 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Anthony_Madderson
Date: 2006-05-19 22:43
I have recently had the pleasure of moving back to London after years in the English midlands and what a difference it makes. This week has been the most eye opening week for me.
Tonight, I saw the American bass clarinetist Evan Ziporyn perform one of his own works with a Contemporary music group at a small venue 'The Warehouse'. What a player! So delicate, and so respected by the audience. Some strange markings on his bass clarinet ahve kept me wondering, but what a wonderful sound he makes, and what a wonderful composer. The clarinetist in the ensemble too, Andrew Sparling was also a highlight for me with his seductive playing.
Last night, I saw the Philharmonia perform amoung other works, highlights from Romeo and Juilet. Another stunning performance, an amazing clarinet section on show there, however I didn't buy a program to know their names.
On Tuesday evening I saw one of the two young performers I had not heard of previously. This concert was all contemporary solo clarinet repertoire. Beginning with the Berio Sequenza, followed by work a by Alvin Lucier (an exceptionally beautiful), two new works and the Boulez 'Dialogue de l'ombre double'. The young performer was an Australian called Andrew Harper and what a talent he is, a great sound, amazing breath control and full of colour. Also a bit of a lad if his biography is anything to go by!
To start off my week I saw another breathtaking young clarinetist in Timothy Orpen, performing the Mozart Clarinet Concerto, on basset clarinet in the Royal Albert Hall. A very stylish performer he sounded at home on the large instrument and gave a beautifully seductive rendition of the work. Full of imaginative ornamentation it was a performance to remember.
So there we have it, I have been back in London for ten days, seen four wonderful concerts given by four wonderful clarinetists. Now that would never have happened in the midlands....
Both the young performers, Harper and Orpen, studied at the Royal Academy of Music, and I have been told by an old flute friend that the principal clarinet of the Philharmonia is the professor at the Royal Academy, a Mark van Wiel. I guess times have changed from when the Royal College was the place to be! I shall keep you all posted on my further adventures.
Anthony Madderson
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Author: toney
Date: 2006-05-20 02:32
You are quite lucky to have heard both of these fine clarinetists! Speaking from experience, both Andy and Tim are two of the finest clarinetists the Academy has produced in recent years, and it is/was quite an experience to both listen to and perform with them in various orchestras and masterclasses.
Both will undoubtedly be well known in the orchestral and solo clarinet world for years to come, along with two other clarinetists at the Academy, Tom Lessels and Dmitry Rasul-Karayev. I recommened you check out their newly formed chamber orchestra, Aurora, in which you can hear them perform side by side along with other great academy musicians.....A real treat if you are ever able to hear any of them perform again!
Hands down, I believe the Academy is the place to be for clarinet, I hope to be back there with these fine mates next year.......
Mikey
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2006-05-20 03:22
"Some strange markings on his bass clarinet ahve kept me wondering"
I saw Evan Ziporyn live and also been to a masterclass by him. If you mean you were wondering what bass clarinet it is - it is a Selmer from the 80s. He explained why he plays it a not buying a new one.
He said any clarinet player can pick pretty much any soprano clarinet and it would be ok, but any new bass clarinet he tries to play is uncomfortable for him, so he still plays his 80s Selmer.
The marks are probably repaired cracks. He said he put something on it I don't remember what or what he said exactly, but those are probably the marks you meant.
Post Edited (2006-05-20 04:31)
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Author: Anthony_Madderson
Date: 2006-05-22 21:35
Thanks for the help on the bass clarinet. It looked to have three metal stripes on the upper part of the upper joint, near the neck. They seemed to have no noticable use apart from tonal, so what you said makes perfect sense. I also read at the concert that Evan Ziporyn will be playing again this saturday in london for the bbc, well worth going to if you have a chance. The other bass clarinetist on the night also looked to be playing an old selmer too, are they the instrument of choice at the moment?
Mikey, thanks for your message, it must have been quite a treat to play with those guys. A quick question about them though: what basset was Orpen playing on? I was way too far away to tell. Also, I'm sure Harper was playing on a gold ligature! I have never seen one before, and while being visually pleasing, I was wondering if you knew his logic behind using it.
This week I am off to see the lso, the philharmonia and another young player at the wigmore hall. London.....
Anthony Madderson
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-05-22 22:53
"It looked to have three metal stripes on the upper part of the upper joint, near the neck."
Probably the crack was repaired by flush banding - a pretty unsightly repair method and hardly ever done here in the UK.
I know several bass clarinet players that use older Selmers and swear by them, and with good reason too - if I could find a mid '50s to mid '60s Selmer bass I'd get it, but I'm a bit skint at the moment (and I have a Buffet Prestige bass anyway which does the job very well).
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Author: toney
Date: 2006-05-23 03:51
Well, I don't know if Tim has bought a new basset clarinet or not (he did win Royal Overseas League last year). I know the Academy has one for use by students and it is fairly good for a basset clarinet (which are on the whole horrible IMO) having been picked out by Mark Van De Weil (Philharmonia, who teaches there). If it was the Academy's, it was definitely a Buffet......
As far as Andy, don't know cause I haven't talked shop with him in a while. I know he was using a BG revelation last year and we even did an experiment with string for a while (which was a great laugh in orchestra rehearsal!!).
Could be he might be using a gold Lubyen? , as I know that's what Tim was using last year (albeit a silver one) and they are good mates. Doubt theres any logic behind it with Andy, he's a great player no matter what setup he uses...........
Mikey
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Author: bawa
Date: 2006-05-25 07:37
It makes me wish I was back in London....it was such a great place for so many things. Apart from the music, I also regularly went to the National Film theatre, lunch time recitals at so many places, watching opera (rather one half of it) from the "heavens" in the Covent Garden: do those still exist??
Great memories.
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