Klarinet Archive - Posting 000338.txt from 1998/10

From: avrahm galper <agalper@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] PLAYING EXPERIENCE
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1998 08:37:44 -0400

LOOKING FOR EXPERIENCE

When I lived in England for a short while, I was looking for playing
experience. My first teacher always told me to get experience,
experience!
In London at the time, there was a chain of LYONS coffeehouses. This was
1946.
They had little orchestras that played all kinds of works and I thought
that it might be a good idea to try and play in one of those. I enquired
and was asked to come to a session with the orchestra and try out.
They offered me the job. There were four shows spread over 8 or nine
hours. So what does one do between shows?
I ended up not taking the job.

One other place I tried, just for orchestral experience was the Royal
Academy of Music. They had an orchestra, which just rehearsed.
I went to a rehearsal. I forget the conductor. But not the work. It was
Roman Carnival by Berlioz.
There was a slightly older person than myself, playing first clarinet.
I introduced myself and he did also .It turned out to be JACK BRYMER.
That was in May of 1946.
I think I asked him where he played and I think that he told me that he
was a school teacher.

I left England soon after, to come to Canada.
I don't think he remembers the meeting at the rehearsal session of the
Royal Academy Orchestra.

I've seen and heard Brymer here in Toronto, at the 1978 Clarinet
Congress. Beautiful Bliss Quintet.

A great bon vivant and could hold the audience spellbound just with his
talking.
I wonder if he taught elocution at the school?

Avrahm Galper
THE UPBEAT BAERMANN MELODIC SCALES AND ARPEGGIOS
http://www.sneezy.org/avrahm_galper/index.html

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