 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: donald
Date: 2014-12-22 13:35
Very happy to LISTEN to Mr Frost perform- he is a fabulous musician. Not very fond of WATCHING Mr Frost perform, it annoys the crap out of me. The guy sure can play the clarinet though....
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2014-12-22 20:00
A trifle 'ornamented' for my tastes, but as always Martin Frost is a very musical performer.
I am not so crazy about the basset clarinet versions of the Mozart and not so crazy about this one either. The extended range in this version seems there more for show just like the ornamentations. But again, lovely playing nonetheless.
................Paul Aviles
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Author: srattle
Date: 2014-12-24 18:32
Sorry to highjack this thread a little,
but
@Paul
How can you possibly, in good conscience, say you don't like the basset clarinet 'version'. Isn't that basically saying that you don't like the concerto? as it was originally written for the basset clarinet? (well, Basset horn originally, but that's another conversation)
I can't understand why people would ever prefer the 'wrong' instrument for this piece. It is so clear from the lines and progression of octave, and through the harmony, that a low C is required, and what we play on a regular A clarinet is a work around, and in many cases a pretty poor appoximation of a workaround.
I don't always agree with you Paul, but I admire that you think a lot about the instrument and the associated music, so this really baffles me. . .
Ornamentation is also an important tradition from the classical era, however I can at least understand that it isn't to your taste.
Sacha
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Author: Philip Caron
Date: 2014-12-24 20:51
I'm agreeing with Paul on this one. Most of the lines and progressions where the bassett versions drop below the standard clarinet range may have pure musical justification, but they just don't sound good to me. It may have to do with the "workaround" design of the bassett clarinet, which seems to make the low register sound dim, or pinched, or unclear, or just really different.
If one's ear is so averse to "breaking" appegios or scales, then an analogous case could be made in a couple places in this piece for extending the lines upward into the rarefied altissimo register, but I've never heard anyone do that (outside my kitchen, that is, and you're welcome.)
It's easy to imagine I'm imprinted on the standard clarinet version, which does not sound wrong or jarring or unmusical to me in any of the pertaining places. However, I've heard around dozen recordings now on bassett clarinet, often featuring the greatest modern clarinettists, yet I'm usually disappointed when the lowest bassett registers are employed. On balance, I enjoy the performances - for example, Ricardo Morales's on Youtube - but there remains a niggling bit of tradeoff due to (my perception of) the "unclarinet" sound of the bassett instrument's low register.
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Author: Dileep Gangolli
Date: 2014-12-25 00:55
This is a phenomenal broadcast. For those of you who love the clarinet this is well worth a listen or two or three. Great music making and great clarinet playing. Bravo Mr Frost!
DRG
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Author: Johnny Galaga
Date: 2014-12-27 04:10
He always does a great job playing soft dynamics, one of the best. But I just think there's times when he plays too quiet. And he's added some extra embellishments of his own that I've never heard before that leaves me wondering like what in the world was that?
And the lower notes of the basset tends to suddenly come out louder which I think stands out a bit from other notes within the same phrase. I wonder if that comes from knocking down the highs with an equalizer as is often done for clarinet sound editing. That being said, I'd take his skills any day.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2014-12-27 04:38
Of course we just had a young fellow post a version of his own recently that I preferred MUCH more, to include the emphasized timbres in the orchestration.
The purely soprano rendition that had up until the last 30 years been what we knew as the Mozart Clarinet concerto is just .......... more elegant.
Sorry.
.................Paul Aviles
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Author: brycon
Date: 2014-12-27 22:42
Quote:
The purely soprano rendition that had up until the last 30 years been what we knew as the Mozart Clarinet concerto is just .......... more elegant.
That's because it's what you grew up hearing/playing (or you're insensitive to Mozart's compositional style).
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