Noi amiamo l'Italia!: Arcidosso

For the better part of two weeks before we head to Assisi, we will be attending the InterHarmony International Music Festival in Arcidosso. Arcidosso is a small town (population 4,384) south of Florence, in Tuscany. The most notable sight is the Aldobrandeschi castle, dating back to the year 1000. The top tower of the castle provides a beautiful panoramic view of the Monte Amiata, the largest lava dome in the Lake Bolsena complex.

Fast Facts
Region: Tuscany
Province: Grosseto
Landscape: Rolling green hills, Monte Amiata
Best Way to Get Around: On foot
To Eat: crostini, fiorentina

What We're Listening To: Quatour De Clarinettes Edison

For "What We're Listening To" this week, we have the Carter "Canonic Suite" as performed by Quatour de Clarinettes Edison on their album Ouragan. This particular recording caught our attention because of the clarity and the almost simplistic nature of the performance. The group plays the piece as Carter indicates, with amazing clarity and without adding anything Carter does not ask for. This was able to influence our approach to the piece. As four players who sometimes have a tendency to over-express, this recording gave us an idea of how good the piece could sound without anything added. It gave us a different way to think about the piece, and has in turn helped our clarity and helped us create a more simplistic style.

This recording can be found on Spotify

Rehearsal Update: Elliott Carter and the Mind Meld

In our most recent rehearsals, we've been focusing a lot on playing truly together. We've found that although we have rare moments when we are all on the same page, we often are four good clarinettists playing at the same time, but not with the same intent. We have been focusing creating a single energy and a single mindset while we play. This sounds very mystical and new age-y, but its been working for us. We all think about "plugging in" to a quartet brain that will play the piece. It is really an abstract way of listening while we play that puts the focus on the other three players, and allows you to hear the other three very clearly. So far, this has been working quite well for us, and is solving many issues like tempo, balance, and articulation differences. To practice this, we've been using the 2nd movement of Carter's Canonic Suite, which allows us to address many of these issues directly.

Right now, we're calling this a "mind meld." According to Matt, this is inspired by the Vulcan Mind Meld of Star Trek; if you're unfamiliar, you can read about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulcan_%28Star_Trek%29#Mind_melds

Motivational Monday: Alejandro Jodorowski

This is a great quote because it challenges us to think outside the box, or in this case, the cage, and assess our talents differently. Every person has a unique blend of skills that set them up for success. Find your niche in the world, even if it means you have to be a little creative!

Surprising Stuff Saturday: 100 Years of 'The Rite of Spring'

Rounding out our weekly blog post schedule will be "Fun Fact Friday," with a musical fact or two. This week, it has become "Surprising Stuff Saturday!" We will be right on schedule next week.

This Wednesday, May 29th, marks the 100 year anniversary of the premiere of Stravinsky's ballet, The Rite of Spring. The piece is largely known for its infamous premiere, at which the audience protested so loudly that the dancers could not hear the music. Multiple factors contributed to the outcry - elaborate costumes, unusual choreography, and the strange story of pagan sacrifice, as well as Stravinsky's innovative music. It is dissonant, angular, and unpredictable, with an opening bassoon solo beyond the accepted range of the instrument at the time.

Although Stravinsky was unhappy with the audience reaction, the piece now stands as a great masterpiece of 20th century music.

Check out the Joffrey Ballet recreation of the premiere performance here:

Noi amiamo l'Italia!: Assisi

As we get ready to travel to Italy in July, we will be sharing something about the country every Thursday in our "Noi amiamo l'Italia" or "We love Italy" posts. This week, some background on Assisi, the city we will be performing in for ClarinetFest 2013.

Assisi is most famous for St. Francis of Assisi, who was born there. Its most famous landmark is the Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi, which began construction in 1228, just after the canonization of St. Francis. The church has frescoes from Cimabue, Giotto, and Cavallini. A small town of just 3000 people, Assisi is a spiritual pilgrimage for many who come to honor the founder of the Franciscan order.


