Klarinet Archive - Posting 000382.txt from 1995/01

From: Stephen Cranefield <stephen@-----.NZ>
Subj: British Clarinettists
Date: Wed, 25 Jan 1995 17:49:17 -0500

Lisa Gartrell Yeo <ux403@-----.CA> wrote:

> While we are on the (controversial) subject of British clarinettists,
> I would like to recommend a former teacher of mine, John McCaw
> (also known as Jack). As far as I know, he only made one recording
> on LP sometime in the 70's of the Nielsen and Mozart concertos.
> He has a warm, lyrical tone, and truly makes the clarinet "sing".
> His Nielsen is not only technically flawless, but the most musical
> interpretation I have ever heard. Many performances of this work
> dazzle the listener with virtuosity, but disappoint on the artistic side.

I feel obliged to mention at this point that John McCaw is originally
from Dunedin, New Zealand where he was taught by his father, a
self-taught clarinettist. Although his entire career was in the UK
and he is highly respected by British clarinettists, he can't really
be considered as representative of any sort of "British school" of
playing (although no doubt his teaching has had a great influence on
many younger British players!).

- Stephen

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Stephen Cranefield Phone: +64 3 479 8083
Department of Information Science Fax: 479 8311
University of Otago
Dunedin, New Zealand E-mail: scranefield@-----.nz
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