 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Kevin
Date: 2007-05-11 00:05
Drucker's eventual retirement will probably come not too long after 2008. Seems that this'll be a busy few years for auditioning clarinetists.
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Author: John J. Moses
Date: 2007-05-11 01:05
Folks, I can't tell you how many people have predicted Stanley's "retirement."
It ain't gonna happen in 2008, he's playing great and looks terrific.
The clarinet is Drucker's life, and he loves playing with the NY Philharmonic, so retirement is not in the near future.
He's closing in on 60 years with the Orchestra...may he be there many more years...yeah Stanley...!!!!
JJM
Légère Artist
Clark W. Fobes Artist
Post Edited (2007-05-11 01:16)
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Author: GBK
Date: 2007-05-11 02:36
Stanley is the consummate musician who truly enjoys what he does and inspires all players around him.
Two years ago, when I asked Stanley "Wind Him Up and Off He Goes" Drucker (as one NYPO cover conductor calls him) how much longer he'll play with the NYPO, he replied:
"Why leave? It's any easy gig."
...GBK
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Author: Ed
Date: 2007-05-11 02:45
"Why leave? It's any easy gig."
I sometimes wonder how many times he has played any of those major pieces in the repertoire. He always seems as if he is having fun and playing it for the first time.
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Author: Aaron
Date: 2007-05-11 04:30
After a recent Mahler 1 concert, I asked Mr Combs if he ever gets bored with the rep. He replied "sometimes," but went on to say that interesting conductors liven up the performances.
As for his retirement, I am very sad to see him leave the orchestra, but also grateful that his students will be able to have much more time with him. And he certainly has a lot to teach.
Aaron
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Author: J. J.
Date: 2007-05-11 04:54
While Larry's playing has been somewhat hit or miss with some people's personal tastes, it would be foolish not to recognize that he has excelled at a tough job for decades and has left an indelible mark through the insane number of Chicago Symphony recordings made over the years. I'm not one to romaticize "eras," but to be facing the possibility of the CSO and New York Phil with new principal clarinetists in the near future is startling to say the least.
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2007-05-11 11:21
Has anyone figured out how many recordings Mr. Combs has made with Chicago? Hard to imagine the orchestra without him! I'll bet people who want to study with him will start bashing down his door, on the assumption that now he'll have plenty of time to take on more students. He may need a moat and some alligators if he wants any time to himself.
I don't think both of those orchestras will see big changes in the woodwind section at the same time, though, because Mr. Drucker, one of those lucky folks whose ancestors swam in the deep end of the gene pool, looks way younger than his years and still plays like a champ. I'd be very surprised if he retires any time soon.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2007-05-11 14:56
I'm a big fan of Larry's playing, but know how tiring it can be to do the same old same old day after day. Good for him. He can always do anything he wants to do musically. If we wants to perform he can perform whatever he wants whenever he wants (schedule at school considered).
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Author: sherman
Date: 2007-05-12 14:17
Along with Harold Wright, Combs is the best sounding principal clarinetist of any orchestra, the link joining both is "sensitivity to line", almost palpable in these two cases, and although superbly consistant, others are not in the same space.
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Author: Aaron
Date: 2007-05-12 15:16
For those in the area who haven't checked out the Chicago Chamber Musicians, you definitely should! I'm so glad that Mr. Combs will still be performing with this group, they really are awesome.
CCM has a free concert on the first Monday of each month; I think that they're usually at the Cultural Center.
Aaron
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Author: LarryBocaner ★2017
Date: 2007-05-12 16:46
"Sherman" wrote:
"Along with Harold Wright, Combs is the best sounding principal clarinetist of any orchestra, the link joining both is "sensitivity to line", almost palpable in these two cases, and although superbly consistant (sic), others are not in the same space."
Gobbledygook!
Assuming that Sherman has heard all the other notable "principal clarinetist of any orchestra", his extravagant statement is highly debatable. Without detracting in any way from Combs and Wright, to tacitly downgrade all the others is simply ridiculous!
