 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: BandMom
Date: 2006-01-14 00:21
My son is going to be auditioning for All-State at NYSSMA this year and his teacher has suggested he play Stravinsky's Three Pieces (I'm not sure if this is the exact name, but I definitely know it is by Stravinsky). His teacher also said he would not need to be accompanied by piano. My question is do you think this is a good piece to play for All-State and is it a good or bad idea not to have a piano accompany? This is my son's first try at All-State, he's only in tenth grade but he is a very advanced player. If he doesn't get in this year he will be able to try out for All-state again next year. I'd appreciate your insights on this.
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Author: larryb
Date: 2006-01-14 00:28
The Stravinsky "Three Pieces" is written for clarinet solo with no piano accompanyment. So it's neither a good nor bad idea to play it without piano - it's the only idea.
As for whether it's an appropriate piece for NYSSMA, I'd trust the teacher's advise, assuming he has experience with NYSSMA. In my opinion, it could be good, but it's a deceptively hard piece to pull off. If your son is able, then he should.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2006-01-14 00:51
I am a NYSSMA judge.
As all clarinetists know, the Stravinsky "Three Pieces" are for clarinet solo (unaccompanied)
Checking it in the NYSSMA manual will show that it is also designated as such.
It's a popular choice as an All State audition piece.
Played well it can be impressive - Played poorly it can be horrid ...GBK
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2006-01-14 01:14
I used that for a Youth Orchestra audition in 10th grade and was told by the Director that it wasn't a good choice for an orchestral audition.
She was a Clarinetist too (ended up being Gigliotti's girlfriend) ...........
I played it really well, but she wanted to hear something more along the lines of the Mozart Concerto.
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Author: BandMom
Date: 2006-01-14 01:17
I don't think I stated my question clearly. What I am asking is if it is a good idea to play a piece that is written as a clarinet solo or would he be better off playing a piece which is written for a piano accompanyment? Are you judged on how well you play with the piano, and would it be a disadvantage to play a piece that is strictly a clarinet solo? As you can tell, I am not a musician, I am just wondering if this is a good choice for All-State.
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2006-01-14 01:21
GBK gave it the nod and he's a judge for it. As he said, if the player is strong that it's a good piece, if not than it can be pretty scary. ........
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Author: GBK
Date: 2006-01-14 01:27
Playing a solo with a very good pianist can certainly help the overall performance. Judges can overlook a few minute errors if the overall performance of the two musicians is musically compelling.
With an unaccompanied solo, there is no hiding behind the pianist.
You are on your own and everything gets noticed.
BTW - Of the 44 solos listed in the Level VI section of the NYSSMA manual, 6 are unaccompanied ...GBK
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2006-01-14 15:17
Band Mom,
Good question !!!
There isn't a "good" answer. It falls on the artistic judgment of the performer, teacher and adjudicators.
I tend to play flashy stuff with accompaniment because underneath it all I think we all prefer to be amazed by basically melodious material with flashy bits thrown in such as the Poulenc sonata. When not stipulated....go for the glitz.
............Paul Aviles
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Author: ClariBone
Date: 2006-01-15 01:45
Does your son play confidently?? If he anticipates being nervous, then this isn't the song for him. I'd suggest something WITH accompianiment, because if it is unaccompianied (spelling??) and he gets really nervous, it could be "horrid" as GBK put it. I say this because I usually play better in a group than ALL by myself (even if it is only one person!!!). Perphaps GBK could list some of the less popular audition songs, as it may be difficult to get in on the song that a lot of people are playing. Plus its refreshing for the judges
Clayton
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2006-01-15 02:11
Bandmom,
Let me raise another issue that has occurred to me. You started a thread about your son's teacher not being able to play because of a finger injury and now you are asking about the teacher's selection of a piece for your son.
IMHO, you really need to be discussing these things with the teacher. I know if I was a teacher and a mother of one of my students was posting questions on this BB rather than asking me, I would be a little puzzled as to why.
I believe on an earlier post, you stated that you were happy with the teacher. Is there really some lack of confidence here? You mentioned you are not a musician; aren't you trusting that the teacher is acting in your son's best interests?
HRL
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Author: Jim E.
Date: 2006-01-15 04:30
My son just played these for his student recital this past semester at Rowan U. They are VERY difficult (and not that great to listen to unless you like Stravinsky, I don't!) They are written for A clarinet (#s 1 & 2) and B flat (#3) and he played them that way. Though I guess that without accompianment, it wouldnt matter that much.
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Author: BandMom
Date: 2006-01-15 18:55
Hank
I did discuss the Stravinsky selection for All-State with my son's teacher. He suggested a few other pieces that my son had worked on and also the Stravinsky. He is confident that my son could learn this piece and play it well, or else he would not have suggested it. As some of you mentioned, his teacher also pointed out to me that with the Stravinsky you cannot hide behind the piano part, and therefore, if my son played it perfectly he would really wow the judges. Ultimately, it is my son's decision as to what piece he wants to play.
I was only using this message board as a place to gather opinions from people who know much more about music than I do. These postings were not meant as a sign of disrespect or lack of confidence in my son's teacher, who I am sure has my son's best interests at heart.
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Author: ghuba
Date: 2006-01-15 23:50
I think that getting second opinions is a good idea. As a consultant in a non-music field, I am used to clients getting second opinions (or to expressing them themselves) and do not find this threatening.
Knowledge work -- whether it is music or medicine or architecture or software engineering or law or other professions -- usually involves professional judgments for which there are typically not a "correct" answer that all experts will agree with. [Does every famous and well-informed conductor ask you to play a passage the same way?] In perhaps the most critical of all knowledge fields -- medicine -- preferred and acceptable treatments are often decided by consensus panels that include many highly skilled physicians who look at enormous bodies of evidence, debate their differing views of scientific evidence and clinical cases, and reach a consensus about what should typically be done to treat a particular illness.
Functionally, many of the threads on this BB have inputs from many knowledge experts on the topic in question with the result that frequently a consensus is reached on at least some answer to the original question. Seeking a second opinion is more desirable than blindly following the original advice of one expert, and most experts are not threatened by this at all. Experts are usually quite aware of the topics for which there are many different opinions held by equally expert professionals and do not want to mislead their clients (or students or patients).
From the descriptions you have given of the teacher involved, he seems to be quite supportive of seeking other input. He is to be admired for this position.
George
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Author: Susan
Date: 2006-01-16 20:57
Even though these pieces are unaccompanied, it does matter whether they are played on the correct instruments (A for the 1st 2 movements, and Bb for the 3rd). I don't know how picky the judges at this audition would be, but Stravinsky himself was quite insistent that they be played the way he designated them.
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