 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: clarinetmama
Date: 2004-03-17 16:56
I had front row tickets to the Minnesota Orchestra concert on Saturday night. I don't normally sit in the front and wouldn not recommend it as you don't get a very good idea of how the orchestra sounds. But, I could tell you every note that was being played on the Nielsen Concerto.
Truthfully of the three pieces I heard that night the Nielsen was the one I enjoyed the least. I was not as impressed with Burt's playing as I would have liked to have been. He seemed very nervous and I thought his sound was inconsistent. I didn't care for his sound on the lowest notes. And I don't care for clarinetists that "leak" when they play. I know in many circles that is acceptable. I find it to be very distracting.
The Mozart Requeim was spectacular. The Minnesota Chorale sang beautifully and the soloists were lovely. The men in particular. The mezzo was the weakest. My "date" and I were looking at her publicity shot in the program, which I am not kidding, had to be twenty years old. For heaven's sake does it really cost that much to get a new photo every few years. The woman in the photo looked like she could have been the soloists adult daughter.
One more thing. The men in symphonies look so great in their tuxes. But some of the outfits on the women are truly hideous. I do know the members of this orchestra get a clothing allowance. In our own symphony it is the same problem. The men look great. And some of the women show up in black outfits that have been washed so many times they are nearly grey. Or they look like they just came from the gym. You don't need to spend a fortune to look nice and professional. Believe me I hate spending my money on clothes. But I never want anyone to notice me because I look dreadful.
Perhaps the wearing of tuxes is outdated and we need to put our members in a unisex outfit. The outfits being worn by our symphony members should not be that distracting. The college Wind Ensemble had to put the females in matching long dresses. While they are not particularly flattering they were better than many of the outfits our students were showing up in.
I sound like my grandmother....but I am certain I am not the only person who has found themself at a concert thinkging, "Yikes, what is that violinist wearing?"
Jean
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2004-03-17 17:19
Quote:
And I don't care for clarinetists that "leak" when they play. I know in many circles that is acceptable. I find it to be very distracting. It's probably much less distracting when you sit further away. I bet if you asked someone twenty or thirty feet away they would have no clue that the performer was leaking.Quote:
I sound like my grandmother....but I am certain I am not the only person who has found themself at a concert thinkging, "Yikes, what is that violinist wearing?" Nope. Unforunately I haven't seen that many concerts, but from attending and performing in them in high school and in my community and college ensembles, I too have wondered what the heck people were thinking. We have people who TRY to stick out (by wearing shirts with frills and waves and all sorts of distracting items) to those who don't keep their clothes very clean (it's not that hard to throw in a load of wash every now and then), to the seductress, to the people who think they're above the 'rules' and think that 'blue' is just as good as 'black'. Of course these are non-professional groups so you really don't have that much leverage in enforcing dress codes, but they should still have some pride in the group.
As for the unisex dress comment, our community band took a step towards that. While at most concerts we still dress in the traditional "tux" for men and "black skirt, white top" for women, we do have a third option which is used mainly in summertime and for less formal concerts (such as a 'kids concert' or for a town celebration where we're not the only/main attraction). We have a blue top that was made by some company with our logo and our band name written on the left breast and we all wear that with black pants. At those times, we ALL match.Quote:
My "date" and I were looking at her publicity shot in the program, which I am not kidding, had to be twenty years old. For heaven's sake does it really cost that much to get a new photo every few years. The woman in the photo looked like she could have been the soloists adult daughter. I've noticed that too. People seem to like the way one photo comes out, and they use it for everything. It's not against the law, although I personally would want a true, up to date representation of themselves. All I can say is I plan on using up to date pictures whenever I'm playing my solos. (HAHAHA! LIKE I'LL GET THE CHANCE!!!!)
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: Katrina
Date: 2004-03-27 05:42
Sorry to be replying to this so late...it had come in under my radar the first time around.
I was at the Thursday performance. I was in the first balcony up, on the left side of the stage (audience view) and the air leaks were less noticeable (sp?) from there. I could still hear them, but since I'm familiar with the piece for some reason I could excuse them. I was incredibly impressed with the legato tone Burt Hara has, particularly in the difficult technical fingering spots.
As far as the Requiem went, I agree about the mezzo. That vibrato was wide enough for a train to go through!
Jean, if you closed your eyes did the orchestra look better?  (JOKE!)
Katrina
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Author: claaaaaarinet!!!!
Date: 2004-03-27 15:47
I listened to and recorded Burt Hara's Nielsen Concerto over the internet. The air leakage wasn't audible in the broadcast. I do, however, have his recent recording of Argento's Cappricio (Rossini in Paris, Reference Recordings 100CD) and the air leakage is very distracting. In fact, I don't know how Reference, known for it's superior engineering, didn't notice/correct the problem. The piece is very good and so is Burt's performance, but the air leaking makes it almost unlistenable for me. :(
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Author: Grabnerwg
Date: 2004-03-27 16:19
In one of the orchestras in which I play we have a female violinist who is very attractive.
She had a certain dress that, shall we say, the gentlemen in the audience found appealing.
The management of the orchestra asked her to refrain from wearing that specific dress to concerts as audience members found it "distracting".
DANG!
Walter Grabner
www.clarinetxpress.com
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Author: Bob Schwab
Date: 2004-03-27 17:41
Pardon my ignorance but what are you referring to when you say a player "leaks?" I don't know what that means.
Bob Schwab
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Author: Brenda
Date: 2004-03-27 18:10
Bob, leaking is when the embouchure isn't quite tight enough around the mouthpiece and air leaks and makes NOISE...hmmm, not nice to hear. The only time I can excuse it is if the rehearsal / performance has been way too long, and you just run out of steam. (Tighten up those corners!)
And talking about black skirts - of course professionals know that skirts should be long enough to remain below the knees even when sitting, and cover enough to not be distracting to the audience sitting below you. I've seen this problem in rehearsal, fortunately only once. Oh, and the (as my mother called them) bow-WOW! dresses, ladies have to be careful of the necklines if we're ever called upon to acknowledge our audience.
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Author: Lon Roach
Date: 2004-03-28 00:38
In Burt's defense....I've had the Drucker recording from the 60's since the 60's and I've never cared for the piece. Perhaps it's the quality that the engineers gave to the recording. It seems very dry to me. I heard Burt's Friday night performance on MPR and found it to be delightful. Burt made me like Nielsen! He added a musical dimension and understanding that to me goes beyond mere technical issues. There was no audible hissing on the radio pickup. I recorded it and had played it back twice the next morning before e-mailing Burt to thank him for the performance and my new view of the peice. Lon Roach
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