Bravo Eb clarinet performance! I also play Eb clarinet. it’s nice to see this clarinet being celebrated in all its musical glory. It is really a beautiful instrument and is sadly frequently maligned and omitted from some conductors repertoire.
As a clarinettist I can appreciate his dexterity and tone...although I have never ventured to play this (relatively tiny!) E flat instrument. Very impressive. We need to hear more of the early repertoire! Yes, the music does seem fitting for the piccolo trumpet, but I think that in Molter's time the scope of this relatively new instrument had yet to be fully explored.
Mir waren diese KONZERTE zu " quietschig " auf dieser kleinen Klarinette ❗ Auf der B - Klarinette habe ich mir schon die LIPPEN wund - ge - blasen ❗ Aher ab & zu werden auch INSTRUMENTALISTEN auf diesem INSTRUMENT gebraucht, unter anderem in der " Symphony Fantastic " von Hector Berlioz ❗
Honestly, this is a very convincing performance. In contrary to some comments here, I rarely have heard a Eb clarinet being played with this clear and pure intonation and the rich, round, "wooden" sound that Bb and A clarinets are effortlessly able to produce (but even some nowadays famous players lack to do). And so, the Eb clarinet is often abused to solely create sharp, flat, squeeking and partly annoying sounds (when it gets put on a race with the piccolo flute, for example, by Shostakovich, but even that has to be played convincingly well). This performance, however, puts this clarinet in its own right as a dignified representative of the higher registered part of the clarinet family (without being classified as just a shrunk "travesty" of it). Thank you very much for this experience!
Nice idea, however the soloist sounds strained, heavy, unsure and the intonation is sometimes disturbed. Overall, it sounds like a Vivaldi played in XIX century. Sorry, notes alone don't make music.
Elbe is one of the finest players today that can display the best attributes of the high Eb clarinet. His tone, control and lyricism is exemplary and inspirational. Great performance by all. Wonderful.
I can’t Believe they have actually transposed this UP a semitone because the soloist did not bother to get a d-clarinet? That is not even taking into account, that at Molter’s time the pitch was actually lower, so Elbe might have played on the eb transposing a wholetone down. But all this is futile because the actual « clarinetto » Molter calls for was a totally different instrument with two keys and a more oboe like embouchure.
Sorry, I take part of this back, they actually Do play a semitone lower, in Ab, F on the eb clarinet. So at least they are approaching historic pitch if not performance practice.
I shall now clarify everything regarding the instrument this was written for, played on here and the transposition. This concerto was originally written for a very early Clarinet in D (evident from the manuscript on imslp) This rendition is being played on a modern Eb Clarinet. We know this because: They are playing this concerto in Ab major rather than the original A major. He is visibly playing in the key of F major which means his part is written a minor third below sounding pitch (Ab major). It's actually not that easy to visually distinguish between a modern Eb and D clarinet. Modern D clarinets do exist, but they are rare.
does this mean that although they used a different-pitched clarinet, they played the same "written key" therefore changing the whole key of the orchestra?
@@ClarinetCraze well there are 2 possibilities here, I couldn't know for sure which is correct: 1. They are all playing a version transposed into Ab-major. 2. The orchestra are playing at A=415 (ie Baroque pitch) and he is playing the original D Clarinet part on a modern Eb clarinet which works out in terms of the transposition. It's quite common for period orchestras to play at this pitch but using a modern clarinet is very weird. I think 2. is probably more likely simply because it's way less work and also they play very much like a period orchestra. Nevertheless the mishmash of period pitch and a modern clarinet is very weird. A modern Eb is way too industrial to play this concerto well.
Odd that they played the piece in Ab major instead of A. Apparently the soloist didn't have access to a D clarinet. Playing in A major on an Eb clarinet means playing in written F# major, a bit awkward on any clarinet, hence the transposition down a half step so the soloist can play in F major on the Eb clarinet.
I didn't even know a D clarinet was a thing. Are you sure it's not just the Boroque tuning. Using today's tuning of A=440 an Ab is 412 which is Boroque tuning.
I actually like that! Playing this concerto in the key of Ab, instead of A major, makes the clarinet part sound less shrill. And more enjoyable to listen to.
For those of you wondering and debating, Elbe is using an Eb clarinet, and here's the reason why: it says that the concerto is in A major, but the whole concerto in this video is actually transposed down to Ab major. If you don't believe me, pluck an Ab and listen to the first note played by the strings. If Elbe were to play this same key with a D clarinet, he would be dealing with 4 sharps, but with the Eb, he only has one flat to deal with in his transposition.
I think your right. He actually sounds a wee bit sharp to the orchestra. He is playing in the written key of F major. Personally I find little difficulty increase between F (easiest of all) and E major (crossing fingerings kind of seem natural to me in E major). I find A and B major to twist my fingers though.
Bravo. He has great tone and full mastery of this tiny clarinet which is hard to play this wonderfully, rather it takes skills. I played E-flat, Rite of Spring, Til Eulenspiegal, etc. Loved it.
