The concert I attended was part of the BACKUN LIVE series. It was a performance of Aaron Copland’s“Clarinet Concerto”, whereby Eddie Daniels was playing the clarinet; Roberto Molinelli was the conductor while the orchestra was the Sinfonica G Rossini. This paper is going to present about my experience during the concert by briefly highlighting the pieces that were performed, the style of the pieces performed, and the instrumentation of the orchestra. It will finally conclude by analyzing some of the pieces performed borrowing on the criteria that were learned from the course.

The concert

During the period of the concert, I considered myself to be a critical listener. Having gone through the course, my primary motivation during the concert was not only to enjoy the performance but also to identify what was lacking in it. However, I had in mind the difficulty of a live performance being perfect, with mistakes such as miss notes, instruments going out of tune, and noises and distractions from the audience being common gaffes, and therefore, to a large extent my aim was to simply analyze the artistic and technical standards of the music.

The pieces that were performed included the Clarinet Concerto, Sonata for Clarinet/Andantino; Vivace e leggiero, Three Preludes/Prelude No. 1: Allegro ben ritmato e deciso, West Side – Variants and Promenade (Walking the Dog). Perhaps the most interesting of these pieces was the clarinet concerto.

One key outstanding feature of this concert was the inclusion of a jazz element in all the pieces. The instrumentation being a solo clarinet with strings, harp and piano brought with them a jazzy effect, this was further accentuated by the inclusion of slapping basses and whacking harp sounds.Perhaps the fusion of the jazz and classical idioms within the concerto is one of the most striking features of the pieces. The work opens in a very definitive Copland style. Theall-encompassing, open, chord formationsalong with the lighter orchestration of the movement leads to almost hear this movement. However, while the jazz in the concerto is not improvised, it showcases the virtuosity possible on the instruments.

Throughout the clarinet concerto, Copland employs ostinatos based on the Charles and “boogie woogie”. In most of the part, the clarinet concerto is in two movements, that is, in a fast-slow fashion, with a cadenza which ties the two movements together without pause. The first movement is characteristic of Copland’s music and can be defined as dreamlike in nature. The open orchestration and hymn-like sounds from the soloist and the orchestra reminds one of the religious tranquilof Our Town, the Appalachian Spring as well as the Violin Sonata. The cadenza of the clarinet concerto stands out in several ways. First, it is unusually very long and specifically written out. Secondly, the cadenza presents and develops material from the second movement. The cadenza startson a very familiar soundingimpression, beginning from the first movement, as if the composer is very nearlyreflecting on it. Approaching the end of this slight musingperiod, just aboutseven measures long, it appearsas though the composerhearkensa additionalidea emerging  out of this texture, so he begins to toy with it in a jazz-like manner. The music finally, flourishes and develops into a swing-like feel, culminating the cadenza on a run disappearingdirectly into the second movement.

In the concert, the orchestra clearly brings out how Copland clarinet concerto brings together two different idioms into one work. It brings out the aesthetic atmosphere that Copland wanted to bring out in his work.The notes in the clarinet concerto comprised mainly of continuous eighth notes, all swung with the rhythms based derived from a Charleston-like feel. Much of the concert can partially be classified as being neoclassic in nature, containing classical values and structure while utilizing them in a new way.

With regards to the historical context of the piece, Aaron Copland’s clarinet concerto was written in 1948, this was a year after Copland had gone for aLatin-American tour which resulted to this piece having a Latin musical style especially in its second movement. The piece was finally first performed in 1950 after several simplifications of the original work were done, which were considered as having a tricky rhythmic notation. Several years later, the clarinet concerto is considered as a shining example of Copland’s musical vocabulary.

Conclusion

In conclusion, as a music student, the clarinet concerto was an experience to remember, a perfect blend of notes and an excellent work of art. The characteristic idioms in Copland’s music in the pieces are all present, interspersed with a sprinkling of jazz. The cadenza showcases Copland’s versatile language, the charming transformation from the melancholy, lyrical atmosphere of the first movement to the quirky, stilted jazz styling’s of the second. Additionally, the steady, building increase in ensemble energy, staccatisimo passages in the clarinets highest register, and a rollicking finale. The performance goes to solidify the position of the “Clarinet Concerto” as a staple of the repertory for clarinetists all over the world. It was an exceptional concert, and despite my being a critical listener, the concert was an enjoyable experience for me.

References

Copland, A. (Composer). (2012). Aaron Copland’s “Clarinet Concerto”. [R. G. Orchestra Sinfonica, Performer, R. Molinelli, & E. Daniells, Conductors] Pesaro, Ital. Retrieved from youtube.com//pbmCqYp-CHY

 
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