Fast Facts
Region: Umbria
Province: Perugia
Landscape: Sweet, green hills
Best Way to Get Around: On foot
To Eat: Truffles

What We're Listening To: Doumka Clarinet Ensemble

Every Wednesday, we'll be showing you a recording (or two!) that we are currently listening to, along with a little bit about why we find it intriguing.

Doumka Clarinet Ensemble

This week, we have two movements of Asymmetric Miniatures by Alexis Ciesla, "Des Bulles" and "Praïa," performed by the Doumka Clarinet Ensemble. Ciesla is a member of this ensemble, and originally wrote the piece for them. We have been playing the piece since August, and auditioned for ICA ClarinetFest 2013 with our recording of it. The stylistic element that has been the most challenging for us, and that we continue to work on, is the relaxed sound quality. These recordings of the Doumka Clarinet Ensemble capture this sound quality perfectly. The sound is relaxed and open, with an earthy, natural quality that really suits the piece well.

The recordings do not reflect the published arrangement that Concinnity Quartet has studied. The Doumka version does not have the bass clarinet, only the three sopranos, and adds percussion. These changes enhance the Mediterranean influenced style of the pieces. Also, "Des Bulles" adds an improvisatory-sounding introduction that helps set the tone for the 'bubbly' party that is to come.

Listen and let us know what you think!
http://www.myspace.com/doumkaclarinetensemble/music

Rehearsal Update: French Suite, Yvonne Desportes

Every Tuesday we'll be bringing you a brief rehearsal update, including the piece or pieces we've been focusing on this week, and any particular challenges or breakthroughs we've had.

Recently, we've been placing most of our focus on Yvonne Desportes' French Suite, particularly movements 1 (Prelude), 5 (Bouree), and 6 (Gigue). These three are similar in that they all have running arpeggio patterns that are passed throughout all parts. The challenge, of course, is the floaty, smooth quality these patterns require, and matching the style within the group. What we have found most helpful is to pick which of our four sounds or styles we like the best, and to all make changes in our own playing to match. The other difficulty is maintaining the simple, ethereal feel throughout all dynamic levels. It is often easy to have fortes sound harsh, and we are working on delicate fortes as a group.

This week, we also did some research on Yvonne Desportes. We discovered that she taught fugue at the Paris Conservatory, something that is very evident in the echo-like themes found in each movement of the suite. Also, Desportes is classified as a non-conformist traditionalist. Although at first, this seems like a contradictory descriptor, after deconstructing her style, it makes sense. In the piece we are studying, Desportes has written a dance suite, much like traditional Baroque and early Classical composers. However, she uses modern harmonies, and breaks tradition, giving her a non-conformist sound. We always find that knowing more about a composer and the environment they were writing in helps to influence the way we play their music.

Coming up next week, we'll begin work on our piece from Yoshiaki Onishi, which will be premiered at ClarinetFest 2013 in Assisi!

Motivational Monday: Live Your Music

Now that it is summertime, we have the time to get back to blogging! We are super excited to be bringing you a blog post every week day to keep you up to date on our journey to Italy in July.

Every Monday will be Motivational Monday, with a quote, story, or photo to brighten up and inspire the beginning of your workweek. Today, we are bringing you a quote from jazz legend Charlie Parker.

We have been visiting a number of high schools in the area this week and last week, and this sentiment is something we try to leave students thinking about. The incredibly beautiful thing about music, playing or listening, is the personal nature of a performance. With that added intimate dimension, music becomes an active experience for listener and performer. When we visit schools, we emphasize the vivid imagery we create for ourselves for each piece we play. We have found the creation of a story or an image to be a vital, necessary part of our rehearsal process, and we often feel lost in the preparation of a piece without it. However, even though we have found a very specific story for each piece, it is definitely not the only image that works. We have had students tell us that they hear exactly the same things we do, and things that are completely opposite. This is fascinating, because it allows us to see a tiny piece of someone's life when they share their experience with us.

So as you experience music this week, either though listening or playing, ask yourself what moment in your life you are living!