Klarinet Archive - Posting 000258.txt from 1993/12

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.EDU>
Subj: D-clarinet
Date: Fri, 24 Dec 1993 12:39:00 -0500

With respect to the invitation to discuss the D-clarinet, I
am at a disadvantage. It is one of the few members of the clarinet
family that I don't own. And after killing myself to learn how
to play the Tyll solo on E-flat clarinet (transposed, of course,
from the original D-clarinet part), I feel that I could not
undertake that again at this stage of my life.

So, instead, I am going to buy an A-flat piccolo clarinet when I
go to France in the summer of 1995, and use it to cut sheet steel!!

How about something really practical such as the use of the bass
clarinet in Bach's orchestral music, or "performing Mozart on the
tenor sax," or "great works for voice, clarinet, and accordion"?

Moving to more serious issues: can you imagine the state of the Boston
symphony losing half its section in the space of 4 or 5 weeks? First
Wright (which is a monstrous tragedy by any standards), and then
Hadcock? I saw the advertisement in the union newspaper for
the principle position and wonder how many hundreds of players they are
going to have to week through. It is such a creme-de-la-creme gig and
there are few people out there at the level of a Buddy Wright. What
a monstrous problem!

It is also a strange fate of history that Wright's predecessor, Gino
Cioffi, died only within the last year or so.

Rosario Mazzeo lives near enough to me that I see him from time to time
and chat with him by phone frequently. And knowing that he would be
interested in news of the BSO, I called him immediately on hearing
of Wright's death to tell him the news. And it dawned on me that I
was doing nothing but calling him with the news of the death of many
of his colleages. I told him of the death of bassoonist Sherm Walt.
I told him of the death of conductor Leinsdorf. I think I had better
stop calling him. Rosario is now close to 90 and he still teaches
(wonderfully), coaches (magnificently), and enjoys life. What a guy!!

====================================
Dan Leeson, Los Altos, California
(leeson@-----.edu)
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