 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2003-09-15 03:05
Edit 2/1/06: The interesting additions (thanks Ken et al) mentioned in this thread are in response to the recital of 2 years ago. Please see the following for the review of the concert of this year:
http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=207242&t=207242
A Review:
This Saturday The Duquesne University (Pittsburgh, PA) Mary Pappert School of Music presented "An Evening of Clarinet Chamber Music."
Ron Samuels, clarinet
Natasha Snitkovsky, piano
Jennifer Orchard, violin
Marylene Gingras-Roy, viola
Mikhail Istomin, cello
Scott Bell, oboe
James Rodgers, bassoon.
The PNC Recital Hall is warm and intimate. The humid night did not deter attendance....even with a varsity football game in progress on the campus. A small notice in the "weekend goings-on" section of the Post Gazette mentioned the concert. My wife (a pianist by avocation) and I availed ourselves of front row seats--hey, they weren't reserved -- and settled in for what proved to be a memorable evening.
The openning selection was a Suite for violin, clarinet, and piano by Milhaud.
This piece is full of surprises. Just when you are lulled into reverie by a pianissimo section, thoundrous chords are unleashed from the Steinway grand, and the work shifts gears for a hill-climb. The give and take between the violin and clarinet--and passages in unison--were a lesson in ensemble playing. Marvelous. What a wonderful work to start a recital.
Next came Mozart's Trio K 498 for piano, clarinet, and viola. The viola is, of course, deeper voiced than the violin, so this piece shows more of the difference in timbre between the woodwind and its stringed couterpart.
The pairing of these two instruments, presented just after the Milhaud, shows how the clarinet fares well with both of the upper strings.
After intermission it was time for the winds to take over for awhile.
Ibert's Cinq Pieces en Trio for oboe, clarinet, and bassoon was all too short.
This work features interplay between the oboe and clarinet, punctuated by some sonorous bassoon passages. My wife adores the oboe, and Mr. Bell gave her reason to extoll its sonority. The bassoon part in the Ibert displays the instrument fully. It carries the melodic line enough to show off its beautiful tone...and James Rodgers amply fullfilled the role
The final work was Trio in D op. 3 for Piano, clarinet and cello by Zemlinsky.
I frankly don't know this composer, and can not speak to his(her?) intensions, but the piece is one that makes you ask "where did I hear that melody before?" I think I heard echoes of the Brahms clarinet sonatas and the Dvorchak cello concerto. A pleasant piece, for sure, and I think it is one that cellists, especially, would love. Cellist Istomin has enormous stage presence in addition to formidable talent.
Now to the nitty-gritty....and why you are reading this. This was an evening of clarinet chamber music...Not a solo recital.
It was held at a University, and was well attended by students and faculty from other local venues (Carnegie-Mellon, for certain). Simply put, Mr. Samuels (a member of the Pittsburgh symphony) gave a masterful lesson in ensemble playing!
Sound? How shall I describe it? I will avoid using terms like "dark," since there is so much dispute about its meaning.
Paul Desmond, the incomprable alto sax player, once said that he strived for the sound of "a dry martini." If Desmond is a dry martini, then Ron Samuels is a rich Burgandy. Hope that captures it.
As for the other players....they were superb, and individualistic enough to sustain interest and provide contrasts. . I am not a string expert, but the vioin and viola sounded great to me, and surprised me in how much sound they could generate in a trio setting and still maintain constraint. Every member blended well....with Ron Samuels being the star of the show, naturally, but in a capacity that demonstrates both the featured and subordinate role of the clarinet in chamber music.
Wish you all could have been there.
AS
Post Edited (2006-02-01 15:44)
Former creator of CUSTOM CLARINET TUNING BARRELS by DR. ALLAN SEGAL
-Where the Sound Matters Most(tm)-
Post Edited (2006-02-01 15:56)
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Author: William Hughes ★2017
Date: 2003-09-15 05:06
Alseq:
Thanks for the very complete and enthusiastic review. I had the pleasure of visiting Duquesne this Summer with our son. I was very impressed by the faculty at the Pappert School and the very unique setting of the university. I would have loved to attend this concert.
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Author: donald
Date: 2003-09-15 09:40
thanks for this review
on the topic of the Zemlinsky Trio, he also quotes Mahler at least once.... most of the "quotes" are well disguised however the Dvorak Cello concerto (which predates this trio by only a matter of months if my memory is correct) quote seems really really obvious - he surely wanted his audience to know where the music came from. A great work that deserves to be better known, and is not widely recorded (i can recomend Eduard Brunner on TUDOR CD717)
donald....
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2003-09-15 23:00
Thanks, Donald, for the info about the Zemlinsky piece.
I would like info about the Milhaud and Ibet pieces if anyone wants to jump in....recording recommendations, etc.
To Mr. Hughes....Thanks for the kind words.
Pittsburgh's music education scene is becoming increasingly prominent. The level of wind playing is outstanding, as is the pedagogy.
Both Duquesne University and Carnegie Mellon are ascendant. The foreign press has taken notice of our orchestra, whose membership supplies the teaching at these institutions.
They may not have the prestige of Julliard, Curtis, Eastman, etc...BUT they have a lot going for them. Students would do well to consider them.
AS
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2006-02-01 15:48
Thanks Ken.
Mr. Samuels always picks a great program. The auditorium has nice acoustics and is very comfortable, with easy parking. Always a plus.
It is great that his colleagues from the Pittsburgh Symphony always are in attendance. This must assuredly reflect on his level of musicianship and popularity.
Former creator of CUSTOM CLARINET TUNING BARRELS by DR. ALLAN SEGAL
-Where the Sound Matters Most(tm)-
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