The Squeaker Speaks

A List of Clarinet Orchestral Excerpts

You Must Know Well
Nicholas Murphy

I had taken around eight professional Kodaly Galanta Dances Britten Four Sea Interludes -Sec-
orchestral clarinet auditions before obtain- ond Player doubles on
Often Requested:
ing my current position in Queensland. Eb
Brahms Symphony No. 3
Based on my experiences in that time I Debussy La Mer
Tchaikovsky Symphonies 4, 5 or 6
have compiled a list of orchestral excerpts Ravel Daphnis and Chloe
Mendelssohn Symphony No. 3
which I believe university level students Opera and Ballet Orchestra Excerpts
Rimsky - Korsakov Scheherazade
should know very well if they are serious (In Australia orchestras in Queensland,
Cappricio Espagnole
about obtaining a professional orchestra Adelaide and Perth play in the pit so expect
Ravel The Mother Goose
position. The works I have listed are im- these excerpts to come up frequently):
Debussy Afternoon of a Faun
portant because they appear frequently on Mozart Cosi Fan Tutti, Magic
Bartok Concerto for Orchestra
audition lists. I intend this to be a useful Flute, Don Giovanni, Fi-
Miraculous Mandarin
guide and obviously there will be a lot of garo
Stravinsky Firebird
material which can be added. If students Rossini Barber of Seville - Over-
Shostakovich Symphony No. 1 or 5
have prociency in and detailed knowledge ture, Act I Finale, Largo
Strauss Oboe Concerto (Clarinet
of all of the material on this list however, al Factotum
Solos)
I suspect they will nd the process of pre- Verdi Traviata, Rigoletto, La
paring for their orchestral auditions much Have appeared in Australia more than Forza del Destino (very
more a matter of renement than of learn- once in the last ten years: important)
ing from scratch. This will be particularly Brahms Symphony No. 1 Puccini Boheme, Buttery, Tosca
valuable when preparing for more than Tchaikovsky Francesca da Rimini (very important)
one audition or preparing large lists. The Stravinsky Petrouchka Tchaikovsky Nutcracker
majority of my experiences pertain to Aus- Shostakovich Cello Concerto Delibes Copelia
tralian auditions, however I have included Nielsen Flute Concerto (Flute/ Stravinsky Rakes Progress, Bluebird
material I have come across overseas which Clarinet Cadenza) solo
would be valuable to know. R. Strauss Also Sprach Zarathustra Britten Peter Grimes
Don Juan Janacek Jenufa
Symphony and Chamber Orchestra Ex-
Till Eulenspiegel Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet,
cerpts: (Principal Clarinet Excerpts are
also asked for second chair auditions) Other important excerpts to know: Cinderella (cadenzas very
Mozart Symphonies No. 39 and dicult)
Almost always requested: Strauss Rosenkavalier, Salome,
40
Beethoven Symphony No. 6 (in par- Elektra
Schubert Unfinished and Ninth
ticular) Smetena Bartered Bride
Symphony
Symphony No. 4 (Slow Borodin Polovetsian Dances
Berlioz Symphony Fantastique
movement and articu- Wagner Practice various excerpts
Prokoev Symphonies 1 and 5
lated passage in last move- for stylistic familiarity
Mills Sequenzas Concertantes
ment)
- Clarinet cadenza E Flat excerpts regularly appearing in As-
Symphony No. 8 (Trio)
Brahms Symphony No. 4 Symphony and Chamber Orchestra Ex- sociate Principal Clarinet auditions:
Mendelssohn Midsummer Nights Dream cerpts specic to second chair auditions Berlioz Witchs Sabbath
- Scherzo (i.e. learn the second part): Ravel Daphnis and Chloe, Bolero,
Symphony No. 4 (Finale) Piano Concerto in G
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5 (open- Bartok Miraculous Mandarin
Rachmaninov Second Symphony (slow ing)
solo - plus articulated pas- Stravinsky Rite of Spring
Bartok Miraculous Mandarin Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 and 7
sages) Bartok Concerto for Orchestra
Prokoev Peter and the Wolf Strauss Till Eulenspiegel, Salome
Beethoven Slow Movement from for Opera Orchestras
Ravel Daphnis and Chloe Ninth Symphony
Sibelius Symphony No. 1 Mahler Symphonies 1 and 9
Mendelssohn Hebrides (preferably all symphonies requiring E
Resphigi Pines of Rome Midsummer Nights Dream
Ginastera Variazione Concertantes at)
Scherzo (second part)

6 Australian Clarinet and Saxophone

Bass Clarinet:
Forget it.
At least you know you will have plenty
of preparation time for a bass clarinet
audition. The next one will probably be
in the next century. Impossible jobs to get
- lifestyle is too good!!! Players stay in the
job until they have to be carried out in
a con. (According to Brian Catchlove
there have been three Bass Clarinet audi-
tions in the last ten years, although I had
always thought the last Bass audition was
sometime in the sixties).
Strauss Till Eulenspigel, Also
Sprach Zarathustra, Don
Quixote
Shostakovich Symphonies 8 and 11 (also
know 6 and 7)
Stravinsky Rite of Spring, Petrouch-
ka
Ravel La Valse, Daphnis and
Chloe
Grofe Grand Canyon Suite Search for the most reliable editions
Tchaikovsky Nutcracker of excerpts - some publications have
Gershwin An American in Paris markings which are rarely performed.
Dukas Sorcerers Apprentice Current players are the best source for
Mahler Symphony No. 6 (Plus as this information. Visit the orchestra
much of others as pos- libraries in your state to nd the best
sible) versions.
Prokoev Symphonies and Ballets Practice adhering to the simple details
Verdi Traviata, Rigoletto of what is printed in the parts, much
of this detail is often missed, and is
Some points to remember: one of the most easily noticed features
Orchestral auditions will often follow amongst the non - clarinet players on
patterns, i.e. the same orchestra might the panel.
ask similar excerpts for successive audi- Listen to your own playing through the
tions. use of recording equipment.
Despite its importance in the perform- Play your excerpts for as many willing
ing repertoire, Ginastera Variazione or unwilling ears as possible.
Concertantes seems to have become Nicholas Murphy is principal clarinettist
standard repertoire in Australia. of the Queensland Philharmonic
Study each excerpt for a couple of weeks Orchestra
as you would for an audition, then put
it away to further rene at a later time.
September 2000 7