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Doublereed Archive - Posting 000064.txt from 2007/07
From: herb fawcett <herbgosia@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [DR-L] Young ASO Principal Oboist Rejects
Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2007 15:58:22 -0400
Ach! Phil, some of us are crass hedonists who stupidly enjoy the sensations
associated with driving high performance automobiles, however irrelevant
that may be in the world of "reality". There is an art to doing it well, as
there is an art to doing many things well, even slicing tomatoes (and that
requires a good sharp knife). Some folks drive Bentley GT and some drive old
beat-up Japanese econoboxes. They are all potentially fine people; they just
have different "wiring". The great horn artist, Dennis Brain, loved fine
fast cars (Bentley), and it was his undoing (that, and a very long day of
performing).
Then there is skiing artistically, sailing skillfully, writing poetry,
parsing Orwell, gardening. All are satisfying in different ways and have an
aesthetic component every bit as satisfying and valid as music.
<Who is the audience?> NASCAR - European Grands Prix - Indy 500.
<How much time, when driving, does one observe the artfulness and
expressivity of OTHER people's driving?> ALL the time if you wish to stay
alive on I 80 near Berkeley. At other times, see above.
My analogy, obviously unapt, was intended to show that folks look for
different results within the paradigm of expression; they often use
different tools to get there.
When I listen to a performer, I don't care what he uses to perform - I want
him to be as comfortable as he can be so that he is able to give his best.
If he prefers to use a piece of PVC, that's ok with me. I can't make it work
for me and it feels lousy to work with it. I once had the opportunity to try
Arthur Kubey's (Pittsburgh principal) bassoon (Heckel) and reed. I could
barely make a peep on that setup - he made it sing very expressively. I am
ever amazed at the beauty of Maurice Allard's playing on the Buffet. They
(Buffet) usually sound pretty crappy to me, but he was an artist. John
Miller uses a Fox. Bob Williams uses a Fox. Rick Ranti uses a Heckel, Frank
Morelli uses a Heckel. I don't care a whit. They are artists and they could
probably make a Schreiber work. Who cares what Alan Vogel uses to express
himself? It works. I am far from being an artist, and I must give myself
every bit of help I can get. At the moment it is a Heckel and when I feel
the need to express myself on Hwy #1, I have the Porsche. For lumpen
projects, I have an old Mitsubishi.
Be well,
Herb
On 7/13/07 11:37 AM, "philfrei@-----.com> wrote:
> What's with all the car analogies? When did driving a car become an act
> of aesthetic creation? Who is the audience? How much time, when
> driving, does one observe the artfulness and expressivity of OTHER
> people's driving? (Art is now more about expressivity than
> communication?)
>
> There was a good video on KQED last night, about mass hypnosis.
>
> - Phil Freihofner
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