A few names come to mind: Morales, Cohen, Kitt, Rusinek, Raden, Prinz, Leister, Carbonare. And there are many more "in the same space!"
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Author: J. J.
Date: 2007-05-12 17:04
Yeah, I'm sure we all want to give Larry his due, but come on. There are plenty of players who you could make a case that surpass these two, let alone be in the same space. An odd assertion, at best.
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Author: Aaron
Date: 2007-05-12 17:23
I highly doubt that there are "plenty of players" who could be in the same place or surpass Mr. Combs.
LC is a connsumate musician and clarinettist.
Aaron
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2007-05-12 17:24
It's all subjective. Depends on how you like their sound. So while his statement is not fact that they are the best two, neither is your statement that they AREN'T the best two. Just two strongly formed and believed opinions.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: grifffinity
Date: 2007-05-12 17:33
Quote:
A few names come to mind: Morales, Cohen, Kitt, Rusinek, Raden, Prinz, Leister, Carbonare. And there are many more "in the same space!"
To be honest, Wright is my favorite principal of all time, mostly because he also was in one of the best wind sections of all time. Doriot Dwyer is hands down the best orchestral flutist I have ever heard, and her phrasing with Wright was first rate.
I also agree that there is no doubt all the players mentioned by Larry are of an exceedingly high standard. A "best of" list is always subjective. And on that note...
I will also add that Mark Nuccio is one of my favorite Assistant Principals, for sitting principal more than as an Effer player. (Tom Martin takes my top Effer spot.) In fact, I go to NY Phil to hear Nuccio and Pascual M-Forteza...when I am lucky. I was quite disappointed two summers ago when Mark wasn't playing principal in the Dvorak Cello Concerto...the intonation of the wind section suffers greatly when he is not on deck.
And hands down, Pascual Martinez Forteza wins for his work as 2nd...it's one job tuning to Nuccio...quiet another tuning to Drucker. People often forget that the 2nd chair clarinet can make or break a wind section moreso than other 2nd chair winds. I also loved Scott Andrews (formerly BSO) for a similar reason to Pascual. 2nd chair clarinet is the toughest job in the orchestra as far as I'm concerned!
ETA: back on topic...the Chicago section was always a well balanced group. Definately, the grouping of Combs, Yeh, Smith and Bloom is legendary in the orchestral world.
Post Edited (2007-05-12 17:37)
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2007-05-13 13:02
YES, second chair is tough indeed. In fact I think that everyone should just let me have the BSO spot since the no one else would dream of working that hard. :-)
...........Paul Aviles
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Author: seafaris
Date: 2007-05-13 14:14
Why would anyone's personal opinion here be "Gobbledygook". It is a personal opinion as valid as any other and when considering the source then this one more valid than most. We all like different things, and we all have opinions, that's all they are. As an adult I think I can separate the difference when one is stating an opinion or a fact. In my opinion, on a level playing field there is no one best at anything. Maybe for one magical moment, but then always comes tomorrow.
...Jim
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Author: LarryBocaner ★2017
Date: 2007-05-13 17:09
Jim, it's not the opinion that I called "gobbledygook"; it is the string of adjectives and qualifiers that followed the opinion. Look at it again -- if you can make any sense out of the statement perhaps you will be good enough to translate it into everyday English for me!
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Author: seafaris
Date: 2007-05-13 18:21
LOL...
No you are not going to get me into that. :-)
You know if we were all sitting aroound face to face discussing this, it would sure be a lot easier. The printed word on these boards and in e-mails are so b&w, we have to use all the little imho etcs. It is so easy to mis read what anyone writes. I bet a lot of times things are written late at night and if read the next day we would say, what the heck did I mean by that"!
...Jim
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Author: Ed
Date: 2007-05-14 00:54
"There are plenty of players who you could make a case that surpass these two"
Surpass Wright?
Hardly.
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