 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: BassetHorn
Date: 2006-01-31 15:27
Hello all, is anyone aware that this year is Dmitri Shostakovich’s 100th birth year? It shouldn’t be just Mozart who gets the limelight : )
Too bad not one clarinet solo or chamber work came out of him (correct me if wrong), but judging by the quality of his 16 string quartets he would have written some great clarinet chamber works had this been the case.
His swan song Viola Sonata should get lots of playing this year though. Great work.
BTW, does anyone know in which of his symphonies was bass clarinet used? Or in any of his piano/violin/cello concertos?
Willy
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: crnichols
Date: 2006-01-31 17:20
There's a famous transcription though, 4 waltzes for flute/piccolo, clarinet and piano. I just attended a performance of the 1st violin concerto which indeed uses bass clarinet. I'm not sure about the rest of them or the symphonies, the Daniels Book would probably have that information.
Christopher Nichols
1st Infantry Division Band
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: BelgianClarinet
Date: 2006-01-31 17:46
Shostakovich has lots and lots of (nice, and difficult) clarinet, Eb and bass clarinet passages in his symphonies.
Some of the nices bass clarinet solo's (listen to N°7)
Also the often forgotten N°6 is full of clarinet stuff. N°3 has a clarinet solo (duo) intro
And indeed the Violin Concerto contains a nice 'duet' between Bass Clarinet and flute (i think also one of the symphonies has this, can't remember which)
So, no real clarinet pieces, but great fun (and sweat) for clarinetists to play the symphonies.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2006-01-31 18:00
There is an arrangement of the 8th string quartet that was done for the clarinet quartet of the United States Army Field Band. The playing is phenomenal !! Can't really say how any one can here this if you've not the chance to hear them in person but if you contact the band directly, you may be able to wrangle a CD of it (one live performance was recorded).
..............Paul Aviles
.............Happy Birthday Dimitri !!!!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2006-01-31 18:13
Willy,
Off the top of my head (and I'm probably wrong), the only Shosty symphonies I can think of that don't use bass clarinet are the First and the Fifth (maybe the 10th, also). He was one of the best composers ever in terms of bass clarinet use, IMHO. I for one am celebrating Shostakovich's birthday and ignoring Mozart's entirely. Shosty's 4th, 6th, and 8th have terrric b.c. parts. The 11th might have a good b.c. part too, but my only recording of it is an old Soviet mono LP and the sound quality is so bad I can't tell what's going on.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: larryb
Date: 2006-01-31 19:07
His 5th Symphony has some great soprano clarinet solos.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: clairannette
Date: 2006-01-31 20:15
There is no bass in the 9th either and definitely not the 10th. But he makes up to us in the 11th with an angry bass clarinet solo in the last movement!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2006-01-31 20:20
So THAT's what that noise was on my old Soviet mono recording of the 11th! Thanks for the good info.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: GBK
Date: 2006-01-31 20:22
David Spiegelthal wrote:
> The 5th has an excellent Eb clarinet part, too
As does the 6th Symphony ...GBK
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: bob49t
Date: 2006-01-31 22:48
Not exactly on thread, but another Shosty piece is the rarely played Cello concerto.....and even that's too frequent !
I never want to see it again. I was asked (with 4 days notice) to do an orchestral dep for the 1st part as she went off with a "virus". I very quickly realised why. Must be the most fiendishly exposed high altissimo writing I've seen. Nigh on impossible after a year working at it far less a few days (and dark foreboding at night) I should not have taken it and regret it 5 years later. We made a barely passable stab at it but that was all. It was an audience lead balloon.
So anyone out there...be warned .....there's venomous bared teeth in them thar barlines. Please don't forget Mozart
Tee was no bass part in it (I think)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: redwine
Date: 2006-01-31 22:54
Hello,
There's a really good arrangement of clarinet solo themes from the 12th and 9th symphonies that form 3 movements of a "sonata" by Shostakovich (arranged loosely by a person whose name escapes me). If you're not a purist, you will enjoy these pieces. I think it was on the MCA publisher's label, but I may be forgetting too. The title is something like 3 Pieces. If you're interested, let me know and I'll dig through my library to find them and let you know exactly what the correct information is. As I remember, my music is quite old, so this may be out of print.
Ben Redwine, DMA
owner, RJ Music Group
Assistant Professor, The Catholic University of America
Selmer Paris artist
www.rjmusicgroup.com
www.redwinejazz.com
www.reedwizard.com
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: BassetHorn
Date: 2006-02-01 03:03
You are right Claireannette, that bass clarinet solo in the last movement of the 11th is kick ass sinister. Just listened to it.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2006-02-01 15:40
bob49t -
Shostakovich wrote two cello concertos, both for Rostropovich. I think the difficult clarinet solo you write about is in #2. I've heard Steve Girko toss it off as if it were nothing, but even he had to work hard on it.
Ken Shaw
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
