 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Rob
Date: 2002-05-22 19:13
Hi!
Is it me or do other people find this piece really hard to appreciate? I love his bagathelles but i the concerto just doesn't do anything for me!
Rob
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Author: Leah
Date: 2002-05-22 20:27
Oh the concerto is great though!!
do you have a recording at all? I have robert plane on naxos and I think he really understands the piece and sounds great!
I think the concerto is a lot like the bagatelles in many ways, although not as dancy. When my mother first heard the concerto she thought it sounded pretty depressing, but I think it grew on her as she heard it more and more. When I first listened to the third movement I don't remember liking it in the slightest bit, but now that I know what it is like structurally and how it develops, I like it a whole lot more.
It is hard at first to appreciate, but maybe if you listened to it from a compositional stand point as well as a musical effect stand point then it would be a little more interesting to you. An important part of learning the concerto, for me, was having a recording to hear the overall effect and also appreciating parts such as when the first movement theme comes back in the third movement rubato part. And, if anything, listen for the terrific endings that Finzi composed for all three. I think those are the best parts of the piece!
Also, you could listen for the interaction and interludes between the clarinet soloist and the orchestra. Those add a lot to the composition as well.
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Author: Kristen D.
Date: 2002-05-22 21:52
I have to agree with Leah. If you only listen to it for its
aesthetic value, you may miss out. I liked it when I first heard
it, but I am a sucker for Finzi. Once you learn to play it, you
will appreciate it much more. The funny thing is that it sounds
easy, but it takes a lot of work to make it sound easy! Give it
a shot!
Kristen D.
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Author: diz
Date: 2002-05-22 22:47
Rob - I'm sorry, I disagree with you here - Finzi is a wonderfully original 20th century composer - but it all boils down to taste - and there's no accounting for that.
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Author: Mandy
Date: 2002-05-22 22:49
I agree Finzi's concerto is a wonderful part of the clarinet repertoire,it does sound relatively easy but is quite a challenge to play well.It spans such different moods and I too have the Naxos recording which I love,Finzi's Five Bagatelles was the first piece of music I wanted to play when I took up the clarinet.
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Author: diz
Date: 2002-05-22 23:49
Did the wonderful Charles Ives compose for the clarinet?
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Author: GBK
Date: 2002-05-23 03:23
diz...In 1921 Ives composed a trio ("Largo") for clarinet, violin, and piano...GBK
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Author: clarinet713
Date: 2002-05-23 03:47
I absolutely LOVE the Finzi Concerto-the second movement has got to be some of the most beautiful writing for clarinet and strings as well-and the way the two compliment each other-ahhhhhhhh I LOVE IT!!! Hope this piece grows on you, Rob!
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Author: GBK
Date: 2002-05-23 06:11
Rob...diz is absolutely correct in his assessment of Finzi as a 20th century composer with a very distinctive and addictive style of writing.
To further understand this great 20th century work for clarinet, I would suggest doing a little reading on the life of Finzi, especially around the time of 1949, and his relationship with Frederick Thurston. See if you can locate and read some of the correspondence between composer and performer..GBK
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Author: Rob
Date: 2002-05-23 08:07
Thanks!
I think i will have to get the score and get stuck into it, not just take the concerto at face value. Anyone recommend a good recording? I have the Emma Johnson on ASV but it is not particualry good i think.
Rob
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Author: clarinet713
Date: 2002-05-23 12:28
The Robert Plane recording that Leah was talking about is the best one that I have heard.
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Author: Jamie Talbot
Date: 2002-05-23 14:03
Andew Marriner of the London Symphony Orchestra has made a beautiful
recording of the Finzi with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.
Thea King made a recording with the Philharmonia some years back which is also excellent.Personally I think that Finzis' clarinet concerto is a wonderful work and prefer it to the 5 Bagatells.
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Author: Gregory Smith
Date: 2002-05-23 20:04
One of the most glorious works written for the instruments from any era.
The Finzi Concerto is not the Copland or Corigliano - nor is it meant to be! But it is by far the best of it's type in my opinion - in the English Romantic Pastorale vein. It certainly is a favorite of mine. It is much more difficult to play than revealed at first glance.
The two recordings that I personally think really do it justice are in order:
Michael Collins (out of print now I think)
and
Andrew Marriner.
The Plane recording on Naxos is OK but lacks a bit of the "abandon" the other two posess I believe.
There are several very self-indulgent performances recorded that leave the listener with the wrong impression of the piece since they are so distorted in their interpretation of what the composer explicitly put on the page. It's very important to find one that is faithful to the printed score in order for the music to speak.
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Author: nzdonald
Date: 2002-05-23 20:11
Larry Combs played this some years back at a conference i was at- great music, pity about the orchestra (it has very hard string parts)...i love this work and think it is great- i have a cassette tape of my old teacher, David Adlam, playing it in 1981 (great tone and legato!) and this is the only recording i have of a "non-english" performer.... the Robert Plane recording is good though.
the thing with this piece is that the last mvt, 1st theme, sounds like tv theme music- don't get me wrong, i love this concerto, but it really does sound a bit light- not a problem in these days of "appeal to the new audience" (great for corporate sponsership etc), but not great when you are in a COMPETITION competing against other instruments with, for instance, BRAHMS concertos etc..... i suspect that this concerto would be performed more the last mvt was more difficult- it would then be on the competition circuit, and in the rep of all the soloist types, and thus played more often.
i've never actually heard of someone "not liking" this concerto though (though i have heard people agree with me on the 1st theme of the last mvt).... i often play the slow mvt in recitals as a filler (not as great with piano accomp, but it works ok) and it can still send a shiver up my spine. People tell me they love it, and that's pretty much what i'm after!
donaldinamadrush
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Author: david dow
Date: 2002-05-29 12:55
I played this piece a number of years back in the late 80s and enjoyed it, however some of the folky elements in the finale ia a spot of weakness musically. The other thing is the ensemble work with the strings is quite hard for average players and I wonder if the piano transcription is any easier....as for being my favoirte concerto of the last century a definite no...but still good to have is a variety type of work for programming.
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