 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: MoonPatrol
Date: 2014-08-12 08:41
Concerto for two clarinets & orchestra - Franz Krommer:
The duel concerto was very good. It is very difficult for two clarinets to play together let alone match with the Baton Rouge Symphony.
Premiere Rhapsody - Debussy:
Second piece was with one soloist. It was music I had heard before which is always comforting when that is discovered in the first bars. It was well done with the fast runs and technical requirements.
Clarinet Concerto #1 - Weber:
This piece was more traditional and a different period than the preceding one. It might be Weber's hardest piece, but I am just making an assumption from what I heard. There were many fast arpeggios. We had a break and came back to hear a guy on Eb clarinet. Clarinet Concerto #3 - Jose Avelino Canongia: It was a higher pitched instrument. There were some overtones in this piece which is surprising for such an old piece. I thought overtones were a new thing. I had seen overtones earlier from two bass clarinet recitals.
Next was a more modern piece played by a substitute for a guy who couldn't make it out of Ukraine due to political conflict. Pastorale variee for Clarinet, Harp And Strings - Paul Ben-Haim. He did well and it seems the audience knew him. They were enthusiastic about how he pulled off the piece with a short time to prepare. I wonder how long it took mim. Two Weeks? Ten Days?
Last was Mozart A Major clarinet concerto, simply put this is the easiest piece of the whole night. But that does not mean it's an easy piece. It's easy when you compare it to the other monumental pieces of the night. The Mozart Concerto is also a piece that is easy to screw up. The first movement was rushed. The soloist was a little apprehensive and not listening well to the rest of the musicians. A lot of the fast scales were a little rushed. The second movement was too slow. The melody is recitative and was played way too soft on its second appearance. The artist intentionally played it pianissimo. Yes he had nice tone and control at low volume but I just checked the score and it is marked piano like the first time. It felt wrong to me after all the preceding energy to just drop out like that. You really need to stay near the markings especially with this composer. The player didn't seem to settle in with the feeling of the movement as I envision it. The Baton Rouge Symphony were as good, or possibly better than, the major symphony from my big home town. The third movement was fine. The right tempo and dynamics were used. So I left the theater on a warm note.
Glenn
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