Klarinet Archive - Posting 000025.txt from 2004/05

From: "Dan Leeson" <dnleeson@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] re:who *IS* too European?
Date: Sun, 2 May 2004 14:46:10 -0400

This is the kind of note that drives me crazy. Donny is quite
correct to suggest that everyone is entitled to their view. It is
a dictum of democracy which assert that.

But anyone who reads such expressions of opinion should be able
to find at least a scintilla of objectivity in the assertion.

Donny does not like Stoltzman's sound. It's a free country. But
it's also a totally meaningless statement except in Donny's mind.
He has found characteristics in Stoltzman's sound that he doesn't
like, but either he is unable or unwilling to explain this to us,
so that, perhaps, we could come to the same conclusion. It
conveys no information other than "that's the way Donny feels."
And as such, I can't process it. It doesn't compute. We don't
know if Stoltzman's sound is insufficiently refined or course or
inelegant or flat or sharp or nasal or robust or what. Whatever
it is Donny doesn't like it. (By the way if Stoltzman doesn't
want to keep that sound any longer, I'll be happy to take it from
him and use it myself.)

I remember when Kell came to America and every clarinet player in
sight (most of whom were scared out of their minds at the way he
played) said, "Well, he plays OK, but I can't stand his vibrato."

That's a statement that's just as meaningless and ambiguous as
Donny's. And it ruined a great deal of Kell's American career.

Any professional needs to be able to criticize objectively and
constructively. This or that is wrong for the following specific
reasons. And anyone who can't say that is just telling us how he
or she feels. That's nice to know but it has zero information
content.

How many young kids on this list have gone to competitions,
played as best as they were able, and been told, "your sound is
not dark enough," or "you don't have that specifical energy in
your playing." I don't mind if someone tells me something bad
and specific about my playing, but anyone who would have the
balls to be as inconprehensible as that to me about my playing
will have clarinet bell shoved up his nose, wide end first.

And how many kids on this list are now going to say to
themselves, "Well, Donny is sharp guy and a good player. He
doesn't like Stoltzman's sound, so I guess I don't like it
either."

BLATHER, JUST BLATHER!!

Dan Leeson
DNLeeson@-----.net

-----Original Message-----
From: Donny McKenzie [mailto:clarinetuk@-----.com]
Sent: Sunday, May 02, 2004 11:05 AM
To: klarinet@-----.org
Subject: Re: [kl] re:who *IS* too European?

I don't think we should scrutinize what de Peyer can play now, if
you hear
his early recordings, of which there are many, we should be
thankful that he
did so many.

I also think Stoltzman is amazing, but personally don't like his
sound,
again Michael Collins is amazing, but don't like his sound, this
is purely a
personal point of view. Everyone is entitled to their own view,
some like
tomatos, some don't.

Matthew is right, we don't all share the same views, that's what
makes
people, people, if we were all the same, this list would have
died years
ago.

Regards

Donny

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