Klarinet Archive - Posting 000372.txt from 1997/05

From: Jrykorten@-----.com
Subj: U. of Mich. Symphony Band at Carnegie Hall
Date: Sun, 11 May 1997 18:52:42 -0400

The University of Michigan Symphony band concert at Carnegie hall was
terrific! I got a chance to speak with some of the clarinettists while buying
tickets for the concert and they are mostly using the Hawkins mouthpiece.

They played all the "chestnuts" that I love and played with them as well:
Hindemith Symph. in Bb, Grainger's Lincolnshire Posy. A new piece by Kevin
Beavers (phasic type composition) and a premiere of a piece by Frank Ticheli
- Blue Shades which was a real crowd pleaser.

Interesting, they rotated all the first chair parts for each piece. The first
chair of the second clarinets played a long jazzy solo in the Ticheli piece
that was a lot of fun.

H. Robert Reynolds conducted (as he did when I did the tour with them in '75,
when Bob Spring was first chair!). He has a wonderful sense of phrasing,
tempo and timing. I really like his interpretation of the Hindemith which
some can play too slowly and ploddingly in my opinion.

They also played a concerto for Saxaphone by Ingolf Dahl. The point of this
composition was lost on me. Sort of a Sax obligato stuck on to a concert band
piece. Probably would be better for clarinet :-).

My two companions were awestruck by the audio experience of a concert band.
They sounded great in Carnegie Hall. Prehaps even better than in my day? They
seem to be using a slightly smaller ensemble nowadays.

I was certainly struck by how young everybody was! I seemed older then. But
then again this band had the nerve to be born after I played with this group!
(Wow how time flies...). That Grainger brought up memories that really tuged
at my heart strings. Those lucky enough to be playing with an ensemble like
this should cherish the experience. The memories are still with me. Lots of
band alumni there, met people who played the tour with William Revelli.

Of course the encore was the glorious Michigan March "Hail to the Victors"
Yeah!

Hope you all get to hear them sometime.

Jerry Korten
NYC