice!)
Debussy
Nielsen
Weber
Rob
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Author: donald
Date: 2004-01-04 04:46
um, i've got some news for you- the Copeland and Hindemith concerti, great as they are, don't really count as "Modern" pieces... pretty soon they will be a whole century old (well, ok, not THAT soon).
Concerti from New Zealand that you could try out or listen to=
Eve deCastro-Robinson Triple Concerto (for Eefer, Beefer and Bass)
John Ritchie Clarinet Concertino (almost as old as the Copeland admitedly)
Both of these pieces are great works that keep the audience happy and aren't too impossible to get together. Recordings are available from SOUNZ (on the web- all prices in NZ$ so don't freak out if it looks expensive). The John Ritchie piece is played by an american clarinettist Marina Sturm (formerly Principal Clarinet of the NZSO). Look them up, order them, and listen to some good music from the other side of the world (not Australia).
donald....
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Author: theclarinetist
Date: 2004-01-04 05:04
My question was 2 sides: whether making modern pieces more difficult to perform discouraged performance and why clarinet concertos (and concertos for other instruments) in general seem to be performed much less often than concertos for clarinet and piano.
I don't think these pieces (Copland/Hindemith, etc) are being labelled as "modern" and in the same league as the Corigliano (from a performance standpoint). Rather, they are likely being produced as evidence that clarinet concertos are performed with some regularity.
DH
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Author: rbell96
Date: 2004-01-04 07:57
I live in England.
The Mozart was played by the Philharmonia and Michael Collins. Emma Johnson is doing it in March with the Philharmonia of the Nations. Copland was the BBC Symphony with Sarah Williamson, Nielsen with Royal Scottish and Ronald van Spaendonck. Debussy with Spaendonck and BBC National of Wales.
Weber has been done at college with the conservatoire sinfonia if it counts.
Also heard Carter Concerto and Stravinsky Ebony with Michael Collins and the London Sinfonietta.
Rob
Post Edited (2004-01-04 08:23)
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