Klarinet Archive - Posting 000053.txt from 2003/06

From: "Wendy" <bosma@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] ORCHESTRA
Date: Mon, 2 Jun 2003 08:39:34 -0400

I have an Eastman wind ensemble live in Osaka CD-is that you? It's by far
my most favorite classical album that I own. I'm pretty sure that Festive
Overture is my all time favorite piece. We tried out the Country Band March
in high school. After weeks of practice we took a poll and most people
still hated it, so we never played it. but I loved it. and still do. :)

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.

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.

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

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
> best specs in
> the field, however, I have not had a chance to come across
> his recordings or
> listened to him perform. Does anyone know what is his playing
> like? ...A lot of
> 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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