 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: beejay
Date: 2003-12-12 05:12
My head is still pleasantly reeling from 200th anniversary performance of Berlioz's Benvenuto Cellini by the Orchestre National of France last night. The instrumental playing was quite stunningly good. It will be out on CD early next year. Put it on your wish list.
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Author: Brenda
Date: 2003-12-12 11:32
The radio station CBC 2 in Canada had quite a bit on Berlioz yesterday, probably in honour of this anniversary. They had section by section explanations along with the playing of his Symphonie Fantastique, and later on some excerpts of his extensive writings. I was fascinated by his writings about composition, especially his reasons for choosing one instrument over another for certain parts based on the tone colour and range of that instrument. He certainly challenged the conductors of his day, but the cellist he referred to in one orchestra had so little skill that he was glad the cellist mercifully slept through most of the concert.
Berlioz sounds like a colourful character, although if he were here in person he'd have some long, spirited discussions with modern musicians who don't sleep at their posts, opinions being what they are! But it was interesting to hear some of his thoughts about how music is played expressed by someone who lived so long ago - some things don't change.
I would have loved to hear the performance beejay heard - I should look it up, perhaps the current CDs do it some justice?
If he were alive today, what sound system would Berlioz purchase for his home, I wonder? From the sounds of it he would throw the CDs across the room and storm down to the orchestra hall and would be telling the conductor how to do his job.
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Author: D Dow
Date: 2003-12-12 12:44
Orchestre National de France has one of the best woodwind sections in the world...very slick ensemble!
David Dow
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Author: beejay
Date: 2003-12-12 14:23
David,
With Carbonare playing first clarinette and volta playing bass clarinet, it has a head start. But you are right, the whole section performed astonishingly well on such quicksilver music.
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Author: Ralph G
Date: 2003-12-12 16:28
So that's why every time I tuned into public radio yesterday they were playing March to the Scaffold and the Witches' Sabbath.
________________
Artistic talent is a gift from God and whoever discovers it in himself has a certain obligation: to know that he cannot waste this talent, but must develop it.
- Pope John Paul II
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Author: beejay
Date: 2003-12-13 09:58
Berlioz fans who don't know of it already might be interested in reading David Cairns' massive two-volume biography of the man. It is quite simply one of the best books about music and music-making I have ever read, apart from being a wonderful sweep through the history of 19th century Paris.
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Author: diz
Date: 2003-12-14 20:14
beejay - isn't Act 2 - Scene 10 (the crowd scene) a riot. Berlioz' most amusing score - in my opinion. Unfortunately not an opera that's been performed in Australia for a long time. Opera Australia did Beatrice et Benedick (sp?) - not so long ago, which was marvellous.
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Author: diz
Date: 2003-12-15 20:26
beejay - do you have an ISBN number of the book?
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2003-12-15 21:52
Berlioz would have been famous as a writer even if he never composed a note of music. His Evenings With the Orchestra (sometimes translated as Nights with the Orchestra) is a wildly funny and marvelously informative description of musical life as it was lived. It's out of print but can be found at libraries or Advanced Book Exchange (ABI) http://dogbert.abebooks.com/abep/BookSearch . If you're more ambitions, try his Memoirs and Autobiography.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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