Klarinet Archive - Posting 000334.txt from 2003/05

From: reedman@-----.com
Subj: [kl] Turkish bass clarinetist
Date: Sun, 18 May 2003 06:21:43 -0400

Dear Friends,

I am having a fabulous time travelling around Europe with the SF Symphony.

So far the most interesting clarinet related item I have to relate is about a young man I met in Amsterdam. But let me back up a bit.

I have a good friend named Laura Carmichael who lived in San Francisco for about eight years and moved to Amsterdam 3 years ago to study bass clarinet with Harry Sparnaay. SHe is establishing herself as a new music/bass clarinet specialist and is developing a good career. She happened to be giving a recital of new music at the Klene Zaal at the Concertgebouw during the time I was in Amsterdam. I heard the recital (very interesting music and a terrific performance) and subsequently we went out to lucnh with her husband Robert and her friend Oguz Buyukberber and his wife Ilknur.

Oguz has a website buyukberber.com go there and check out his music.

He says he may be the only bass clarinetist in Turkey that owns an instrument! He played some cuts for me at his apartment of some of his own writing. Oguz (roughly pronounced ose ) was born with a seeing disorder that allows him very limited vision so he cannot read music. Therefore he writes and performs his own music. In particular he write electronic music that he improvises to. The cut he played for me was of him playing a duet with another Turkish player playing "G" clarinet. Unbelievable. Oguz plays the traditional Turkish style and blends it with jazz to make a very interesting palate of colours and ideas.

I hope that at the next European clarinetfest we can get him to perform.

In an interesting turn of events, one of our players in the clarinet section was sick for the performance of Mahler 9 in Amsterdam. The personnel manager called me at 6pm to tell me that I would be moving over to 2nd clarinet and did I know anyone in Amsterdam who could play third. Naturally I gave him Laura's phone no.

She did a great job of sightreading the performance! We were fortunate that she was available. I believe the Dutch clarinets are tuned much higher than our French Buffets.

Hope you are all well.

Ciao!

Clark

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