Klarinet Archive - Posting 000369.txt from 1997/10

From: Leslie Andersen <LeslieA@-----.ORG>
Subj: Further with Brahms and Dan
Date: Fri, 10 Oct 1997 19:38:10 -0400

Yes, I will go out on a limb here - I did mean that conservatories such as
Juilliard do develop technique at the expense of musicianship (flame
away!). I studied for a number of years with Russianoff, although not
attending Juilliard and was aware of a number of his students there. Not
to make a gross generalization about all of them or even any, but overall,
they were not "musicians" as I interpret it. Unfortunately, this was not
their fault or Russianoff's (by the way, Leon hated the fact that he was
known primarily as a teacher of "technique"), nor is this comment limited
to students from Juilliard or even other conservatories. I simply believe
the atmosphere at highly competitive music schools almost requires an
emphasis on technique over musicianship.

Take two different students auditioning - they both play the same pieces
but one student has more musicianship and less technique and the other
just the opposite. In my experience, the student with the better technique
wins the audition every time. This would imply that the attitude seems to
be one that believes musicianship can be taught easier than technique;
however I believe just the opposite. I say again, anyone can play the
clarinet; very few can become musicians. Unfortunately, as we all well
know, defining what and who is a musician is an impossible task,
however we all know one when we "see" one.

I suspect this "attitude" has much to do with the reality of the music
business. The competition is so great that if one can't play the notes
(every note!) than there is someone behind them that can (hence my
comment about Daphnis). A professional orchestra cannot spend
endless hours rehearsing until everyone can play the piece. Time is
money. The economics involved come at the expense of musicianship,
ensemble, etc; its simply a reality. Studio musicians must play it right the
first time. If they're really lucky, they might get a second chance.

Didn't mean to wax on so long. As to the second part of your question,
yes, I believe many recordings are devoid of feeling (and not simply
because of the playing of the musicians; but that's for another
discussion) and I interpreted Dan implying the same but of course, I
would never pretend to speak for him! :-)

PS: Mark, I love your idea of contributing memories of former teachers.
Just this little reminiscing about Leon has all kinds of remembrances
going in my head. I'll contribute my humble thoughts about him soon -