Klarinet Archive - Posting 000129.txt from 2006/07

From: Terry Halvorson <oboeterry@-----.fm>
Subj: [kl] Re: Magic Flute clarinetists, etc
Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2006 01:46:26 -0400

Dan Leeson replied (to others who had replied to my question):

>The question that was posted is being overanswered.

Well, as the person who asked, it seems that I should make that call, yes?
I love to learn as much as I can, so it was not overanswered, in my opinion.

>I posted a note about Magic Flute which I had seen in Santa Fe. I also
included the names of all the clarinet players for this summer season of
2006. There was six or seven names.

>A young poster then asked why there were so many clarinet players.

um, I'm 38 years young, but you had no way of knowing that... (assuming....
?)

>She said something like,

um, maybe *He* said...

> "Why are more than 2 necessary?" It was clear that she was
inexperienced and it was not an unreasonable question for a high-schooler.

I am going to preface what I am about to say with this: Dan, throughout my
10 years of lurking (and occasionally posting) on this list, I have learned
that you are a brilliant Mozart scholar and all around knowledgable person,
and I have learned a lot from you (and others). However, just speaking for
myself, I have also noticed that you are oftentimes given to make
assumptions and to pass judgment on others. When anyone attempts to refute
anything that you have proclaimed, they are then belittled or ignored.
I happen to be a 38yo woodwind doubler in the Los Angeles area with 24+
years experience playing operas and musical theater. My question was
simply asking why the Santa Fe Opera listed 6 clarinetists for Magic Flute.
You had not mentioned in your original post that they were listing the
whole season's roster. Sorry for any misunderstanding or seeming naivete
on my part.

>No one asked about the disposition of the clarinetists for Magic Flute,
though I am grateful that Steve correctly described the specifics of the
Magic Flute clarinet/basset horn demands. In his case, he cites that the
practice of switching from clarinet to basset horn is the usual habit for
the NY City Opera. It appears not to be the case for the Santa Fe opera
because the clarinet players did not switch. Instead, two additional
players busied themselves with the basset horns both at the end of act I and
the beginning of act II.

Which I also found interesting. Unless the regular players simply cannot
play basset horn, it seems odd (from an employer's point of view) to pay
two extra players rather than pay doubling.

>The young poster who started all this was not interested in the disposition
of players for the Magic Flute, but rather why the Santa Fe opera lists six
or seven names in the roster for clarinet players.

Again, actually, yes... I am fine learning everything I can from this and
other lists I am on. But thanks for knowing what I am and am not
interested in :-)

Terry Halvorson

p.s. If anyone cares... the masculine of my name is _always_ spelled with
a "Y", while the feminine has many spellings (-ie, -y, I, etc...)

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