 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Richie
Date: 2016-12-13 05:03
So in a few months I have a solo festival coming up. I want an iconic piece of clarinet repertoire, but unfortunately the skills of the pianist I have to work with are really limited. So my initial idea of Saint Saens is out. Can anyone think of a nice iconic piece, but not to heavy on the piano part? (Carl Stamitz concerto #3 is out because someone is already playing it).
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Author: clarinetguy ★2017
Date: 2016-12-13 06:13
Is your pianist good at counting rhythms? If so, piano parts can been simplified slightly. Notes can be left out of dense chords. Adjudicators listen mostly to the soloist anyway. I haven't played any accompaniments lately (and I never did difficult ones), but that's exactly what I did, and all went well.
If your pianist has a hard time counting rhythms (that happened to me once when I was in high school), it might be worth checking to see if you can do an unaccompanied solo.
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Author: nellsonic
Date: 2016-12-13 08:28
Why not a slow selection like the second movement of the Weber Grand Duo? It's wonderful and has its challenges for the soloist.
I don't think the piano part is overly taxing, although I haven't looked at in awhile. The outer movements are tricky as Weber wrote if for himself and his huge virtuoso hands.
Clarinet repertoire does tend to place relatively heavy demands on the accompanist. Flutists have less issues in this department.
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Author: sax panther
Date: 2016-12-13 14:20
when a good accompanist is unavailable, I always turn to trusty Stravinsky's 3 pieces! I'd say they're pretty iconic.
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Author: ClarinetRobt
Date: 2016-12-13 19:50
I'm with Sax Panther...Stravinsky was my first thought or Sutermeister Capriccio.
Pretty darn iconic. I played Stravinsky my senior year at State UIL (Texas) because I got tired of piano players not performing...I feel your pain.
~Robt L Schwebel
Mthpc: Behn Vintage
Lig: Ishimori, Behn Delrin
Reed: Legere French Cut 3.75/4, Behn Brio 4
Horns: Uebel Superior (Bb,A), Ridenour Lyrique, Buffet R13 (Eb)
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Author: davyd
Date: 2016-12-13 21:56
You can't get more iconic than the slow movement of the Mozart concerto, and the piano reduction shouldn't be that hard. Or perhaps the less iconic slow movement of the 1st Weber concerto?
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Author: clarinetguy ★2017
Date: 2016-12-14 03:27
I just looked at my copy of Paul Reade's Victorian Kitchen Garden, and the harp/piano part doesn't look too difficult.
Other unaccompanied solo ideas: John Mayer's Raga Music and Gordon Jacob's Five Pieces for Solo Clarinet.
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Author: ruben
Date: 2016-12-14 20:35
Dear Richie, I still think that your original idea of the Saint-Saëns Sonata is the best. It explicitly states: "for clarinet with piano accompaniment" as opposed to: "for clarinet AND piano". The piano part isn't all that hard and I've been able to play it with very modest amateurs. Maybe if you both insisted a bit and your pianist mustered up the motivation, he or she could bring it off.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2016-12-15 06:14
This is a solo festival, i.e., a contest. To play your best, you must have a pianist you can trust -- with whom you can share phrase handoffs and who can adjust if things start to go wrong.
This means you have to find a better pianist, even if (heaven forfend) you must PAY that person.
Go to the top piano teacher in town and ask for his/her best student who wants to learn accompaniment and ensemble playing.
Ken Shaw
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