Klarinet Archive - Posting 000182.txt from 2007/03

From: "dnleeson" <dnleeson@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Requiem a Quebec
Date: Mon, 12 Mar 2007 12:14:35 -0400

This is very sad indeed. That a musical, sophisticated city like
Montreal has only two crumby basset horns is very sad. But they
could have contacted Dave Bourque in Toronto who has an excellent
instrument, and surely there must have been another in all of
Canada.

But if the story you tell is accurate, as I believe it to be,
then it would be natural to use clarinets. However, I have no
knowledge of what basset horn experience the two players had, and
if it was their first time, it is not surprising that they had
problems. It is not an instrument that one can pick up and play
elegantly without some experience.

Almost every time this happens, the problem is always said to be
that of the basset horn, and I don't believe that. It's just a
convenient way of laying the blame on something that cannot
defend itself.

Dan Leeson
DNLeeson@-----.net

-----Original Message-----
From: Peter Stoll [mailto:peterstoll2000@-----.ca]
Sent: Monday, March 12, 2007 5:35 AM
To: klarinet@-----.org
Subject: [kl] Requiem a Quebec

I remember speaking with someone (not the
previously-named players) who performed the Requiem
with one of the Montreal groups, I think Les Violons
but it could have been a different group. I remember
he said that he and the 2nd had each to find their own
basset, they weren't well-matched, there were squeak
issues, and so after the first performance the
conductor asked them to switch to clarinets. So it may
be that a bad experience made the conductor feel "once
burned, twice shy".

I remember playing the Requiem (Suss.version) in
college on their not well-maintained b.horn, with a
snarky young kid on 2nd too. After much pushing and
pulling of key heights etc. and bits of tape, got my
instrument to work. In the show, the kid's horn
(and/or the kid) promptly squawked in the first bar!

And I say all this getting ready to play basset horn
for the Canadian Opera Company's production of
Elektra. Challenging part!

Peter Stoll

Instructor of Clarinet and Chamber Music,
University of Toronto
Toronto Philharmonia
ERGO ensemble
Talisker Players

http://mail.yahoo.com

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