Klarinet Archive - Posting 000081.txt from 1994/07

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.EDU>
Subj: Giora Feidman
Date: Fri, 8 Jul 1994 21:53:51 -0400

Probably everyone is aware of it, but just in case: Feidman was bass
clarinet with the Israel Philharmonic for a number of years. It was
there that his interest in Klezmer music (brought about by virtue of
the fact that he was raised in South America and learned to play and
love Klezmer music there) became crystalized. I believe that he left
the IPO just to concertize as a Klezmer player.

I indicated in an earlier note that when I first heard him, I sucked
in my breath so beautiful and intense was his playing. But when I
heard him talk about Klezmer playing I was badly disallusioned by
his remarks, which I considered sophomoric. He made statements such as
Klezmer is not a style of playing, it's a philosophy. BARF!!! Who
needs or wants such nonsense.

So now I limit myself to listening to him play, not talk. And when he
does play, I am still awed. Another who has that kind of intensity is
Sabine Meyer. A few other musicians have it too, but hardly any
clarinet players that I know if. (All this is personal opinion, and
in no way can be asserted to be fact. It is simply how I perceive these
people and their playing.)

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