Author: MarlboroughMan
Date: 2010-12-30 00:30
Peter:
No dig intended at you at all--from the clips you've posted here I think you're a fine player, sincerely. But honestly it would take a very dull player to make the Shaw a dull piece.
I think it's a very exciting piece from a stylistic standpoint, especially when considering the many virtuosic glissandi. If one bothers to think through the possibilities of improvised solos, it become even more interesting.
And isn't there something of value in the sheer brash, optimistic, youthful bravado of the piece? I think so, at any rate--those emotions have their place. Crowds love it, and it does more than show off Shaw--it shows off the clarinet itself from a different perspective than any piece before it. I would actually consider it one of the more indispensable pieces of the 20th century repertoire.
As to the form, granted use of the term "Concerto" was a bit tongue in cheek for its day. But the fact is it has been programmed precisely as a concerto now for over a generation, often by well established symphony players. And you'll note that its form is just as legitimate (or, if you prefer, illegitimate) as the Copland Concerto. Both are comprised of a slow introduction, cadenza, directly linked to a fast section. Copland's is obviously the more 'profound' piece, but hardly an orthodox 18th/19th century form.
Eric
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The Jazz Clarinet
http://thejazzclarinet.blogspot.com/
Post Edited (2011-01-22 20:51)
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