Klarinet Archive - Posting 000088.txt from 2006/07

From: "Keith Bowen" <bowenk@-----.com>
Subj: RE: RE: [kl] A little note about Mr. Leeson
Date: Thu, 13 Jul 2006 13:32:12 -0400

Happy Birthday Dan! I look forward to seeing you next week in Santa Fe.

One of my greatest musical pleasures was playing the Gran Partitta with you
at the masterclass you gave us in 2003. And your generosity in allowing me
to try your basset horn, as you know, convinced me to buy its twin. I am
sorry that this has made yours only the second best. Alas that they have
only appeared once together. I shall follow its future path with a brotherly
interest. I may have to kidnap it, actually. No wonder you won't bring it
with you next week, even with the temptation of playing the Mozart trios
with THREE Fox basset horns ...

Watch out for my son on ebay shortly before yours is sold.

Many Happy Returns Dan. I am nominating you as a UNESCO World Site Of
Extreme Musical Interest and Accomplishment.

Keith Bowen
President
Kammermusik Workshops, Inc.
Santa Fe
www.kammermusikworkshops.org

-----Original Message-----
From: klarinet-return-87986-bowenk=compuserve.com@-----.org
[mailto:klarinet-return-87986-bowenk=compuserve.com@-----.org] On Behalf
Of dnleeson
Sent: Thursday, July 13, 2006 5:16 PM
To: klarinet@-----.org
Subject: [!! SPAM] RE: [kl] A little note about Mr. Leeson

I am most pleased and proud that Clark has given me such a nice
sendoff for my years of playing. Today is my 74th birthday, and
since I began playing at the age of 10, that makes 64 years of
clarinet playing.

As I have indicated on a number of occasions, I will put my
basset horn on ebay before the year is out. Probably in late
September after I play the Mozart Requiem with Sue Macy in San
Jose. It was I who convinced her to buy a basset horn a number
of years ago and she plays it beautifully.

Any serious clarinetist who does not own a basset horn should
consider selling their children to get enough money to buy mine.
You'll need the money. I can't make statements about it being the
best basset horn ever made, because that is a subjective opinion.
But I think it to be marvellous. And when I play it with all
that gold on the keys, the reflection from the ceiling lights
makes me look holy!

I'm not going away and I hope for many more years of life and
health. But my playing is fundamentally done.

Clark played second clarinet for the performance with Mark
Brandenburg on first and Janet Averett of San Jose state on first
basset horn. It was the first time she had ever played the part
and she did exceptionally well. I even talked her into
improvising a little. She thought at first that she committing
some kind of a mortal sin by departing from the written text. I
was particularly impressed with Clarke's management of the
blazingly difficult Variation III in the sixth movement. Even the
conductor expressed his satisfaction at the rehearsal, and then,
to aggrevate, took it even faster at the performance. Yuck!!

I still have many things to do including my writing and my next
book, called "The Hagenauer Cache" will be available in 2009. It
is not fiction.

I also hope that my novel, "The Mozart Forgeries," will continue
to be read and enjoyed for some time. And if you had not read it,
I fix a curse on you and your family for 7 generations.

Finally this, I am giving a series of lectures on a recent
discovery of some Mozart memorabilia, and anyone out there in a
University position who does not make an effort to have his/her
students receive the benefit of all this glorious wisdom (given
with great personal modesty) may find their instruments all blown
out. I can do it remotely, you know.

How's that for a farewell?

Dan Leeson
DNLeeson@-----.net

-----Original Message-----
From: Clark W Fobes [mailto:claroneman@-----.net]
Sent: Thursday, July 13, 2006 8:22 AM
To: klarinet@-----.org
Subject: [kl] A little note about Mr. Leeson

Yesterday, July 12 I had the pleasure and honor to participate in
Dan
Lesson's final performance of Mozart's "Gran Partita". It was
presented by
the Mostly Mozart orchestra with George Cleve conducting.

Many of you probably know that Dan is responsible for the
Barenreiter
Edition of the piece and the editor of most of the wind works for
the "Neue
Mozart Ausgabe". George Cleve (who is a very well known and
gifted
interpreter of Mozart) said some very nice things about Dan after
the
concert, but this was my favorite quote:

"As a musician I have learned an immense amount from Dan
Leeson.
However, I am merely a Mozart enthusiast - he is a true Mozart
scholar."

Dan performed the second basset horn part as usual ( he loves
the low
register of the instrument) playing his elegant cocobolo and gold
keyed
basset made by Steve Fox. Dan played magnificently as always,
even
improvising ornaments.

I believe Dan has one more performance of the Mozart Requiem
in
September and then he is officially retiring as a player and will
put his
famous basset horn on E-bay. If you EVER have an opportunity to
hear Dan
lecture on Mozart don't miss it. He is one of the most engaging
speakers I
have ever heard and often brings a great deal of levity (dare I
say
hilarity?) into his thoughtful and thought provoking
presentations.

Thanks Dan for being so persistent in your pursuit of truth
in Mozart
and for encouraging the rest of us to do the same!

Clark W Fobes

-----------------------------------------------------------------
--
Klarinet is a service of Woodwind.Org, Inc.
http://www.woodwind.org

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Klarinet is a service of Woodwind.Org, Inc. http://www.woodwind.org

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Klarinet is a service of Woodwind.Org, Inc. http://www.woodwind.org

   
     Copyright © Woodwind.Org, Inc. All Rights Reserved    Privacy Policy    Contact charette@woodwind.org