Diana Haskell's Performance:
Ronald is a retired professor at Northeastern Illinois University
Voice, composition, and former member of the Lyric Opera of Chicago and Cincinnati (Ohio) Opera.
Ronald CombsOct 15, 2020, 10:12 PM (4 days ago)
to me
Dear Eva, I just listened to your two clarinet pieces, and love them both. Diana Haskell, who played them, says of the first one, that people would either love it or hate it. Please put me in the column of those that love it. It is very dramatic, operatic, and filled with new ideas and interesting combinations. As a composer, it seems to me that you definitely have your own voice. Your musical ideas are original, and yet easy to understand. Any thoughtful auditor will be able to follow what you are trying to say emotionally. You always manage to be approachable without ever being banal. This is not intended to be a critique of your music. It is just one old man's opinion, but I wanted to share it with you. The second number about the child is simply charming. It incorporates the folk material beautifully and you have sifted it through your mind to make it your own, and one with the whole piece. I was particularly tickled by the sections of the child laughing, playing imaginary games, and enjoying each moment. what a wonderful whole it made; a real psychological insight into the mind of a child. These pieces remind me in some ways of some of the Bach unaccompanied cello sonatas. The problem with having no accompaniment is; how do you make the audience "hear" the accompaniment and the harmony without it actually being played. I thought your solution to this problem was quite different from Bach, but it is equally valid and I was impressed by it. Thanks for sharing them with me. I hope that they get performed a lot. They deserve it! Sincerely, Ron Combs