Klarinet Archive - Posting 000270.txt from 1996/01

From: Laurence Liberson <hardreed@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: Olivieri Reeds
Date: Mon, 15 Jan 1996 07:22:00 -0500

Just a couple of comments regarding Olivieri reeds...

Back in the late 70's, I struck up a brief correspondence with Victor
Olivieri, until he passed away in the early 80's (1984, I believe?). He
wrote me several letters, one of which explained (or admitted?) that,
regardless of what was on the box, ALL Olivieri reeds were of the "Tempered"
variety, and had been so for some time. He simply had a lot of boxes that
held 25 reeds laying around that he didn't want to waste! If my
"collection" -- I have about 240-50 Olivieri reeds sitting unused in my
studio -- is any indication, "Tempered" were in boxes of 10, "Regular" in
boxes on 25. All of these reeds (which I no longer use, BTW) were all sent
to me directly from Victor Olivieri before the end of 1982!

Victor had a supposedly remarkable eye for picking out cane and would go
into the "factory" and adjust the machines that determined reed strength
while a team of Mallorcan ladies would operate the machines. The few
"post-Victor" Olivieri reeds (the company is now owned and operated by his
sons, I believe; none of which has Victor's eyes or experience!) I have
sampled have been quite unsatisfactory -- at least, to me!

I have heard about the "squeaking problem" of which has been spoken here,
but have never experienced it myself. Perhaps Olivieri reeds were/are an
acquired taste? Well, for a long time, they "tasted" great to me!

Oh, BTW -- my good friend and colleague Doug Cornelsen no longer plays on
Olivieri reeds, also. He switched over (to V-12's, I think?) a few short
years ago. Like many others, he was very unhappy with the quality of what
Olivieri reeds had become.

Larry Liberson
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
hardreed@-----.com