Klarinet Archive - Posting 000343.txt from 1997/12

From: Edinger/Gilman <wde1@-----.com>
Subj: Gervase de Peyer
Date: Tue, 9 Dec 1997 09:08:43 -0500

I had only recently heard de Peyer for the first time on the radio, and
was not attentive enough to develop a strong opinion, but did note a
distinctive style. Then I bought =93The Living Clarinet=94 for my
daughter. It=92s a book for adolescents, one of a series, and they all
have CDs in them with musical examples. The book itself is pretty good,
but I=92m not quite as enthusiastic as others have been about it - it has
some odd quirks, as does the flute book, which has one of the pictures
backwards. Part of =93The Living Clarinet=94 is a series of short bios o=
f
famous clarinettists beginning with Joseph Beer, going through Stadler,
Hermstadt, Lindsay, Baermann, Klose, Muehlfeld, Gomez, Thurston, and
Goodman (I@-----. The only living players
profiled are Jack Brymer and Gervase de Peyer, suggesting a strongly
English perspective. On the CD, four of the ten tracks feature de
Peyer, including Mozart@-----.quintet), Rossini=92s
Intro/Theme/Vars, Brahms quintet, and the Reger quintet. While I
understand the controversy about Mr. de Peyer=92s distinctive style, and
what is under discussion, these are still beautiful performances. I
might note also that they were all from the 1960=92s, a not
inconsequential detail, perhaps. =20

As far as I=92m concerned, and in agreement with another recent posting, =
I
might not kill to have the talent to play that well, but I=92d certainly
consider a long string of victimless crimes. =20

PS - also on the CD are Pay, Michael Collings, and S. Meyer (No K.622,
though). And was that a picture of Mr. Acker Bilk himself on p. 11???
(they don=92t say in the caption)

Bill E.