Klarinet Archive - Posting 000618.txt from 1997/12

From: "Tahna Britton" <tahnab@-----.com>
Subj: Re: More on Gervase
Date: Fri, 12 Dec 1997 00:20:21 -0500

Oh yuck!! I have to get my wisdom teeth taken out tuesday. I hope it
doesn't have any negative effects!
I am already annoyed at losing at least 10 days worth of playing time. Has
anyone experienced any negative effects, concerning playing,as the result
of wisdom teeth extraction?

----------
> From: Ken Bryson <kbryson@-----.com>
> To: klarinet@-----.us
> Subject: Re: More on Gervase
> Date: Thursday, December 11, 1997 9:37 PM
>
> John,
>
> So, I wonder how I should instruct the oral surgeon. Perhaps it would
> help if I arrived with a dental impression from Sabine Meyer or Karl
> Leister or Robert Marcellus (post accident) and said "something like
> this, please"?
>
> Nancy
>
> John Gates wrote:
> >
> > Nancy,
> > I should think that dental work would have a negative effect although
I'm
> > told that some years ago Robt. Marcellus was in an automobile wreck and
had
> > to have some reconstructive surgery on his mouth. Evidently he, and I
have
> > no memory as to how I heard this, told the surgeon how he wanted his
teeth
> > placed so that he would get even a more beautiful tone (sic!). Well
the
> > story goes that after the operation his tone was even more beautiful
!!.
> > Maybe somebody out there knows more about this?
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Ken Bryson <kbryson@-----.com>
> > To: klarinet@-----.us>
> > Date: Thursday, December 11, 1997 5:10 AM
> > Subject: Re: More on Gervase
> >
> > >Thanks, John, for a very informative posting on de Peyer's career. I
> > >appreciated your description of the excitement he brings to his
> > >performances. I had been thinking recently about the difference in
> > >reaction to his playing between my clarinetist friends and other
> > >musicians--violinists, pianists, cellists--who are chamber music fans.
> > >In general, the clarinetists are highly critical whereas the other
> > >musicians (perhaps not burdened by a preconceived notion of the
> > >"perfect" clarinet sound) are much more appreciative of him on
general
> > >musical terms. That said, even a clarinetist friend of mine, having
> > >heard de Peyer's performance of the Weber Grand Duo last year, found
my
> > >Leister recording of the piece rather anemic and, well, boring by
> > >comparison.
> > >
> > >I was also interested in the role that dental work can play in
changing
> > >one's tone quality. I am about to have two wisdom teeth extracted
(the
> > >only parts of my body that possess any wisdom at all, and I'm told
> > >they've got to go!). I have heard many times of wind players' sound
> > >being affected by dental work--generally, not for the better. It
makes
> > >sense that if changes of millimeters and less to the inside of a
> > >mouthpiece can radically alter it's playing characteristics, that
> > >changes to the inside of the mouth could do the same for a player. I
am
> > >curious if any members of the list have had personal experience of
this?
> > >Or the opposite, extensive dental work with no effect on sound?
> > >
> > >Nancy
> > >
> > >John Gates wrote:
> > >>
> > >> I realize that the recent thread on Gervase de Peyer is probably a
couple
> > of
> > >> weeks old by now but I have not had an easy time getting this on the
> > >> klarinet BBS. I think I finally have it, (the listserve), figured
out
> > and
> > >> hope that those of you who were in one way or another touched by
> > Gervase's
> > >> playing will enjoy this.
> > >>
> > >> Today (12/5) I spent nearly an hour and read all the recent comments
on
> > >> Gervase de Peyer. Thanks for Mark's database!!! I think that with
the
> > >> exception of a very few (Nancy Sulfridge, Jim and Dan P) none of the
> > >> commentaries have looked at the whole picture of what he has brought
to
> > >> performance.
> > >>
> > >> First of all his rhythm is compelling; I don't mean necessarily
> > >> metronomic but the type that makes for very exciting playing.
Heifetz
> > had
> > >> that same sort of quality. Secondly he has/had a wonderful sound in
so
> > many
> > >> respects, however it certainly is not a beautiful tone all the time.
He
> > is
> > >> able to play extremely brilliantly and then take the tone, when the
music
> > >> calls for it, and melt all that urgency into intimacy. Yes usually
with
> > an
> > >> English style vibrato (thank you Haydn Draper and Reginald Kell).
Who
> > else
> > >> does this? Thirdly he has the talent to walk out on stage and make
the
> > air
> > >> sizzle with excitement. There is something very thrilling about
Gervase.
> > >> You know something is going to happen when he walks out on stage, in
this
> > >> respect he is a natural performer.
> > >>
> > >> Now for some info that any of you that have been affected
positively
> > or
> > >> negatively by Gervase de Peyer's playing might find interesting.
> > Sometime
> > >> in the mid sixties he became very dissatisfied with mouthpieces. I
> > studied
> > >> off and on with him from 1966-68. I remember that he was always
trying
> > to
> > >> find a mouthpiece that could give him the ability of playing with
great
> > >> flexibility. When he made the 2nd recording of the Weber Quintet
(for
> > >> EMI/angel) Cecil Aronowitz, violist with Melos ensemble, told me
that he
> > >> would squeak so much that took out a pocket knife and work on his
> > mouthpiece
> > >> when the rest of them listened to playbacks!! I remember once when
he
> > was
> > >> about 40 yrs. old that he showed me a box with over a hundred
mouthpieces
> > >> that he had worked on.
> > >>
> > >> I think that after he came back to London after studying with
Cahuzac
> > he
> > >> played his best. It was then that he just got into the London
Symphony
> > >> Orchestra and recorded his first Mozart Conc. (the one with the
bassoon
> > >> conc. on the other side). He played it like Weber. It was very
fast and
> > >> brilliant. Jim Lytthans has this recording. Incidentally he is the
> > >> clarinetist on just about all the recordings of the LSO in the
sixties.
> > >> He's the clarinetist on the Joseph Krips Beethoven Cycle, all the
Dvorak
> > >> cycle with Istvan Kertez (also Galanta Dances with Kertez), and a
slew of
> > >> other ones. He also played Principal on all the Peter Maag
Mendelssohn
> > >> works (probably the greatest Scottish symphony ever recorded, thanks
> > Peter
> > >> Maag)
> > >>
> > >> Shortly after he recorded the Weber2/Spohr1, with the young
Colin
> > Davis
> > >> conducting a rough sounding LSO, the Weber 5tet and Kegelstatt and a
> > >> clarinet recital album including Le Tombeau de Ravel, Martinu
Sonatina
> > and
> > >> Weber Grand duo Concertante. These recordings launched his career.
> > There
> > >> was a new voice on the clarinet, nobody had ever played like that
before.
> > >> Wow. All of a sudden the clarinet opened up an exciting experience,
not
> > >> just another beautiful sound. He could play like Kell but also with
the
> > >> energy of Horowitz.
> > >>
> > >> At any rate he had some dental work (never have an English
dentist do
> > >> work on your mouth) including a root canal sometime in 1967 and from
then
> > on
> > >> his tone began to deteriorate, also he started squeaking a lot. I
think
> > >> that his dental work, and not therefore not being able to produce
the
> > tone
> > >> he wanted to, and his drive to make the polarize the tempers of the
music
> > >> had a negative effect on certain aspects of his tone.
> > >>
> > >> I hope he is doing well, like Kell his career never did that
well
> > when
> > >> he came to America and I know he's probably not all that happy with
the
> > way
> > >> certain events have gone. He tried to launch a conducting career
but it
> > >> never took.
> > >
>