Klarinet Archive - Posting 000004.txt from 2003/06

From: "Benjamin Maas" <benmaas@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] ORCHESTRA
Date: Sun, 1 Jun 2003 13:06:24 -0400

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Avi Rostov [mailto:musictek@-----.com]=20
>=20
> If I had it to do over again, I would choose Eastman to play=20
> in the Wind
> Ensemble. That would have to be the ultimate experience.=20

I was going to post my thoughts on this a few weeks ago and I never got
around to it.. This is a great opening, though.

As some of you know, I did my undergrad degree at Eastman. I had the
fortune to play in all of the ensembles there including the Eastman Wind
Ensemble. I even got to go on an all expense paid trip to Japan for 4 =
weeks
with that ensemble once. These are experiences I will never forget. =20

I have very vivid recollections, though, also becoming very bitter by =
the
time I left ESM and felt like I needed to start over. The quality of
ensembles always had issues to me (and my fellow students) and we were =
very
critical of ourselves as well as others.

About a year ago by now, the EWE released a 3 CD set of music that it =
had
recorded over the past several years. It is available on the Warner =
Music
label (as in Sheet music-- part of the Donald Hunsburger collection). I =
sat
down and started to listen to these recordings... several of which I =
played
on (and you can even hear me a little bit :-) on the bass clarinet ). I =
was
absolutely blown away at the quality of playing in this group... I =
couldn't
believe that I had actually questioned the quality of this ensemble at =
one
point. Looking back, it was almost certainly one of, if not *the* best
ensemble I've ever had the luck to play with. =20

We were all so bitter while there. The experience is very intense and =
is
certainly not for everybody. That said, I feel like I really didn't
appreciate at the time what I had going for me there. Everything that I =
do
today (including my recording business) is directly related to my time =
spent
in Rochester. It hit me very hard that day as to exactly what I got out =
of
it and I feel like the luckiest person in the world to have been able to
experience that place.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Esefers@-----.com]=20
>
>=20
> What do you think, which of the teachers there would be=20
> better, De Kant or=20
> Hawley? Hawley is a principal of Cincinnati Symphony and=20
> currently working on=20
> his Audition Book, De Kant also looks a specialist in his=20
> field, several=20
> publications, played in some top orchestras...I guess, my=20
> question is: is it better=20
> to study with a younger player who got his job recently=20
> (would be more up to=20
> date?) or more experienced teacher who no longer plays in an=20
> orchestra.=20

I can't speak for DeKant, but I took some lessons with Richie and have
nothing but highest praise for him. When Yehuda Gilad was on sabbatical
during the first year of my masters, he had a collection of teachers =
come in
to cover for him- Guy Chadash, Richie Hawley, Burt Hara (I think? I =
can't
remember as each on did a couple weeks), and Richard Hawkins. All were =
very
different teachers and all were fantastic. Richie gave me some great =
help
and if I were to go back to school, I would certainly consider him =
highly.

> You know, I have heard mentioning Yehuda Gilad as one of the=20
> best specs in=20
> the field, however, I have not had a chance to come across=20
> his recordings or=20
> listened to him perform. Does anyone know what is his playing=20
> like? ...A lot of=20
> questions...

Yehuda is amongst the best teachers I have ever studied with. His =
studio at
USC is scary good. So many phenomenal clarinetists at one place. At =
USC,
you also are exposed to other great teachers like Michelle Zukovsky and
David Howard. He has now retired, but I also studied with Mitchell =
Lurie
there. Anyways, there aren't really any recordings of Yehuda's playing =
out
there. There used to be one of him playing some chamber music on =
record,
but it was never re-released on CD. On that recording, his playing is
really beautiful. These days, he doesn't really perform much on =
clarinet--
his main performance focus is as a conductor. It doesn't harm his =
teaching
ability, though. Look at the competitions and orchestral auditions out
there and his students are well represented.

--Ben

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

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