Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 4
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While not as common as the 5th and 6th symphony on auditions, the 4th is played a lot and has some nice passages for the clarinet. The introduction to the first movement ends with the bassoon and clarinet in octaves transforming the opening
theme into the main motive of the first movement. Playing in tune is of course important, and you'll want to go over this with the bassoonist in advance, but also pay careful attention to the balance. The bassoon should dominate, and the
clarinet be like an overtone. The bassoon will also determine how much dim. to do since they cannot usually play as softly as clarinets can. Play the last two notes like a sigh. The main part of the movement begins with a string phrase repeated
by the woodwinds with the clarinet and flute on the melody line. The rhythmic pulse of the music is not the standard 9/8, but more like 3/4 + 3/8, and should be played in 4 with the pulse equal to quarter, quarter, quarter, dotted-quarter. Later,
Tchaikovsky builds very complex rhythmic counterpoint from this. Stravinsky's rhythms in "Le Sacre du Printemps" were influenced by this movement. Throughout the transition, you have many little solos interspersed with the other woodwinds, such as
11 after A. Keep the rhythm of the music in mind, and really go for the end of the solo with your cresc. A big solo at the end of the transition to the second theme starts with the pickup to letter E. You may have to delay the pickup a bit while the
noise of the whole orchestra ff clears the hall. The conductor will usually indicate how much delay to you. The third bar after E should be a little different from the first. There is now an accent on the Bb and I like to make more cresc. to it and
make a lot of the hemiola here. The clarinet starts the second theme with its pickups to Moderato assai, quasi andantino. Most conductors like to slow the rit. that precedes it to slower than the Moderato tempo. If this is the case, you can make
nice juicy rit. into the Moderato and then snap immediately back into the new tempo. Do not bounce on the 32nd/dotted 16th rhythm, but try to separate the cells a bit - it shouldn't be completely legato. The separation also allows you to make little
color changes and nuance with every two-note cell if you want. Lead into the first Db, then back down to the Bb. The first two Bbs should be backed away from, the third leads to the short 32nd-note run, which is played with a small stress and tenuto
on the first of the five notes. Do the same in the repeat, and the six 32nd-notes are almost always faster than you think they are. Subdivide, play quickly and smoothly, and you'll be get to the Eb on time. After the key change, you are on the top of
the woodwinds leading the cresc. and mood changes back to the new tempo. Don't let yourself be covered, but also remember you have a long way to go and the first 11 bars of this cresc. are only from pp to p.
In the development you can see the shifted pulse and all the interesting rhythms derived from the 3/4 + 3/8 meter. The second and fourth bars of M are the usual pattern reversed - now 3/8 + 3/4. After Q things get very confused and
in the 10th bar the strings have a number of quarter-note pulses in a row. It is probably best to ignore them the first time through, or you may enter early in the 11th bar ff. After you've heard it a few times it will sound clearer to you.
The rest of the movement is the same, except for the coda beginning at V. You are in octaves with the flute, and have to play loud enough to be heard over a thick accompaniment. If you can play this phrase in one breath - do. Otherwise, work
out with the flute player where to breathe.
The second movement has a clarinet descant in bar 22, and a woodwind soli after B. Play the notes after B separate, but not bouncy. The phrase is long and the direction unwaveringly forward until the final bar. Within that, you should make
some nuance to show the smaller cells. The first cell is the first four notes, and after the note on each beat the notes that follow lead to the next beat. Contour the dynamics with the line, except for the last bar which should be a down
hairpin as the line evaporates chromatically upwards. The clarinets lead the piu mosso section in unison, and can be rustic and a dance-like. The little solos that occur immediately after the Tempo I are reminiscent of the little solos in
the secondary theme of the first movement and should be played similarly. It is easy to get lost here, so count carefully. 15 bars after that section, the clarinet has a proper solo. Play a healthy mf. Each entrance comes with more expression,
volume and agitation than the last, leading to the final Abs. Do not slow down too much on them, as the oboe continues the line for you. The same can be said for the end of the movement: You are alone pp at the end, but the bassoon has the final say,
and they must be able to be more expressive than you. Play simply and resigned - no fancy rubato here.
The third movement is the only thing that is ever asked for at auditions. E is awkward for 2 bars, and there is really no way around it other than practicing. F is very fast - as much as 168 to the quarter. Though you are tempted, do not
play the 32nds early, or accented, or stretched. The accent must fall where it's marked, and the notes must be in perfect time or they will sound sloppy. Don't forget the dim. to p and to restart the second phrase mf. The last movement
has a lot of technical tutti passages and not much for solo clarinet.
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