 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-10-03 13:08
I've just had a call to do 'West Side Story', though it seems this is a new pit orchestra arrangement - and there's only one bass clarinet (on reed 4) in this version - and no oboe or cor anglais which is what I'd want to be doubling on as well.
Has anyone played this new version?
The organisers are going to look into this new version to see if it's any good (though there is no score for it, so they'll only know what it's like when played through) - if not, I hope they do the version I did last time, and I definitely want to do Reed 3 again.
The last time I did it the reeds were:
Reed 1: flute, picc, clarinet, alto sax.
Reed 2: Eb, Bb and bass clarinet.
Reed 3: flute, picc, oboe, cor, Bb & bass clar, tenor & bari sax.
Reed 4: flute, picc, Bb & bass clar, soprano & bass sax.
Reed 5: bassoon.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2006-10-03 13:15)
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Author: Terry Stibal
Date: 2006-10-03 15:02
This differs from the last two versions that I've done, where the Reed 3 book only included bass clarinet, clarinet, tenor sax and baritone sax. As I recall, in the last version I did the bassoon and bass sax were also in the same book; don't recall the number however.
I would imagine that there are a number of arrangements kicking around for this one, as I recall the very first that I did (back in the 1960's) having flute in the Reed 3 (but not piccolo/octave flute). Go figure.
One thing that I found less than charming about all of the versions was that the tenor and baritone saxophones were primarily used as a color instrument rather than in parallel to the altos. Other than for "Cool" (which has a neat bari line) and for the "Promenade" prior to "Mambo!", you might as well not even have brought the thing. Ditto the tenor, which only has two prominent phrases that I can recall.
(One good thing about this was that you could put the baritone away after the first act. One more load out to the car taken care of before quitting time.)
All of this scrambling around in the books is probably the price of looking for such demanding instrumentation; I know any number of doublers who will not touch bassoon any longer, and over the past ten years or so, I've done more and more shows where the oboe and cor anglais part are left uncovered.
West Side Story does have that wonderful bass clarinet counterpoint during Anita's last solo turn. Why Lenny didn't set that for 'cello is beyond my ken, but I' glad that he did it the way that he did.
leader of Houston's Sounds Of The South Dance Orchestra
info@sotsdo.com
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-10-03 15:19
I wa sdisappointed by the bari sax writing - like you said it's a 'colour' instrument, only really being used for short, shock notes and very little legato playing.
But yeah, the three bass clarinets going hammer and tongs towards the end is fantastic, and only reed 3 stays on bass clar throughout that number while reed 2 and 4 change.
I'm meeting some other players this evning to see what they think - but they're trumpet players, so doubling isn't an issue for them (they only have to worry about mutes and the odd bit of flugelhorn, not juggling with several different instruments, reeds, embouchures and fingerings!).
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2006-10-03 18:05
I recently performed West Side Story at the Ash Lawn Opera festival.
The arrangement you described sounds like the one we used.
Reed 1 Flute/picc clarinet sax
Reed 2 Flute Clarinet Sax
Reed 3 (optional) Flute Clarinet Sax
Reed 4 Flute (opt) Clarinet Bass Bari.
Seperate Bassoon book, no oboe.
I believe I have the above correct. If this is the edition you have there were many typos, along with many tiny little solos and melodies missing.
I performed the Reed 4 book of which you are speaking. There were a couple places where the switches between bass and bari were impossible. Also, a large portion of the Bass playing was to be left tacet if a bassoon was present (for example...all of "Maria" which I think was no 5 in this book).
Generally speaking, this was a dissapointing and frustrating arrangement.
It was doable however...because we had the original score nearby.
James
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-10-03 18:54
That sounds like the one - I'll bear it in mind that it's not all that brilliant, but the show isn't until early February so there's plenty of time for the music director to sort any problems out - and with any luck, he might get the (better and more challenging) arrangement that several of us in the orchestra have done before.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: BobD
Date: 2006-10-03 22:36
Haven't played it but love it and just had the pleasure of viewing "The Making of West Side Story", LB conducting a superb pickup orch and "lots" of woodwinds. IF you haven't viewed this docu. on DG perhaps it would help your interpretation.
Bob Draznik
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-10-03 23:10
Was this the one with Kiri Te Kanawa complaining about the air conditioning doing her throat in, and also Jose Carreras getting in a right old strop and storming out?
I don't think they were the right people for the parts they did, but I did enjoy watching/listening to the orchestra - was anyone on here at that recording?
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2006-10-03 23:12)
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Author: BobD
Date: 2006-10-04 10:48
Yup, that's the one. This was abt. 3 yrs before Carreras had his health problem. Well, it was C's first (and maybe last?) venture outside of opera.
I guess LB selected the cast....I thought it was appropriate.
Bob Draznik
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Author: Erdinet
Date: 2006-10-06 01:35
I just got the call to do the reed 4 book as described above. I was curious as to the amount of Bass Sax in it. It is playable on Bari Sax? It is better to be covered on bass clarinet? It is a high school production and of course they do not have a bass sax (or an Bassoon in all probabillity).
Adam
"There is a big difference between kneeling down and bending over."
-Frank Zappa
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2006-10-06 02:38
There is no Bass sax...just bass clarinet. Sorry if my previous post mislead you!
James
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-10-06 17:11
I think they already have a player to do reed 4 - shame as I'd like to do bass clarinet.
But that depends if they're going to use this version.
I've got my fingers crossed for the other version I'm familiar with as it's using most of my resources (everything except alto sax, A clarinet and alto flute) - I do some of the high clarinet stuff on Eb instead of Bb as the reed 2 player is also in unison with me in these same bits (even though they're on Eb for them - why not reed 3 on Eb as well?), and I do some of the tricky 'Jazz' runs on soprano sax instead of clarinet as they're around the break and throat notes on clarinet, and I can get around a soprano sax moe fluently.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2007-02-07 13:58
Right, we had a run through it on Sunday, and I think this version is dire - too many parts in unison with a lot of the inside parts missing, and as Tobin mentioned "I believe I have the above correct. If this is the edition you have there were many typos, along with many tiny little solos and melodies missing."
Indeed.
But for me as there's a LOT of flute and piccolo on my part (Reed 1) I should come out from it a better flute/picc player than I went in.
I'll just have to look forward to the curry afterwards!
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2007-02-07 18:39
I also recall that the second book had enough real flute writing in it to make the other clarinetist nervous!
Thankfully I was exempt from displaying my truly remarkable flute chops!
James
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2007-02-07 23:13
Just had the dress rehearsal earlier, and the theatre has NO sound system, therefore we poor buggers in the pit HAVE to play at pp or less practically all the time the singers are doing their songs - fine if I was on clarinet and sax as I can play at those volume levels in any range, but trying to play the upper and altisimo register on flute and piccolo (eg. high A, Bb, B, C, C# etc. and there are loads of altissimo F# and Gs at ppp levels) is causing me grief - even the flute specialist is finding it hard work!
I'm trying to work out some harmonic fingerings for the upper part of the upper register (as I do on oboe from G# up to B when it's pp), but as there aren't any speaker or 8ve keys it's tough going finding reliable ones.
Why can't 'reed' mean 'reed'? Since when have flutes been classed as reeds?
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2007-02-08 01:24
The production I did last summer was outdoors without sound reinforcement...so I appreciate your pain!
The title flute used to include both longitudinal and transverse flutes. Flutes used to have reeds, and the sharp edge that you blow across (although evolved) is still designated a reed.
Hence flutes are reeds.
James
Gnothi Seauton
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