Hi all,

On the ATCL Recital List is; Stamitz Concerto No. 3 in Bb 1st Movement.

The piece starts with 27 bars of rest for the Clarinettist,
Then midway through another 32 bars of rest,
Then later another 17 bars of rest,
Then near the end 3 bars of rest, and finishing on 7 bars of rest.

I can understand the odd few bars here and there, but 86 bars!!!

Would this be taken into account time-wise and pity the poor Clarinettist, it must be hard not to look at the examiners whilst waiting.

Has anyone included this piece in their Diploma? on the DipABRSM the complete Concerto is listed.

Regards, Peter.

P.S. I'm not anywhere near, just curious and I do enjoy the piece and so I bought the sheet music.

I suppose this sort of thing is not uncommon in concerto movements. Perhaps handling yourself appropriately during the long rests is considered part of the performance behaviour that is being examined! I think you would have to pick a spot on the wallpaper and gaze gently into the middle distance during those sections, absorbed in the music, as it were......or pick something else to play!

It might be acceptable to curtail a long 'orchestral' introduction, but you can't really cut chunks out of the middle of a piece.

Pity the poor clarinettist who plays the Mozart concerto. I know the introduction could be cut in a diploma, but in a concert there you are, standing for what seems like hours whilst the orchestra has a field day before you can start!

Actually, I think orchestral interludes are a godsend for clarinettists. They give you time to catch your breath, blow down the holes to remove bubbles, wipe some of the moisture from the reed, etc. As SueHM remarks, your behaviour during rests is part of the performance. At diploma level, you are not being judged only on the active part of a performance, but on everything.

As to timing, the whole movement will be included in the time. If you decide to play the Stamitz, you could always choose other pieces where the clarinet is playing for most of the time if you feel you have insufficient space to show off your prowess, but in a 35 or 40 minute recital you will find the examiners have ample time to judge this.

Appearing absorbed in the music but actually frantically counting the rests. I'd end up getting distracted and counting the dots on the wallpaper or something else, and then have no idea what was going on.

Haha, I remember playing the cello part of Pachelbel's Canon at school, same 8 notes repeated over and over...whcih was fine until I lost my place in the music. I had absolutely no idea where we were, and basically every time I reached the end of the 8 notes, I had to listen carefully to try to work out if we were at the close, or if I needed to start again

So, useful topic, Peter - should I ever get that far, I won't choose anything with lots of rests in it

I wouldn't have thought lots of rests would be too much of a problem provided that what you DO play is of a standard.

From the flute recital list, Out Of The Cool by Dave Heath has 30 bars of rest in the middle.

As for getting lost, it's not as though you will be standing there for umpteen bars of silence: I strongly suspect that there is a fairly clear and pretty unmissable lead up from the accompanist in most pieces with long rests for the soloist, so this would only be a problem in practicing at home.

I do this ALL the time when accompanying singers. I have to listen to see whether they are going to go for another verse or not - I sometimes begin to play an extra verse and then have to somehow make it sound like part of a planned coda

Generally long tutti passages in a concerto movement are cut, even if they are not at the beginning. It is best to work with your accompanist in deciding what makes a musical cut. I would consider doing the same in a non-concerto piece if there is a long section for piano alone.

Check the rubric for the exam. I have a feeling they tell you that you must not include all the tutti passages, but truncate suitably - this is what has put me off ever choosing a concerto for an exam, that they may not like my cuts and mark accordingly.

in the crussell Concerto no.2 in F minor, Op.5 there is 65 bars ish at the beginning, my teacher said you can condense it, because thats a long time, especially if its the first in your programme.

Hi all, and thanks for replies, I'd be interested to hear any anecdotes or funny happenings during long rest periods in exams or in orchestra, what you did and how you handled the long periods of waiting for your turn.

Also I can understand cutting or condensing rests at the begining of a piece, it must be a little harder if the long rest comes in the middle of a piece.

Regards, Peter.