Prokofiev vln concerto no 2

In the second violin concerto by Prokofiev, second movement, there is in the last bar a small phrase for clarinet and solo bass. For some reason this often comes out less convincing than it should despite being quite easy to play.

I think there is a reason for this:

The tutti basses change from playing pizz to arco on the downbeat of the last bar. This has a tendency to take a little extra time being their final note and all…

Prok vln concerto, end of mov 2

The solo bass player will be very sensitive to what goes on in his surrounding and this produces a small delay even before starting his solo which then means the natural curve of the rit is destroyed. The clarinet is most likely not noticing the late arco downbeat and plays with the natural flow of the music.

With an alert downbeat there should be no problem.

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