I have a piece for orchestra with two clarinets starting in C. They are correctly condensed.
When they change to A Clarinet it’s impossible to get them condensed.
When they retutn to C clarinet they are condensed again.
Thank you very much in advance.
Stefano Rabaglia
Indeed. This is a current limitation of condensing, and it is documented (for instance) here.
One common workaround is to hand your two A clarinets to two separate players, then assign those players to the C clarinet part layouts. This way the correct music will appear in the correct parts, and both sets of clarinets will condense in the score. The downside to this method is that you’ll have to deal with instrument changes manually, as text.
Thank you so much!
A workaround is exactly what I was looking for, because I need to finish my project as soon as possible.
All the best.
Stefano
Sorry but why in the world would you ever compose for a C clarinet? Do you actually have two players with that instrument? Former professional clarinetist and never saw one, nor knew anybody with the slightest interest. It was considered a historical failure because the tone didn’t match the Bb and A. It’s surprising what a half step can to, my A is a throaty monster compared to the Bb. A step and a half further up? That would be thin indeed - better to play the Eb. Which by the way has a great lower register, if the player has one with good tuning.
… which is precisely why Bizet, Tchaikovsky, Smetana, Dvořák, Brahms, Mahler, Wagner, Richard Strauss, etc explicitly wrote for it, after it had supposedly “gone out of favour”.
(In one Wagner score he specifies a change from Bb to C clarinet for just 8 bars and then back to Bb, precisely because of the different tone colour).
I didn’t say it was never used but again, good luck finding one. The only I find are oddballs and student instruments. My point is I would dread finding that in a score and would either ignore it if I could and transpose (if the key wasn’t too bad), or just not play the piece. What a clarinetist would enjoy would be somebody with the insight to use the Eb in the lower register for similiar color change. That ‘efer’ seems to always be used as a screecher (OK I didn’t plan that)
There are plenty of professional C clarinets available: Buffet, Amati, Wurlitzer and Patricola to name a few. A while ago I played Mendelssohn 5 using a C clarinet and have also played Symphonie Fantastique using one (blends great with E-flat!). A friend of mine plays in LA Opera orchestra and tells me they use their C instruments quite a bit, especially in Rossini.
I have to disagree with your assessment of E-flat usage. It doesn’t always have to screech - listen to Bolero or Shostakovich 6. Even in loud passages you want to tone it down a bit (unless it’s a solo) so it blends better with flute and piccolo.
So it is, didn’t know that. Well I still wouldn’t take kindly to being asked to drop $8k on a new clarinet! I remember when I got my first Bb/A for a mere $1k (OK that was a small fortune back then)
I have to disagree with your assessment of E-flat usage. It doesn’t always have to screech - listen to Bolero or Shostakovich 6. Even in loud passages you want to tone it down a bit (unless it’s a solo) so it blends better with flute and piccolo.
It was tongue in cheek 
I’ve played it plenty of times including Capriccio Espagnole which is a hairy ride.