Klarinet Archive - Posting 000175.txt from 1996/07

From: "Jeroen T. Salm" <jtsalm@-----.NL>
Subj: Re: a simple question
Date: Wed, 10 Jul 1996 14:03:07 -0400

Well, whatever the instruments they are using, I always think they have
very distinctive and beautiful tone.

So, you are saying that there are 2 principal clarinettists in the KCO-
Amsterdam? That's so different from the U.S. orchestras.

Hsuan-Yi Chen

--------------------------

Hello,
If I see the two of them (Gerog Pieterson and Jacques Meertens) I will tell
them your thoughts about them...I think they'ld like that!

Yes, it's normal here to have two principals, for all instruments, I mean:
two Konzertmeisters, two principal viola, etc., etc, two principal flute,
two principa oboe etc. But, this is only the case in the big/rich
orchestras. For The Netherlands: The Rotterdam Philharmonic, The Dutch Radio
Philharmonic, The Dutch Radio Symphony, The Residentie Orchestra (The
Hague), The Royal Concertgebouw Orch (Amsterdam).
They have a second clarinet player. Also a Eb-clarinet player (also second
clarinet) and a bass-player. A clarinet section of 5 (full-time). For oboe
(for instance): 4 (i.e.: 2 principal, 2nd, and alt/2nd), bassoon section of
4 (2 principal, second and a contrabassoon/second).
All other orchestras in The Netherlands have one principal, and a
second/co-principal and a second with bass- or Eb clarinet.

This is also normal in the german A-Orchester (Munchen, Koln, Staatskapelle
Dresden, etc.) and The Berlin Philharmonic.

I thought it was common in the US also. What does the clarinet section have
in the US in Boston, Los Angeles, New York, San Fransisco etc.?

Jeroen (@-----. Salm
(The Netherlands)