Klarinet Archive - Posting 000106.txt from 1998/07

From: <KlarBoy@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] Mozart and the V word
Date: Mon, 6 Jul 1998 09:29:48 -0400

Wow,
I can't remember the last time the list got this heated, I love it. Just
reading the responses turned me into a cheerleader. Everyone has made several
interesting and valid points that coexist in the world of music. It is our
diversity that makes us grow, and learn. To the member who brought up 12 or
so valid performance examples, Kudos. You know your stuff and you've been
well taught. On the other hand you've forgotten that this list is composed of
musician of many levels and you could have been a little more tolerate in your
criticism.

In my own experiences, I seem to have come full circle on the issue of
performance practice. My high school teacher was a hard-core fundamentalist
clarinet guru who laid down the laws of the land, and there was no deviating
from the chosen path. Later in college I was let loose, so to speak.
Complete freedom of interpretation, and I rebelled against my past and felt
freedom to do what I wanted. The truth is it probably was never that far from
the mainstream (if there is one to speak of) because of my first tutelage.
I'm now playing in a regional orchestra and on the audition circuit (looking
for a real gig). My auditions have been successful and I think I know what it
takes to get advanced in the big auditions. It's consistent playing that is
very practiced and not self indulgent, and in general, non-offensive. I hear
the affects it's had on my sound, which has become so mainstream that it
sometimes doesn't feel like me. The Mozart Concerto only gets harder the more
you know, or at least the more you think you know. I wish I could play it
again like I did when I was sixteen. I thought I played it perfectly and was
floating on cloud nine for weeks afterward (I got to perform the whole
concerto with an orchestra after winning a young artists competition). The
truth is I'll probably never feel the same sense of accomplishment. Sometimes
IGNORANCE IS BLISS. I hope not to have offended anyone with my blather.

I look forward to meeting many of you in Columbus please come up and say Hi if
you recognize me.
Yours,
Mario Estrada

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