 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Bigno16
Date: 2009-02-02 21:26
For my undergraduate senior recital in April, I plan to have the following program:
BERNSTEIN Sonata for Clarinet and Piano
GLINKA Trio "Pathetique" for Clarinet, Bassoon, and Piano
POULENC Sonata for clarinet and Piano
~intermission~
DEBUSSY Premiere Rhapsodie
PUTS And Legions Will Rise
Since many clarinetists probably don't know "And Legions will Rise", it is a piece by a young rising composer Kevin Puts. It is scored for clarinet, violin, and marimba. It is about 16-20 minutes long and is a very exciting piece. It is almost minimalistic in style but is very interesting, involved and integrated for all parts. Putting it last seems suitable to me for set-up of the marimba, my "thank you"'s, and it has a great conclusion, also a real crowed pleaser. It will take a lot of rehearsal for some spots are tricky to get together. Here is a link so you may watch a performance of the piece: http://www.vicfirth.com/podcasts/concert/beach_legions.html
I'm mostly worried about my stamina. I've only done one solo recital in the past (my junior recital or half recital) and it included the Martinu Sonatina, Lutoslawski Dance Preludes, and the 3rd movement of the Mozart Trio.
My teacher has approved this recital, but I worry slightly still about being able to prepare it all, mostly the Debussy which needs a lot of control. I have considered many times in my head to revise the first half, perhaps eliminating the Bernstein, starting with the Poulenc and then the Glinka. Or I've considered scrapping the Glinka and doing the other two solo pieces. I like the idea of doing the Glinka, however because I'm really all about doing a recital that has a good appeal to the audience and not just all clarinet music. I also think the more chamber pieces, the more I'll be at ease and less nervous. What do you all think?
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2009-02-02 21:39
Sounds way long for an undergrad recital, would be a stretch for a graduate. I don't know the durations offhand, but it looks like over an hour of solid music (I'm used to undergrad recitals nearer 45)... with intermission and time between pieces, I imagine it'll come in closer to 2. I might cut the Poulenc or Debussy, but then I've heard those at a LOT of recitals and am thus biased. How long is the Glinka?
As an audience member, I prefer as many chamber pieces as possible in a recital. <insert instrument here> and piano tends to wear as the minutes turn to hours.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: Bigno16
Date: 2009-02-02 23:48
These are the approximate lengths of all the pieces, with every piece being rounded up to the next minute:
BERNSTEIN = 13 min
GLINKA = 17 min
POULENC = 16 min
~intermission~=10-15 min
DEBUSSY = 9 min
PUTS = 17 min
So around 72 minutes (rounded up) of actual playing time, plus the intermission. I'm not too concerned with length of the recital, but as to whether this is a wise decision for stamina. I'm trying to think which piece would be best to get rid of if I had to choose one between the Bernstein, Poulenc, and Debussy...obviously I would switch the order a bit if I eliminated certain pieces.
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Author: Sean.Perrin
Date: 2009-02-03 01:48
Great repertoire selection, but I agree, it's too lengthy.
Does your school have recital requirement concerning length and content? I would be surprised if you were allowed to have a recital that long, which included two major chamber works, without penalization. You should make sure, as learning and performing too much is a bad reason to get a lower grade!
For example, at my school there is a little bit of leeway with the timing, but on paper (your proposal, to be approved by the department) a junior recital must be 45 minutes with no intermission, and a senior is 60 minutes with a 15 minute intermission, for a total time of 75 minutes. You must include one, but not more than one, chamber piece (though a chamber work and a duet is would be acceptable, i.e. the poulenc), and a solo work.
I would say do this:
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Bernstein
Poulenc
Intermission
Puts (or Glinka, not both)
Debussy
(short solo encore work if needed)
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This program allows the audience to spend the intermission in the lobby while the set-up for the chamber work is going on (as opposed to sitting in the audience) makes the second half a little shorter than the first (which I prefer), and does not have two lengthy chamber pieces....
Founder and host of the Clarineat Podcast: http://www.clarineat.com
Post Edited (2009-02-03 01:49)
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2009-02-03 02:00
Have you tried playing them start to finish, without letting yourself stop more than you would on stage, in the order you list? If you have any problem at all lasting through it in the practice room, I would be concerned about lasting in a recital.
None of these are cute fluffy diddies. (well, maybe the Puts or Glinka are; I don't know them) I'd be concerned as much with mental and musical stamina as with physical. If you've put your all into making everything musical, you may find yourself still having mouth and finger chops (though with a program like this, I wouldn't be too sure), but not having the musical focus you want toward the end, leaving the last pieces sounding exhausted, uninspired, or forced. If the last piece on the concert is the crowning jewel of the concert, I'd be wary to schedule too heavy a program before it.
I love the Poulenc. Without seeing the numbers, I might cut the Debussy, but as it's the longest, I'd probably cut the Poulenc. I like the idea of the Bernstein as an opener.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: Johnny Galaga
Date: 2009-02-03 02:35
Yeah, I was just gonna say. I would want to do several complete run throughs from start to finish and see how your chops hold up. To add a little pressure on yourself, make recordings of the whole thing several times and shoot for a perfect recording every time.
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Author: davyd
Date: 2009-02-03 13:47
This may be the wrong question to ask, but: How does your pianist feel about this program? He/she has to work as hard as you do in all the pieces except the Puts; he/she should get a vote. Or do you have more than one?
The only one of these pieces I've ever played is the Glinka (I have no business even attempting the Debussy; I don't know the others). I would vote for dropping the Poulenc because it's the longest of the clarinet/piano pieces.
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Author: DaveF
Date: 2009-02-04 05:50
Too long. I would drop one of the sonatas in the first half.
