Klarinet Archive - Posting 000440.txt from 1999/11

From: "David B. Niethamer" <dnietham@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] De Peyer Style
Date: Fri, 12 Nov 1999 04:04:52 -0500

on 11/11/99 2:07 PM, Michael Bryant wrote:

>De Peyer was born on 11 April 1926. So he is now 73
>He now plays as and when he feels like it, I guess.
(BIG SNIP)

>His sense of rhythm and rhetoric is perfect.
>His great talent is to play joined-up music.
>It flows, it has momentum. He is an instinctive interpreter.
>Some clarinettists are overflowing with ideas as to how works should be
>played
>but as he has himself observed, he does not have ideas, he has convictions.
>He has played clarinets by Boosey (1010s), Peter Eaton and now Luis Rossi
>His tone is not admired universally, I have to acknowledge.

No one has yet mentioned all those wonderful Melos Ensemble recordings
from the '60's. When I first heard them, I was astounded that a clarinet
could be played so fluidly and flexibly - it was a revelation. His tone,
while "not admired universally" has a quality that allows it (on those
Melos recordings) to blend with colleagues, both string and wind. The
sense of foreground and background in these recordings was also a
revelation, and that blend of sounds made the distinction more apparent
to my young ears.

Among my favorite recordings (still):

Messiaen - Quartet for the End of Time
after all this time, still one of the fine recordings of this piece

Nielsen - Woodwind Quintet, Op. 43
for me this recording solves many of the inherent blending problems
caused by the disparity of timbres produced by these five instruments -
still a nice recording of this piece. Paired with the Berwald Septet on
my old LP.

I also like the Mozart Concerto with LSO and Peter Maag (the last
movement has a dance quality to it that I've never heard anywhere else)
and the Weber Concerto No. 2/Spohr Concerto No. 1 with LSO and Colin
Davis - fine playing, and a less objectionable sound than the later
recordings.

I also have a somewhat amusing story from one of the Denver clarinet
bashes from the 70's. DePeyer was a regular at those events. One year
someone associated with the festival threw a bash at his home for all the
participants. Drinks were mixed in milkshake cups! DePeyer was engaged in
conversation and misplaced his drink, which was one of the many on one of
those large console hi-fi sets more noted for its furniture value than
its quality of sound. He tried all the drinks within reach, declare none
of them to be his, and went off in search of yet another from the bar.
Not too many minutes later, his wife, obviously with too many gins under
her belt, staggered up, and said "Gervase, you're talking about the silly
old clarinet and not paying any attention to me!" and collapsed into his
arms. "I guess Sue"s a bit under the weather" he said to all of us, and
off they went!

That he is still playing and teaching so energetically is amazing.

David

David Niethamer
Principal Clarinet, Richmond Symphony
dnietham@-----.edu
http://members.aol.com/dbnclar1/

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