Klarinet Archive - Posting 000263.txt from 1999/11

From: "Edwin V. Lacy" <el2@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] . . . Kevin's trip to Chicago
Date: Mon, 8 Nov 1999 14:32:58 -0500

On Sun, 7 Nov 1999, Kevin Fay (LCA) wrote:

> The fourth movement was fast. Real fast. So fast that I had 2
> thoughts: (a) wow -- that's faster than MY orchestra could ever play
> it and (b) there's no way the bassoon is gonna play the hard lick at
> that tempo! Of course, I was wrong--the guy playing 1st bassoon (who
> looks like he's about 16 years old) was note perfect.

He does indeed look very young, but he's no rookie. His name is David
McGill, and before coming to Chicago last year he was principal in
Cleveland for about 10 years. Before that, principal in Toronto. Before
that, a student at Curtis, and before that, principal in Tulsa, beginning
when he was 17!

The stories going around in the double reed world are that when the
principal bassoon chair opened up in Chicago, they held auditions but that
they had pretty much decided that they wanted McGill before the whole
process began.

In my opinion, he is already one of the top bassoonists in the world, and
destined to remain at the top for a long time.

BTW, I really envy you for your trip to Chicago. I also make it a
practice to visit the orchestra in all the cities to which I travel for
whatever purpose. In this regard, over the years I have heard a lot of
orchestras, usually in their home halls where they often tend to sound the
best. My "collection" of orchestras so far includes Chicago, Philadelphia,
St. Louis, New York, Houston, Los Angeles, Seattle, Atlanta, Cleveland,
Boston, Detroit, Minnesota, Cincinnati, and some European orchestras,
including the Royal Philharmonic and the Philharmonia in London,
Rotterdam, and a few others.

Ed Lacy
el2@-----.edu

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