Actually, the thing with the clarinet concerto is that it was written for a special clarinet, not the ordinary one in A so the music was changed to suite the ordinary A clarinet. From the beginning it was written for a basset clarinet which most sounds like the alto clarinet (it goes below the lowest tone of the A clarinet) so: If you want to play it as it really should sound get a basset clarinet or an alto. Then, also, there is always things a composer don`t bother to write down because they are, in his time, obvious.
The most important thing with Mozart, I think, is the rythm. You must constantly feel the rythm because Mozart is very demanding with his rythms, sometimes even more demanding then Bach. And since it is a concerto for clarinet I think it is better playing it the way you feel is right and sound right then the way it is supposed to sound since we really can`t entirely know how it was sounding at that time. Well, of course the runs and everything is a practice thing and is supposed to sound like runs. With Mozart you simplu have to be one with both instrument and music and playing with you`re soul because it won`t sound great if you have the mechanic stuff but not the soul.

Hemlock:
Like anyone here is actually going to go out and buy a basset horn. There are tons of professionals who haven`t even played one and you`re talking to high school students.
And its obviously not every note that Mozart wrote cuz the clarinet was very new at that time and there is no way to transpose it note for note on our "modernized" A clarinets. And when I said you were doing wrong by Mozart by not playing exactly what was on the page, I wasn`t referring to ARTICULATION or DYNAMICS cuz everyone should be aware that Mozart hardly wrote either because THEY were the things that were understood. And they are so obvious, they should be understood. its the actual MUSIC that I referring to - Mozart`s heart and soul are reflected in this music and the man was no short of a complete GENIUS. Open your ears and LISTEN to his music! Its perfect! Why would you treat it as if it where your own?

Why not treat Mozart`s music as if it were your own? Coming up with an original and creative interpretation of the concerto is the fun in playing music. Originality is also what most professional juries at auditions listen for. Anyone can hear a performance by Frank Cohen, Robert Marcellus, or Karl Leister (best Mozart concerto recording) and just play verbatim what they do. A truly gifted musician can use some of their ideas and form their own concept of what the concerto should sound like musically. Of course you must play the right notes and rhythms, but musically mozart left the interpretation up to the performer. Just let your good taste guide your creativity.

you`re right bryan. I was going overboard when I said what I did. It just upsets me when people say something so off the wall as "swing" Mozart and they are actually being serious. I do understand what you said and I do that myself. I admire Karl Leister and Robert Marcellus very much and neither of them play Mozart exactly the same as the other. Isn`t that passage in the third movement in RM`s recording awesome? Frank is still the best though even though he goes a little outside the box of Mozart.

Rachel,

You`re right about the swinging eighth notes. It would have been pretty hard to swing mozart seeing as how jazz didn`t come into existence until the late 19-20th century. Good luck with studying with Cohen I`ve only heard him on recording, but his playing is very impressive. If you want to play the concerto with the notes that Cohen chooses you should check out the Barenwriter edition of the concerto. It has the clarinet part in a, and then the basset horn part printed below on another staff so you can see the actual notes (some of which you can do on clarinet).

i have a strativarious violin!!!!!

Bryan,
I actually have the music that you suggested, but I had to go through 4 different ones to get it! Thanks for pointing it out and thanks for the encouragement! Who do you study with?

Rachel,

I`m from Houston, I study with an ex bonade student named Jeff Lerner. He`s an encyclopedia of clarinet information. I`ve also studied some in NY with Charles Neidich. I fly to NY on vacations and whatnot, and in fact i`ve worked on the Mozart with Mr. Neidich.

Bryan,

Wow! Thats really amazing. I would love to be able to study with someone like Mr. Neidich. I live in Charleston SC, and study with Charles Messersmith who is a former Cohen student (hence the coming CIM audition). I`ve met Mr. Cohen but never had a lesson with him. Maybe one day! Did Mr. Neidich teach you to circular breathe?

Mr. Cohen is amazing. Good luck with your CIM auditions. I have some auditions coming up too- don`t you hate them. I could already circular breathe (not that well), so Neidich didn`t help me with that. He did give me some excercises for circular breathing and double tonguing, but most of my time with him was spent on the music.

Yes I hate auditions unless I know that I have the upper hand. I especially hate having to do all the minor scales and arpeggios. Its a pain!! Thanks for the encouragement though. I`m losing alot of sleep over this audition. What are you auditioning for? I`m also auditioning for Northwestern and Baldwin-Wallace, but I`m not worried about either of those.

I`m auditioning at the Conservatoire de Paris and at Rice. If you think scales and arpeggios are bad, I have to sight sing in front of a panel for a grade! I don`t know how CIM, Northwestern, or BW run their auditions, but every school i`ve auditioned for has claimed that applicants have to play all scales. However, I`ve never had to play a single scale on an audition. I wouldn`t stress out on the scales. Just try to get some lessons with Cohen before you audition, and you should do fine.

Aahh! Now you got my hopes up! Now that you said that, I will have to be the only one playing scales. Just my luck...I would love to get some lessons in with Cohen before hand but I don`t think thats possible on audition weekend. My teacher is as close as I can get. So, are you graduating this year? And have you been accepted anywhere yet?

Also, I forgot to give you my sympathies for the whole sight singing thing! That is terrifying. I like to sing, but... And I`m really impressed that you`re auditioning for Paris. That is really cool. My best wishes go to you for that audition. Are you sending a tape?

I have to fly to Paris. Darn. I asked about tapes, but they don`t do that. What else are you doing besides for Mozart for your auditions? I`m doing Elliott Carter GRA and a Bach-Delecluse Etude at Paris (required audition material), and at Rice I`m doing Mozart and Francaix Concerto and Brahms f minor sonata (my choices).