 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: cigleris
Date: 2009-06-06 16:00
Hi Everyone,
To those of you who might have played this could you impart some wisdom? I'm going to be playing this in 3 weeks or so and have today bought the score and was curious on what one might do in the fifth system in number 6. Its the very high harmonics at the end with the vln and vc on page number 25. Also the chord on the same sytem (chalumeau A and clarion Eb).
Thanks in advance.
Peter Cigleris
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Author: oliver sudden
Date: 2009-06-07 17:27
For what it's worth: I've played it but don't remember what I did for that multiphonic on p. 25 and I'm not near a clarinet so can't check just now... For the harmonics I may well have also stopped the bell as Tony suggests but I think I may have just opened the register key.
I'm pretty sure that for the harmonics over a fundamental at the top of p. 25 I played them over a written E instead of the G at least in some performances - wouldn't necessarily have come up with that on my own but it's what Hacker played on the recording and it's certainly a lovely sound.
The multiphonic on p. 20 is even trickier (I hesitate to say impossible but, well, I think it probably is) - I sang the lower note. I think on the recording Hacker does various glisses from the open G.
Here is an extraordinary recording:
http://www.roy-hart.com/songs.htm
...it's of the premiere and is the only recording I know of with the singer it was written for. I don't know why the commercial recording with the Fires isn't with Hart - it's a great shame. Of course the commercial recording still gives very important hints about the piece's rather tricky performance practice.
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Author: Liquorice
Date: 2009-06-07 22:20
I'm planning to play this next year. I have a question for Tony (and others who have played it)- does it need a conductor?
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Author: oliver sudden
Date: 2009-06-08 07:33
Liquorice,
From the coordination point of view a conductor isn't necessary. (At least I hope not - we didn't have one!)
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Author: Tony Pay ★2017
Date: 2009-06-08 12:31
Oliver wrote:
>> From the coordination point of view a conductor isn't necessary.>>
Yes, that's right. I looked out my score, and it's very lightly marked up. I also remember feeling rather redundant in the performances.
Fortunately, it was a double bill with a staged performance of Pierrot Lunaire, in which the singer/actress had lots of moves to incorporate, so I wasn't entirely de trop. (Of course, you can do Pierrot without a conductor too, but as it turned out, not on that occasion.)
It's difficult to judge such things from the score of 8 Songs, because a lot depends on how much information there is in the parts. But clearly, there is enough.
Does the Roy Hart performance you link to consist of the very first performance in the QEH, Oliver? There's an ambiguity in how it's offered on the website that makes me think it might just be the solo voice part without the instruments, and I don't want to buy it if it's that.
But if it is the first performance, can you hear the guy shout "Rubbish!" and walk out; only to return a few seconds later to shout, "It's STILL RUBBISH!"?
Tony
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Author: oliver sudden
Date: 2009-06-08 15:05
Tony, the Eight Songs performance on offer at the roy-hart.com site is very definitely a performance of the whole piece. (Even if it had been just the vocal part I wouldn't have felt too ripped off - what I was particularly curious about was what on earth Hart sounded like in the piece, since the only commercial recording of him I know is the Henze Versuch über Schweine.) It's a dub in a home-made cover and certainly not in what you'd call audiophile sound but I'm fine with that.
Whether it's actually as stated of the very first performance I can't say, especially in the absence of any audible contribution from the audience... The solo pieces on the disc are also stunning.
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