 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Richard
Date: 2001-06-17 16:48
Hi. Me, a violinist and a pianist (obviously) are trying to play the Bartok contrasts. Emphasis on the word trying - does anyone have any advice or feelings about playing them ? What about recordings - I still don't have one because I've never seen one. Its just not coming together and we should be able to do it - its timing more than anything , I suppose.
Thanks anyway,
Richard D
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Author: clarinet713
Date: 2001-06-17 19:36
My pianist and violinist friends were going to try to play that this upcoming semester...However I have never heard this piece-it is very difficult?
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2001-06-17 22:37
There is an article in the latest issue of "The Clarinet" that discusses at length the Bartok "Contrasts".
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Author: Micaela
Date: 2001-06-17 23:16
The only recording I've heard is by Bartok himself on piano, Joseph Szigeti on violin and Benny Goodman on clarinet. I heard it on the radio, so I can't really give details. But the piece was written for them so this might be the recording to get. It sounded like a pretty hairy piece to play. Good luck!
I play clarinet, violin and piano and I'd like to play this piece with myself sometime.
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Author: Gary
Date: 2001-06-18 06:59
Not to offend the "purists" on the board, but the Bartok/Goodman/Szigeti recording is probably the.....least good.....recording available. A few pretty good recording are: Naxos 8.550749, Kalman Berkes clarinet: Harmonia Mundi 901356, Walter Boeykens, clarinet :Summit Records 193, Joaquin Valdepenas, clarinet (he's principal of Toronto Symphony and on the faculty at Aspen). I think the Boeykens recording may be out of print.
I've been told by two prominent profession clarinetists to perform the entire piece on Bb clarinet. If you play the first two movements on A, then you have to re-tune the Bb for the third movement; and you have to change back to A at mm. 132 (and hope your A hasn't gone too flat. It's a lot of hassle that can be avoided at the expense of a couple low e-flats that have to be transposed up the octave.
Good luck. This is a very technical piece, and you'll be better for having worked on it.
Gary
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2001-06-18 20:03
I have to disagree with Gary. The Szigeti/Goodman/Bartok recording of the Contrasts is essential. Goodman was not a monster virtuoso on classical music, as Szigeti and Bartok were, but he was not bad at that time, either. Szigeti and Bartok had the music in their blood, and nobody has come close to matching, let alone surpassing, them. Goodman gets through, with a bit of strain, but well enough. You learn more by listening to Szigeti than all the other violinists combined.
The Kalman Berkes recording is excellent, as is the one by Bela Kovacs, if you can find it. Each of them is with all native Hungarian players, and no one else feels quite natural in the irregular meter portions of the 3rd movement.
The recording by Robert Mann, Stanley Drucker (at age 16) and Leonid Hambro has been reissued, and it demands hearing. The precision and virtuosity are astounding, and even if they don't play it "the Hungarian way," what they do is unmatched in the American style.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: larryb
Date: 2001-06-18 20:50
I've been working on Contrasts for months now. One piece of advice on performance: try the Khatchiturian trio instead.
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Author: mary
Date: 2001-06-29 18:28
I have to disagree! If you have a violinist who can handle the extremely difficult violin part (makes the clarinet look easy!)- it's a fabulous piece of music. Check out David Shifrin's recording, Stoltzman's is good too. Jonathon Cohler has a recording of it coming out soon also. Cohler told me in the 3rd mvmt after the switch to A to stay on A till the cadenza. Good luck!
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