Klarinet Archive - Posting 000812.txt from 1999/09

From: "James Sclater" <Sclater@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] NY Philharmonic Concert of 9/23
Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 09:07:39 -0400

Agree with Dan's comments...BTW, who was the 2nd clarinetist in last
night's performance?

Jim Sclater

James Sclater
Professor of Music
Mississippi College

>>> "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.edu>
09/24/99 07:16AM >>>
Last evening I saw the TV show "Live from Lincoln Center" in which the
NY Philharmonic played Tchaikovsky's 5th, Kurt Masur conducting.

There was a great deal of camera work focusing on Drucker, as there
should have been since so much clarinet material is prominent and
it is the custom to focus on solo players.

It is a constant source of amazement to me how wonderfully he is
still playing. I remember Stanley when he was 17 or so and I thought
that he was incomparable then, but today he is so very much mutured
as a player with a remarkable depth to his orchestral playing.

It is clear to me that he is aging physically, but he is by no
means an old man. He still retains much of his youthful appearance
but his face is starting to show his age. Fortunately for us,
his playing is not starting to show its age.

He and I have had differences of opinion on many things musical
over the years, but for longevity and strength of performance, there
has been nothing like him in the world of American clarinet playing,
ever! The position that he holds is certainly among the most
prestigious in the world, and the pressure must be awesome. Yet
he holds the chair as if he were born to nothing else, which is
probably the case. I think he was born without nerves!

He reminds me of a 16 cylinder car that has only about 11 cylinders
working. That is, there is no piece ever written that required
him to get all 16 cylinders moving. He is such a master of the
instrument that the most complicated passages ever written for the
instrument require only about 11/16ths of his extraordinary talent,
with the typical work needing only about 7 cylinders from him.

I have seen clarinet players in the position of 1st in the NYP since
Bellison whose successor was (I think) McGinnis who himself preceded
Drucker. It's been a hell of a ride.

=======================================
Dan Leeson, Los Altos, California
leeson@-----.edu
=======================================

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsubscribe from Klarinet, e-mail: klarinet-unsubscribe@-----.org
Subscribe to the Digest: klarinet-digest-subscribe@-----.org

Unsubscribe from the Digest:
Additional commands: klarinet-help@-----.org
Other problems: klarinet-owner@-----.org

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsubscribe from Klarinet, e-mail: klarinet-unsubscribe@-----.org
Subscribe to the Digest: klarinet-digest-subscribe@-----.org
Additional commands: klarinet-help@-----.org
Other problems: klarinet-owner@-----.org