 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Dana
Date: 2005-09-22 18:39
Hi,
I am looking for a solo for my neice to play at solo & ensemble. This solo will also be used to audition for a scholorship with a local community college. I am not sure what level she is at. I know she is in the top 3 in her clarinet section of about 15 clarinets. Any ideas?
Thanks,
Dana
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Author: Gandalfe
Date: 2005-09-22 18:50
Hmm... community college. Well these are nice:
Mozart's Clarinet Concerto in A minor, KV622
Brahms' Sonatas for Bb Clarinet and Piano, Opus 120
Jim and Suzy
Pacifica Big Band
Seattle, Washington
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Author: GBK
Date: 2005-09-22 19:21
Gandalfe wrote:
> Hmm... community college. Well these are nice:
> Mozart's Clarinet Concerto in A minor, KV622
> Brahms' Sonatas for Bb Clarinet and Piano, Opus 120
Yawn........Those would probably be the LAST pieces I would recommend.
First, let's take a step backwards. It is virtually impossible to recommend a solo without knowing the level that the student is at. Being in the top group is meaningless, as we do not know how well the "top group" plays. In some schools, the best students are incredibly gifted, while in other schools they are marginal, at best.
Next - In reading the question, the implication is that the student does not have a private instructor. Therefore, learning the Mozart or Brahms works without help of an instructor is foolhardy. One would have to asssume that there will be others auditioning, with the help of a private instructor, who have, at least, gotten proficient at some of the major aspects of the solos.
BTW - If the student in question has a private instructor, what is he/she recommending that she play?
Last - after having served on audition committees and judged competitions, the Mozart Concerto, Brahms Sonatas and Weber Concertino are played (or butchered) by practically everyone. It is very difficult to impress a committee with a piece they have heard and compared to numerous players in the past, hundreds of times.
I would consult with the current band director for an idea of the approximate level that the student is at. The director can look at the published list of solos used for their state festival (ex: NYSSMA in New York), and then find a solo that is played less frequently than the 3 or 4 major clarinet works that everyone will undoubtedly play.
In a crowd, it often pays to be a bit different...GBK
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Author: bflatclarinetist
Date: 2005-09-22 20:14
I agree with GBK. One lesson I learned while trying to attempt pieces obviously harder than my level:
"Just give up and try again in another year or so when you get better and it'll be easier"
and my audition experience playing something that I wasn't very confident about went terrible. You have to be 100% sure that you'll be able to play it confidently (and even when you're nervous) because what I tried to was impress the judges but it was vice versa, I got nervous and screwed it up big time.
So hopefully my experience will come useful to picking an audition piece for her!
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Author: Markus Wenninger
Date: 2005-09-23 07:03
That´s strange, You know - indeed "it pays to be different", but what does it mean? I don´t want to hurt any feelings here on this bboard-but, honestly, I fear that this difference mentioned isn´t the one spelled with capital "D", Dana´s position included. I´d hate to play something "nice" - play anything but something that doesn´t leave a stone unturned! Solo clarinet is dangerous and difficult, wonderfully and beautifully so, and the niece may not win the audition but venture a step forward into realms where the paths aren´t so downtrodden motorways like the Brahms and Mozart (oh I´d love to hear somebody slaughter a Mozart-piece, oh yes!, but doing so with fierce intention, not out of technical failure).
GBK is right, the initial question has to be who the niece is and what she´s up to as a performer, so get things started.
Markus
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2005-09-23 14:03
Is Pierre-Max Dubois 'Sonata Breve' still popular with players?
The Saint-Saens sonata is still a favourite of mine, though I still can't do the last movement up to speed.
But the LH Ab/Eb key is really needed for both of those pieces, otherwise it's a case of sliding the RH little finger from upper register Eb to Db, followed by an Ab to Gb in the Saint-Saens.
Then the Schumann Fantasiestueke which I've just sight read through this week along with the CD (eventually - I've had the music for about a month now), but definitely do the first movement on Bb clarinet (I've got an advantage here as I can use the low Eb as a mid stave Bb on my full Boehms, thus preserving the tone quality of that note instead of using the throat Bb). The last movement is great, but best played on an A clarinet.
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