 The Doublers BBoard
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Author: Mark Cookson
Date: 2012-09-16 21:38
I've just been asked if I'm interested in playing the Reed II part for Phantom of the Opera, which is a flute and clarinet double. I'm pretty out of shape on flute at the moment, but I would have a bit of time to get my flute chops back.
If anyone here has played this part, can you tell me how demanding the flute writing is? I know Reed I is just a flute/piccolo double, so I'm hoping that would have the big solos!
Mark
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Author: DrewSorensenMusic
Date: 2012-09-18 04:15
I've never played it, but Music Directors can be relatively amicable, depending on what level you're at. You can ask to see the parts, or ask him to peruse the book, and to tell you how many high notes are played, if they are runs or single notes, and the percentage of flute vs clarinet on the book. The real communication with him/her should be appreciated if he/she is a professional. Sometimes a show just requires good, and doesn't need to be metropolitan opera worthy. The worse thing that you could do is accept a gig that you can't do. That will definitely get you on the no call list, even if you can do other jobs.
Drew S.
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Author: CocoboloKid
Date: 2012-09-19 03:37
The flute/piccolo book does indeed have all of the flute solos, as the straight clarinet book has all the heavy clarinet lifting. Reed II is all the inner voice/2nd parts. It is one of the least challenging books I have ever seen or played for either instrument. (Though there is a flute passage that you are playing in octave unison with the piccolo, and it must be absolutely in tune!)
Contact me offline if you have specific questions about the book, as I am extremely familiar with it...
woodwindboy@yahoo.com
Post Edited (2012-09-19 03:40)
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Author: Mark Cookson
Date: 2012-09-19 08:22
Thank you for your replies - that's really helpful.
My flute playing certainly isn't at Met Opera standard, but it sounds as though I'll be fine if I get back into some regular practice over the next couple of months.
I hope it's not so easy that 25 shows would cost me my sanity.
Mark
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Author: CocoboloKid
Date: 2012-09-19 16:10
The overture will require you to be comfortable in the third octave, up to high B. I would recommend practicing your B minor arpeggios over two octaves up to high B, and also playing chromatically from high G to high B, both ascending and descending. There are also short passages that appear throughout the book that require very good tonguing (it is most helpful if you can double tongue, particularly in Act I/Scene 8).
It will be helpful in general to be very comfortable playing in sharp keys (all of them) on both instruments.
It's also worth noting that there are some low Bs for the flute, though they're not earth-shatteringly important if you only have a C foot.
And of course, a large beautiful symphonic sound is paramount!
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Author: Mark Cookson
Date: 2012-09-23 08:02
Thanks for that incredibly detailed reply. You've given me an excellent idea of what I'll need to work on.
It sounds as if I should be able to get around the flute part once I've got my chops back. I'll have to quietly give the low Bs a miss though, and not sure whether I'd describe my flute sound as large, beautiful or symphonic at the moment...
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Author: davyd
Date: 2012-09-24 16:58
How much trouble would you get into if you wrote out (or sight-transposed) the really hard flute passages for clarinet? Is the expectation that you'll play the book exactly as written, or that you'll play it as well as you can given what you can do?
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Author: CocoboloKid
Date: 2012-09-24 18:44
Mark, feel free to email me if you would like to peruse a copy of the book.
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The Clarinet Pages
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