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Re: the *original* version of copland

Author: rgames
Date: 2007-09-18 17:03

Quote:

also, can anyone tell me why the original is still not performed? i understand that it's a relatively new find, but i was a little disappointed when david schiffrin played the old version at this year's clarinet fest. what gives?

It has to do with the fact that the notion of an "original" form is somewhat misleading. What, exactly, constitutes an "original" form? Copland probably didn't write down the concerto all at once, beginning to end, so the piece evolved over time. Which one of those evolutionary steps was the original? It's hard to say.

All works of art are produced in stages. Take a look at the sketches used as studies for a painting - they often differ dramatically from the final. They just capture different thoughts along the way to producing the final product. Trying to pick one stage as the "original" version is difficult.

Regarding Copland's clarinet concerto, many clarinetists have played it for Copland in the form most of us know it and he seemed OK with it, so maybe that's the version he preferred