Klarinet Archive - Posting 001029.txt from 1998/07

From: <HatNYC62@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] Leister
Date: Sat, 25 Jul 1998 12:16:14 -0400

I was disturbed to see yet another disparagement of Karl Leister here
recently. I forget the exact context already, but it was a recommendation
against buying a recording of Leister's (which the writer admitted never
having heard).

In contemporary clarinet history, there have been extremely few clarinetists
who have managed to distinguish themselves in a major orchestral post, chamber
music and solo playing SIMULTANEOUSLY. In fact, the only other clarinetists I
can name who have achieved true distinction in all areas at the same time are
Leopold Wlach (Vienna Staatsoper) and Harold Wright. Neither of them made as
many recordings as Leister, in any of the three categories. In fact, Leister
has probably made more classical recordings than any clarinetist, particularly
when you include the Berlin Philharmonic recordings.

In addition, unless you have heard him live, you really don't know Leister's
playing. The sparkle of his sound and the great spirit of his musicianship
don't fully translate to recordings. Many clarinetists sound much better on
their highly overproduced cds than they do in person, thanks to the modern
splice and other high-technology tricks. Not Leister.

Let's face it, you don't spend 30 years in the Berlin Philharmonic, become a
founding member of the world's greatest wind quintet (Ensemble Wein-Berlin),
solo all over the world and record all the major literature for the instrument
by accident. On top of all that, at age 60 or so, he can still play rings
around most mortals, and proved as much a few months ago at Alice Tully, at
joint concert of the Wein-Berlin and the Lincoln Center Chamber Players. I was
there, and every clarinet player I talked to afterwards was in complete
admiration of the playing we heard.

To say that a recital disc by such a man, even if it is a German playing
French music, is not worthy of inclusion in a library is a dangerous piece of
advice. This is especially true when you haven't heard the recording in
question. Let's face it, America is a hell of a lot further away from France
than Germany is. Are you saying we have a better concept of French music than
a German musician who has worked with most of the major French conductors of
the last 40 years?

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