Thanks for letting us know about the Puts "And Legions Will Rise", that is one cool piece! That performance you linked for us was well played!
Dave
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Author: Bigno16
Date: 2009-02-28 17:40
So, thanks for everyone's input so far!
A little update: It seems that the Puts "And Legions Will Rise" is much more difficult to put together than originally thought. It's a piece where the instruments are almost never together in many spots and it is quite difficult to keep time and stay "together". I'm most likely going to cut it from the program because I don't think it's going to be close to performance-ready anytime soon and our violinist has lost confidence in herself and her ability to play this piece and even our marimbist, who came to me to play the piece with him, doesn't have the notes down yet. Both of these factors make it very difficult to rehearse and feel comfortable about this.
So, I'm thinking I need to add something short to make up for this lost piece and I was thinking perhaps something like adding Viktor's Tale from The Terminal. I love John Williams and everyone knows it so it would certainly be appropriate, haha. I do wish the piano part could emulate the orchestra a bit more than it does, but it's still a nice little piece. Other options might be to add perhaps the Abyss of the Birds from Quartet for the End of Time or perhaps the Milhaud Duo Concertant. Any other suggestions? If I were to add any of the following, I would probably re-order the program as follows:
SIDENOTE: I'm less likely to do the Milhaud because I've never played it and it's getting too close to the recital. But I'm throwing the option out there for what people think.
WILLIAMS Viktor's Tale from The Terminal or MILHAUD Duo Concertant
GLINKA Trio "Pathetique" for Clarinet, Bassoon, and Piano
BERNSTEIN Sonata for Clarinet and Piano
~intermission~
DEBUSSY Premiere Rhapsodie
POULENC Sonata for Clarinet and Piano
OR
BERNSTEIN Sonata for Clarinet and Piano
MESSIAEN Abyss of the Birds from Quartet for the End of Time
GLINKA Trio "Pathetique" for Clarinet, Bassoon, and Piano
~intermission~
DEBUSSY Premiere Rhapsodie
POULENC Sonata for Clarinet and Piano
What do people think?
Post Edited (2009-02-28 17:42)
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Author: crnichols
Date: 2009-02-28 18:30
I don't think you need to add another piece to make up for the one you've lost. You still have almost an hour of music which is plenty for a recital (undergraduate, graduate or professional).
For my taste I would order it:
Berstein
Debussy
Intermission
Glinka
Poulenc
The Poulenc is a fantastic closer and I personally avoid pairing two French (or two American/Russian/German) pieces together.
Christopher Nichols, D.M.A.
Assistant Professor of Clarinet
University of Delaware
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Author: clarinetguy ★2017
Date: 2009-02-28 20:54
What your goals are for this recital? Who is your audience? Are you trying to impress the woodwind faculty? Are you trying to make a strong impression on anyone for grad school?
If your goal is a very "serious and heavyweight" recital, I'd go with the previous suggestion--Bernstein, Debussy, Intermission, Glinka, and Poulenc.
If you play it well, you'll make a good impression on the music faculty.
As a clarinetist who has played the Bernstein, Debussy, and Poulenc pieces (although the only one I've ever performed is the Poulenc), I've got to be honest and wonder if a program like this would put the average person (and even many serious music lovers) to sleep. The Bernstein is nice, although somewhat Hindemith-like, and it won't appeal to everyone. Following this with Debussy will have many people tuning out as intermission gets close (with this type of music, many will like it and others won't). The Glinka is a nice change of pace, and the Poulenc is a nice closer, so the second half will be strong.
If you want to stick to these pieces, I'd suggest a slightly different order:
Bernstein
Glinka (A nice change of pace, non-controversial music that everyone--or mostly everyone--will like)
Intermission
Debussy
Poulenc
Viktor's Tale If you have the stamina, and if your professor approves, I think this would be a great closer that would leave everyone smiling.
Even though the Debussy and Poulenc are both French, I wouldn't worry about pairing them because they are so different from each other.
Another possibility: Scrap the Debussy. It's great music, but if you have any concerns about stamina or audience concentration, I'd drop it. You probably don't want to have a second half of only Poulenc and Viktor's Tale, so why not follow intermission with something like the Vaughan Williams "Six Studies in English Folksong?" It isn't technically difficult, it would be a very enjoyable contrast to your other selections, and the piano part isn't difficult. Good luck!
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2009-03-01 05:29
If it were me, I'd do Bernstein, Messiaen, Glinka, Poulenc. Don't know how I'd work out the ordering, but those are the ones I'd prefer to both play and hear.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: Rob Vitale
Date: 2009-03-02 04:00
An undergraduate recital should be one hour. You have to consider your audience. Typically, the average audience member is happier for a recital to end 5 minutes too early rather then 5 minutes too late. This gives them enough time to say their congrats,leave and still keep their schedules. Anything over an hour and a half which I think you may have touched with this list, is just too much.
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Author: Ed
Date: 2009-03-02 12:41
My old teacher told me that Simeon Bellison (one of his former teachers) told him that there should be no more than an hour of music. Once you add breaks between pieces and movements, intermission, etc., it will be be plenty long.
If you are worried about stamina for the Debussy, do it earlier in the program.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2009-03-02 14:40
I thinks it's a great recital but yes, a bit long for a school recital. Here at Peabody we require 45-50 minutes of music for a senior or masters recital. The idea is to be done in an hour without an intermission with a half an hour free time before the next recital begins. I know different schools have different requirements. We have three recitals halls and often have two recitals in each hall every night once the "reciatal" season begins, some times as many as three in each hall in an evening. My suggestion is to leave out either the Bernstein or the Glinka. That would certainly make a nice, and long enough, recital.
Good luck, ESP www.peabody.jhu.edu.457
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