Klarinet Archive - Posting 000296.txt from 2000/10

From: Kenneth Wolman <kwolman@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] maazel
Date: Fri, 6 Oct 2000 09:47:30 -0400

At 01:22 AM 10/5/00 +0200, you wrote:
>At Mon, 2 Oct 2000 21:22:01 -0700 (PDT) William Wright
>
> >>
> I just saw a video of Maazel conducting the National Orchestra of
>France in Enescu's Romanian Rhapsody #1 with someone named Larry Adler
>doing the solo on......
>
> Harmonica
><<
>
>Why is Maazel considered to be such a great conductor? IMHO he lacks even
>the slightest bit of self-criticism, considering himself to be a greater
>conductor than Karajan and Benstein together. When you hear his
>compositions - I recently was so unfortunate to hear him play his own
>violinconcerto! - you will agree, I am sure, that my point of view is only
>strengthened by it.
>
>Rien

Gaaah, I'm having a bad flashback to some comments I made about James
Levine some years ago....

I can't speak for the finest technical points of conducting. I know people
who love Maazel and who hate Maazel ("He's too ****ing slow!"--but so was
Klemperer and Bernstein, at least in opera). I'm confused: has Maazel ever
SAID he's greater than Von Karajan and Bernstein? Where? When?

But I've never heard a Maazel recording that was anything less than
absolutely professional and there are moments, as in his early Sixties
"Fidelio," when he rose to true greatness. Well, that's my ear talking.

Larry Adler...I grew up on some strange music in my parents' house. Party
songs. Early Sinatra and Tony Bennett. Spike Jones. And Larry Adler
playing "Hora Staccato." It remains in my memory and I hope it never
leaves. It is one of the greatest virtuoso feats of musicianship I've ever
heard on any instrument, a fire in the guts performance that I unashamedly
put next to Gigliotti's reading of the Weber Concertino as something in
which the performer was possessed. I do not know much about Larry Adler
except that he is reputed to have raised the harmonica to the level of an
orchestra instrument. It probably still lacks a serious repertoire: if
not, I'd like to know more about what you can do with a Marine Band:-).

Ken

--------------------------------------------------------
Kenneth Wolman kwolman@-----.com
11 Broadway, New York, NY 10004 212-425-4200, x. 363

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