 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Claudia Zornow
Date: 2025-07-25 04:23
The recent discussion of the role of an assistant clarinet got me thinking: What is the orchestral piece you've played that was the hardest in terms of the sheer physical endurance required (embouchure, fingers/hands/arms) rather than in terms of the actual notes?
For me it's Beethoven's Ninth. Every movement was a workout in itself, and stringing them together (with no more of an intermission than was required to move the choir into place after the third movement) was exhausting (but also exhilarating).
Other candidates?
Claudia
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Author: JTJC
Date: 2025-07-25 15:53
The only piece that sticks in my mind is Carmen. However, I discussed this with one of the violas after a performance, who's husband plays Cello in the RoH. The viola reminded me, in the RoH her husband does a matinée as well as evening performance some weekends. Same clarinets each time. Perhaps it was just me feeling tired. I'm sure there must be many pieces more taxing than Carmen. The Overture to Mastersingers is quite a blow, but then you might have the four hour opera afterwards, which I've never done.
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Author: cigleris
Date: 2025-07-25 22:52
Tchaikovsky 5th symphony. Depending on what else is in the programme having that at the end is a killer. I speak from personal experience.
Peter Cigleris
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Author: elmo lewis
Date: 2025-07-27 19:45
Thinking about these 2 concerts makes my mouth hurt all over again:
Smetena - Ma Vlast. Played all 6 tone poems non-stop with no intermission, 1 hour, 20 minutes. I don't know who suffered more, the musicians or the audience.
Dvorak - Stabat Mater. 90 minutes, all slow, no rests. Constant doubling of one or another of the chorus parts.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2025-07-28 02:24
lydian wrote:
> Anything by Phillip Glass.
We played his violin concerto last season. It presents a real danger of repetitive stress injury. The clarinet parts repeat the same awkward figures over and over. It's wearing both physically and mentally, although Glass's instruction is to alternate between the first and second player when their parts have identical music.
If there was an instruction in the viola part to alternate players on each stand, no one in their viola section saw it, nor did the conductor mention it. My wife, a violist, said her hand still hurt several months later. She probably will never play anything by Glass again.
Karl
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