The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: brycon
Date: 2017-11-12 09:34
Quote:
The clarinet writing is predominantly in the high register of the instrument and the solo part almost always needs to be played at loud dynamics otherwise it will be covered by the orchestra. Sometimes it really was covered by the orchestra, even though I think that Julian Bliss and the Argovia Philharmonic did an excellent job of the performance- the orchestration is simply too thick most of the time. (Note that what you hear on the recording from the link represents the microphone set-up. We heard even less clarinet in the live balance). I felt that a very limited amount of colours and possibilities of the clarinet were explored in the writing and couldn't help thinking that much of it seemed like writing for soprano sax: loud, angular and high-register. The clarinet part is all written out with no room for improvisation. Besides the opening (horn group, strings and piano) I didn't find much of interest in the orchestration. The form seemed to just ramble on much of the time without any clear development or variation.
I was pretty excited about Wayne writing something for the clarinet. Although I love his saxophone playing (Miles's Live at the Plugged Nickel features some incredibly burning Wayne--some of my favorite), I've always thought of him more as a composer. In addition to all his great post-bop tunes, he's been writing some more through-composed stuff for larger ensembles, such as his Alegria album (which features the great Chris Potter playing some bass clarinet).
But I echo your assessment of the concerto: meandering, dull, etc. It reminds me a bit of John Williams's "art" music insofar as it sounds like a film score but with no film (and like all of Williams's art music, it can't stand on its own). I also found it a huge orchestration oversight to limit the clarinet to the upper register; it further contributed to the lack of musical arch or narrative.
I'm a little bummed being let down by Wayne. I initially thought Bliss wouldn't be the right fit for his music. But aside from a few bars of horrible swing feel, he sounded good. But I can't help but wonder how Wayne would have approached the clarinet if he were writing for someone with a background in jazz and who could improvise (like Eddie Daniels, for example). It may not have changed all that much. If you listen to Alegria, however, you can hear some great longer pieces that have room for improvisation: alas, what could have been.
Post Edited (2017-11-12 10:27)
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seabreeze |
2017-01-18 09:39 |
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clarinetist04 |
2017-01-18 17:36 |
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weidi |
2017-04-28 14:40 |
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brycon |
2017-01-18 20:49 |
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seabreeze |
2017-01-18 23:04 |
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Bob Bernardo |
2017-04-29 08:50 |
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seabreeze |
2017-11-11 06:48 |
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Philip Caron |
2017-11-11 07:21 |
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Liquorice |
2017-11-12 03:25 |
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seabreeze |
2017-11-12 05:05 |
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Re: Julian Bliss Performs the Wayne Shorter Concerto, new |
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brycon |
2017-11-12 09:34 |
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