Re: Re: Re: Re: Bydlo: Musicianship vs. Masculinity ?


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Posted by Klaus on May 15, 2001 at 10:17:51:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Bydlo: Musicianship vs. Masculinity ? posted by Joey on May 15, 2001 at 08:11:01:

Every musical performance ideally should strive to be a rendition of the musical ideas behind the written notes.

It is NEVER possible to play anything exactly as premiered. Tempo, orchestral style, acoustics, and so on will vary. But one should not start out violating the wanted instrumental set-up.

When did you last hear the oboe solo in the opening of the 2nd movement of Brahmsī violin concert played on cor anglais (or is it Englishhorn, at least it is a 5th lower than the oboe)? It can be done, only no one does it, because it would violate the whole atmosphere of the piece.

When did you last hear the stratospheric bassoon part in the Sacre opening played on contra bassoon? A minor cult of freakish contra bassoonists might be able to do that. Does that mean it should be done in orchestral performances?

Most arguments in these recent threads propagating to play the Bydlo solo on large tubas have been along this line: "I have made this tubastoterone benchmark in my study. Ergo I have to unload it on an innocent concert public!"

Is egomanic tubapromotion in contexts, where the printed term "tuba" never was meant to represent a present days orchestral tuba in F, Eb, CC, BBb, or whatever, the way to convince the general musical community, that brass players actually can read at a level allowing themselves to be informed persons?

No one has found even one single argument in Ravelīs score for playing the part on large tubas.

Ravelīs music is a manifestation of FRENCH music in a certain period of music history. And as such it should be performed.

The aesthetic discussions about excatly this Ravel score have stressed the observation, that Ravel made this Russian composition into a piece of French music. But if one wants to play it, then one must play it as is. Especially in such a lightly set solo section.

Klaus



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