Klarinet Archive - Posting 000377.txt from 2000/05

From: LeliaLoban@-----.com
Subj: [kl] Michael Lowenstern (was: [kl] Hi)
Date: Sun, 7 May 2000 06:52:41 -0400

Re. Michael Lowenstern's "Spasm," Benjamin Maas wrote,
>>I have seen Lowenstern play live and the recording is not that heavily
"engineered." Spasm is his own composition for Bass and tape part made from
sampled bass clarinet sounds. I saw the premiere of it and his playing was
perfect. I have also seen him play total absorbtion and he is of the
quality to play that one live as well... As somebody that has [attempted to]
perform a piece like Spasm live, you don't appreciate what he can do until
you see the music in front of you.>>

David Hattner wrote,
>>>If I might step to the defense of my good friend, pretty much all of the
pieces on this cd can be performed live. Michael has performed them all live
and does so with as much intensity and damn near as much accuracy as on the
cd. >>>

Good grief, I never criticized his playing! I went out of my way to call it
"superb" and I certainly never said *or implied* that he can't play that well
live. There's really no need for anybody to defend his playing to me.

My point was simply that the clarinet student who originally asked about bass
clarinet recordings often won't be able to tell, from listening to the CD at
home, what Lowenstern is playing "live" as opposed to what's on his
accompaniment tape. The CD buyer has not got either the performance score or
the accompaniment tape for comparison. For instance, can you always tell
*from the CD* (without looking at a score, without being able to watch
Lowenstern and without sitting in the ambient acoustics of the performance
hall or studio) whether he's playing multiphonics at any given time? Or are
those particular notes a duet with the bass clarinet sounds on his tape? Can
you tell *from the CD or the notes* how the bass clarinet sounds were
"manipulated" on the tape? Does the manipulation ever involve altering
pitch? Tone? Tempo? (If not, then what *does* it involve?) Maybe my
hearing is deficient, but I can't always distinguish between live and Memorex
on this CD.

Apparently, Benjamin Maas and I define "heavily engineered" differently, but
please note that my information about the "manipulated bass clarinet sounds"
on Lowenstern's tape is a direct quotation from the liner notes. That's not
a negative judgment or some sort of snide accusation that Lowenstern's
pulling a Milli Vanilli. I *don't* think he's doing that. If I did think
it, I would hardly have said in plain English that his playing "is superb and
goes way beyond typical bass clarinet technique. He explores the
possibilities of sounds the instrument can make, instead of sticking with the
mundane." (Was there really anything unclear about that comment?)

Nor do I think there's anything *wrong* with playing along with a tape. I
neither said nor implied any such thing! I simply made a statement of fact
(I think it's a fact, anyway) that a recording assembled in layers of tracks
of samples from the same instrument is of limited use as an example of bass
clarinet playing technique for a student -- completely aside from the musical
merits of the compositions on the CD.

The question of musical taste is a separate topic. I will reply to the
misrepresentations of what I said about that, but first I will wait until I
cool down enough to avoid using intemperate language.

Lelia
~~~~~~~~~~
A closed mouth gathers no foot.
~~~~~~~~~~

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