Klarinet Archive - Posting 000384.txt from 2001/01

From: "Benjamin Maas" <benmaas@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] Who would have believed it?
Date: Thu, 11 Jan 2001 22:24:08 -0500

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Daniel Leeson [mailto:leeson0@-----.net]
>
> Last week, Japan's Saito Kenen Orchestra under the direction of the
> Seiji Ozawa (of the Boston Symphony, of course) played a stupendous
> Mahler 9 in San Francisco. And who do you think is the principal
> clarinet of this almost completely Japanese orchestra? Karl Leister,
> that's who!! I didn't know that.

I find it very interesting, but not totally unbelievable... When I went to
Japan a few years ago, one thing I was totally surprised with was a seeming
infatuation with certain European sounds, styles and players. (Don't worry,
I'm not going to go down the "dark" road).

There were two players in particular that were very well represented in the
CD stores. One was Guy Dangain, but the other was Karl Leister. Yamaha has
a German keyed clarinet and many people back there play it. If they didn't
play that one, they played the French keyed, German bored version. I also
saw a good number of Wullertzer (sp... sorry I'm really tired right now)
clarinets being played by various players there.

There seems to be a real love for the German style of playing in Japan.
This is why, although interesting, doesn't totally surprise me that Leister
is playing out there. Heck, he's probably earning plenty to play out there
as well.

On another subject, that orchestra is hitting LA (or has already played
here)... I really wanted to see it, but unfortunately work called... Oh
well. Perhaps next time.

--Ben

Benjamin Maas
Freelance Clarinetist and Recording Engineer
Los Angeles, CA
benmaas@-----.com
http://www.fifthcircle.com

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