Author: Dave Spiegelthal
Date: 2000-01-12 14:05
I just had to rave about a live performance I heard on public radio last night, of the Brahms Clarinet Quintet. It was so good I stopped my car and pulled off the road to listen to the rest of the performance (and to find out who was playing!). I'd say that it was the finest interpretation of the piece I've ever heard, and possibly the most gorgeous clarinet playing I've ever heard too. At first I thought it was Karl Leister, or maybe Emma King, but there was a lot more in the way of dynamics than on the Leister recording I've got, and there was just a hint of vibrato on occasion in the upper register. The tempi, the tone, the intonation, everything was as perfect as I could imagine. Finally, it was over and the announcer said it was played by the principals of the Cleveland Orchestra, with Franklin Cohen on clarinet. I'd never heard Mr. Cohen's playing before, but if I can ever play one one-thousandth as well as he does, I'll die happy! It's sort of depressing for us hackers to hear playing on such as level, because I for one know that, except in my dreams, I never will play that well even if I practice 12 hours a day for the rest of my life. But my philosophy (which keeps me sane) is that the striving for perfection is just as important as the achievement, and we should all gain satisfaction from just playing good music and improving our own skills (on whatever level), and we can still marvel at playing like Mr. Cohen's and be grateful that there are artists like him with such special talent.
Dave Spiegelthal
Clarinetist wannabe
Calverton, VA
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The Clarinet BBoard
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