 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Liquorice
Date: 2003-09-16 20:33
Last night I attended a concert of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, on tour in Switzerland. They played the overture to 'Tannhaüser', Schoenberg's Variations for Orchestra, and 'Ein Heldenleben' by Richard Strauss.
I expected a lot for their famous clarinet group, and I was quite disappointed. Tannhaüser opens with a unison solo for clarinet and horn. Larry Combs and the horn player weren't in tune. But worse than that, they didn't blend at all. To play with horn you need to make a sound that is somewhat "open" and hollow. Mr Combs's tone was bright and reedy. Perhaps he was having a bad night?
John Bruce Yeh played the Eb clarinet excellently. However, he was always too loud, and even in the tutti sections it sounded like a concerto for Eb clarinet whenever he played!
Mr Combs and Mr Yeh are both outstanding instrumentalists. But from the concert last night, it sounded to me like they just played their own instruments well, but didn't take the "bigger picture" into account. Has anybody else observed this trend?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Bob A
Date: 2003-09-16 21:41
Could the acoustics in Hall , your seating, or other audio variables have colored your report?
Bob A
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Douglas
Date: 2003-09-17 14:07
Let's see: the horn and clarinet were not "in tune", and it must have been the clarinetist fault. Why not at least partially blame the horn player? Live music can be disappointing because it's real, complete with flaws! Combs has already produced enough beautiful clarinet playing for a lifetime. He is now about 65 years old and deserves a break now and then. And so the Eb clarinet was too loud...oh my gosh, let's alert the media.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: William
Date: 2003-09-17 14:15
Often, when you are "on tour", it can be a different accoustical nightmare with each performing venue having it's own particular array of weird voicing problems. I second Bob A's suggestion and would cut the CSO (and their excellant clarinetists) a little slack. I am certain they were trying their very best to be their usual Chicago "Orchestra Hall" selves.
(don't know 'bout the Swiss cheese effect--some holes in that theory to fill in........)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Liquorice
Date: 2003-09-17 15:16
Sorry- perhaps my posting was a bit harsh. I didn't mean to put down these fine players. It's just that we're having a festival in Luzern, and orchestras are coming in from all over the world. I've heard several other great orchestras in that fine hall, without problems of tuning, blend and balance. I guess I was just really expecting a lot from the CSO, and especially their famous clarinet section.
Douglas wrote "Why not at least partially blame the horn player? Live music can be disappointing because it's real, complete with flaws!"
I did actually say that the clarinet AND horn weren't in tune (with each other). One would expect good intonation and blending from an orchestra that's supposed to be on an international level, even in live performance. If Mr Combs's age is the problem, then perhaps it's time for him to move on?
Actually I have no doubt in the playing abilities of Mr Combs and Mr Yeh. I just found it interesting that the problems I heard had to do with their ensemble playing.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: ron b
Date: 2003-09-17 16:50
We all have our "no good, rotten, very bad days"; no matter how much we try not to - it just happens. What were some of the good things about the concert? I'm sure it wasn't all as rough as the few spots you mention.
- r![[cool]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/cool.gif) n b -
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Liquorice
Date: 2003-09-17 17:17
That's true Ron. There was some really excellent playing in the concert. The concertmaster played very beautiful solos in 'Ein Heldenleben'. And I was blown away by the brass sound as a whole. They had such a big, warm and round sound. Often when a brass section plays loudly it can become a bit harsh. But with the CSO brass, their tone colour didn't deteriorate at all in the louder dynamic levels.
Actually Larry Combs played some beautiful solos in the Strauss too. And John Bruce Yeh really had a great sense of humour in the "Til Eulenspiegel" quotes.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2003-09-17 19:07
Liquorice -
Larry Combs and Dale Clevinger are as good as they get. I've heard them both play live, and everything has been perfect.
The explanation is most likely the altitude or the weather. I remember quite well a concert by the Chicago in Carnegie Hall shortly before Clark Brody retired. He sounded dreadful, and disastrously out of tune. I mentioned it later to Kalmen Opperman, who said he had met Brody after the concert and was treated with a tale of woe about reeds. Everything that worked perfectly in Chicago wouldn't play at all in New York. Brody was terribly embarrassed. Kal said he made a reed for him, which worked perfectly at the next concert.
Did you have a chance to hear them a second time, after they got acclimated?
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2003-09-17 19:45
Hi Everyone,
Let me take this post a different direction. One reason that is so difficult for me to attend a school band, orchestra, or choir concert is that I did that stuff for so long (unless the grandchildren are performing and then it is marvelous, just like in the movie "Music Man").
I guess I knew too much about what was to happen, what did not happen, or what happened instead. That kind of sensitivity can mar your appreciation for an otherwise magnificent performance. Perhaps Liquorice was focusing too much on the clarinet action at the expense of hearing the overall tonal fabric of the performance.
I'm sure there were probably some "problems" in other sections and/or with other soloists. That stuff always happens and most of us probably miss it for lack of familiarity with the particular instrument.
HRL
Post Edited (2003-09-20 12:38)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
