Klarinet Archive - Posting 000508.txt from 1995/05

From: Dunja Mckenney <DUNJA@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: other wild clarinet playing
Date: Fri, 19 May 1995 06:40:52 -0400

As far as I know, there really are not any peers of Ivo Paposov. He is
held in such high regard in his country by the people as well as the
government. Those people who have the dough and the 2 year wait in
Bulgaria can have him and his "orchestra" play, and thousands of people
generally come from miles to crash the party. The guy is just too
incredible to be copied. He has been playing the clarinet, and playing
it well since he was about nine. Because so much of his playing is
actually "mimicking" the sounds of folk instruments, one has to
assimilate into the culture in order to try to play that way. The actual
folk wind instruments of the Balkans, as well as the Middle East are all
keyless, which is the only way to produce the slides and microtones found
in the dances and vocal music. Ivo succesfully imitates this playing
with all the keys on the instrument. His own band members can hardly
keep up with him.
Ivo had some training as a child on the instrument, but mostly his father
and teacher just stood back and dropped their jaws.

On Tue, 16 May 1995, Ken Ulansey wrote:

> I had a chance to see Ivo a couple of years ago in a small club. Somehow the
> word was out, so that not only had the Balkan scene turned out, more or less
> knowing what they were in for, but so had the jazzers and a handful of legit
> types. Boy was it a roller coaster ride! I imagine he has technical peers
> on the instrument (but who?!), but of them are they any that play with such
> passion? Please let me know...
>