Klarinet Archive - Posting 000373.txt from 1996/04

From: Jennifer Hefferlin <jhefferl@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: Why Mozart -- performance leeway
Date: Sat, 13 Apr 1996 13:30:27 -0400

Greetings to all,

I've been following the discussion of Mozart and k.622 and
interpretation with great interest. It has sparked my thought processes,
something I had hoped the list would do.

I think that for most clarinet players "The Mozart" is a great point of
interest, to say the least. I sense that for many of the subscribers
there is a story to tell, a great teacher involved, and somewhere -
something intangible.

This is how the Mozart came alive for me: I had the privilege of
studying with Valeri Pavlovich Bezruchenko at the Conservatory in St.
Petersburg, Russia for eight months in '95 - '96. There were about 13 of
us studying under him. At that time, there was a national competition
held and the final round of the competition was, the Mozart Concerto -
all three mvmts. But, prior to the competition I watched him "teach" the
Mozart. I think I am safe in saying that, to him, this concerto was
rather sacred. Interpretation and technique were one and the same and
they had to be of the highest order. The operative words were
simplicity, clarity, phrasing, accuracy, and effortless presentation.
That it was not what was done, but what wasn't done. That the concerto
exists on its own without the need to "over express" what was meant.
He said to me one day, "They can play Weber, Denisov, Brahms, Stravinsky,
anyone anyhow, but when it comes to giving out the money and the prizes,
it is Mozart that must be played".

One performer that I admire for the above mentioned qualities is Peter
Seminaur. Marcellus did a beautiful recording that has true integrity.
For me as a performer, the Mozart concerto is something that I will live
with for a long time and approach in many different ways, but always with
respect!

Sincerely,
Jennifer Hefferlin
jhefferl@-----.edu