 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Adrianna
Date: 2010-04-22 18:17
Hello one and all,
I was wondering if anyone had suggestions on what to play for a University level Concerto competition? I know the Mozart would be a fantastic choice, but what other works would also make a great impression?
Thanks in advance,
Adrianna
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Author: Katrina
Date: 2010-04-22 18:44
The common choices after the Mozart are the Nielsen and the Copland.
Beyond those two there are many many options.
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Author: William
Date: 2010-04-22 20:58
What's really more important is not "who" but rather, *how*......as in, how well you play who you choose. It is always better to play an easier piece better than a harder piece worse, especially if you are try to impress a judge or audition committe. And remember, most competions/auditions are decided by rhythmic accuracy and not tone quality, astounding technique (which most everyone competing will have) or intonation. Of course, it is all of the above, but musicality & phrasing--most a result of rhythmic control--is paramont.
Having ranted enough (sorry), you may also want to consider the Bozza Clarinet Concerto. Lively with lots of rhythmic appeal and with a beautiful second movt (if played with impeccable control).
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2010-04-23 00:59
The Weber's are good as well. Choice what you think you can play the best. ESP
http://eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: clariknight
Date: 2010-04-23 22:56
You also have to make sure that your orchestra can handle whatever piece you choose if you do win. If your orchestra is not one of the better college level orchestras, throwing the Copland at them may not be the best idea. Just as a good accompaniment can make a soloist sound better, a bad one can make you sound worse.
With that said I think the Weber concertos are excellent choices. Very flashy (especially the third movements of either) and not so technically demanding that it could impede your performance (I don't know your level, but I can't imagine too too many college players being able to convincingly pull off something like a Spohr or the Francaix concerto).
David, I'd agree that one could see the Mozart as not absurdly flashy, but it's so well known by almost all musicians that I don't think that matters. It is a tough piece though, for both soloist and orchestra.
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Author: OmarHo
Date: 2010-04-23 23:01
I agree with Clariknight, in some cases the judging panel won't select you as a winner simply because it is too difficult to put together with the orchestra in terms of difficulty of the piece, of accessing parts, and possibly instrumentation.
So also be realistic.
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Author: NBeaty
Date: 2010-04-23 23:34
Many concerto competitions require you to verify where the orchestral parts are available from in the application to compete. If the concerto is less common and\or it has to be backordered the committee might take that annoyance into consideration.
I also agree with the above statements about playing something slightly easier really well rather than just getting through something harder. The committees want to hear you really put your stamp on something.
Many competitions, especially in early rounds, you can tell if someone is going to advance in the first two or three phrases (I've been able to guess accurately with some people on the FIRST NOTE!). The difference, aside from just flat out mistakes, is with the people that are really making a statement and communicating to the audience (or in this case, judges) something powerful.
The people that don't advance usually have something of a "question mark" in their playing. Usually a combination of technical deficiencies, programming mistake (as has been discussed in this thread), lack of energy, and most of all a lack of passion.
If you pick a good piece (Mozart\Copland\Nielsen are good examples) and combine it with excellent technical command over the piece, and passion for communicating that to the audience, the judges know you mean business!
That being said, I have no idea what to play for my next concerto competition piece....
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2010-04-24 04:22
If you have the time to practice, the Debussy's "Rapsodie". This was a required piece at one time for auditions with the military bands in DC. The Brahms Sonate opus 120 is kind of fun to play.
The last page of Debussy requires some dedicated practice.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2010-04-24 14:25
As William says, it's not what you play but how you play that makes the difference. That said, the Mozart, which offers no technical challenges, has to be extra-good to balance the finger-jock display that other contestants will bring.
If the orchestral parts are available, I suggest the Spohr Concerto #1, which has both lyrical melody and technical display. At the Clarinet Congress many years ago, all the concerto contestants played the first half of the first movement, and none of them did very well. The were brilliant on the fast stuff, but nobody managed to pop out the top C7 perfectly. (For how it should be done, listen to Gervase de Peyer's amazing recording, available on Amazon UK.)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mozart-Spohr-Weber-Clarinet-Concertos/dp/B000AL8ZDS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1272117232&sr=8-1
Worse, the contestants had no sweetness or personality in the lyrical sections. Spohr wrote beautiful, operatic melodies, which you must sing out on.
Also, Spohr wrote many hauptstimme (solo) and nebenstimme (accompaniment) passages. When the orchestra has the melody, you need to drop into the background. If even one of the contestants had done this, he or she would have won hands down. Each had learned the concerto in the practice room and had no idea of light and shade.
So -- good luck, and always sing.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Adrianna
Date: 2010-04-24 16:30
Thank you all for the wonderful suggestions and helpful hints. The concerto competition is not until the fall, but I thought I would get a head start... I am finding choosing the concerto the hardest part. Does anyone have any experiences with the Carl Stamitz Concertos?
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