 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: TomD
Date: 2008-01-11 17:42
Absolutely amazing.
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=7219918
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Author: FrankM
Date: 2008-01-12 02:53
Amazing....I'm torn between practicing and throwing my horn away!
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Author: Sylvain
Date: 2008-01-12 03:00
All of this while circular breathing. Unbelievable technique...
--
Sylvain Bouix <sbouix@gmail.com>
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2008-01-12 03:16
Just when I thought I was making progress on getting my chromatic scale faster, I have to go and watch this. In the words of Jon Arbuckle, "AAARGH!!!"
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: MJSmith
Date: 2008-01-12 09:04
I have an arrangement of Flight of the Bumble Bee, I may take it out and "sight read" through it. It looks easy, but the piece is truly "AAAARGH!" This is a piece that I would spend time on during the summer, and use it as a "show" piece.
To pull of the effect of the bumble bee, I think the tempo has to be as fast as possible, but also even. No molto fake-em out-o on this one.
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Author: MJSmith
Date: 2008-01-12 09:34
My advice is to find all of the sequences/phrases that are a like, and memorize them. For me, I can not play this type of piece by looking at the music while practicing it. Since this is chromatic, memorizing the phrases should not be too difficult.
Then chunk them together, but do this all really slow so you can master the technique while going through the process.
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Author: Old Geezer
Date: 2008-01-12 14:40
A fun video! Thanx for posting it. Circular breathing at it's best. Do notice that Julian did no bobbing up and down or side to side while playing. So apparantly a dignified stage presence can be managed even while showing off (in a fun way) before a group of young musicans.
This was video taped about a year ago...he seems to be getting better and better!
Clarinet Redux
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Author: Old Geezer
Date: 2008-01-12 16:27
For another take on the Bumble Bee (with a breath or two), try this;
http://www.zadok.demon.co.uk/
Clarinet Redux
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Author: Old Geezer
Date: 2008-01-12 18:41
At her "low level " Emma has sold 300,000 CDs to appreciative clarinet lovers. made numerous solo appearance with world class symphones in Britan and on the continent, received the hightest praise from eminent crtics wherever she has performed, conducts major orchestras now and then, et al.
Sabine M, and others can only wish they were at such a low level.
If Julian keeps a level head and keeps working maybe someday (in 10 or 15 years) he can find himself at such a "low level"!
Clarinet Redux
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Author: theclarinetguy
Date: 2008-01-12 18:56
Pat Shreidan performed at WIBC International Honor Band when I went about 4-5 years ago. There was a video of him playing flight of the bumblebee at that speed while double tounging the whole thing, it was amazing!
Micheal
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2008-01-12 19:08
> She is at a whole different level.
Indeed. Unfortunately, the camera person was, too. :-/
> below that is
Dunno. I'd be the wrong person to judge.
Besides, (in the recordings) I find her breathing cute. Shows that there's a real person and not an Übermusician performing.
--
Ben
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2008-01-12 19:15
Old Geezer wrote:
> At her "low level " Emma has sold 300,000 CDs to appreciative
> clarinet lovers. made numerous solo appearance with world class
> symphones in Britan and on the continent, received the hightest
> praise from eminent crtics wherever she has performed, conducts
> major orchestras now and then, et al.
I think Stoltzman has that beat by well over an order of magnitude and he regularly gets "beat up" here, too.
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Author: cpark
Date: 2008-01-12 19:37
Yes, we all agree:
Record sales are directly proportional to skill and talent.
In the future, please consult the record sales data before comparing artists.
Thanks!
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2008-01-12 20:15
cpark wrote:
> Record sales are directly proportional to skill and talent.
Sometimes they are, sometimes they aren't. Which makes the discussion lively.
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2008-01-12 21:06
They almost NEVER are.
What they always are proportional to is promotion. If an album isn't promoted it isn't going to sell.
Emma's dad was head of the BBC - need I say more?
She is a very good player, but no monster by any means.
Julian is a monster player.
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2008-01-12 21:13
An example of skill and talent on a recording, but not promoted would be Ricardo playing the Bartok Contrasts.
How many of you knew that even exists? You didn't because it wasn't promoted, and know now because I mentioned it. Came out 2 years ago.
His other album that Boston Records put out isn't a top seller, yet his playing is still stellar. If it were featured it would.
Again, it's all about promotion and exposure. You can look at the current top 40 music list and see that it again is all about promotion and exposure.
Comedian Dane Cook is a great example of how extreme promotion/record sales/talent...... Can 1 million record sales be wrong?
yes
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
Post Edited (2008-01-12 21:17)
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2008-01-12 21:17
DavidBlumberg wrote:
> Emma's dad was head of the BBC - need I say more?
Yes, you do. Your implication (I believe) is that a person who has an association with someone in a position of power has tainted them. Such as:
Michele Zukovsky, the principal of the LA Philhamonic, is the daughter of the great Kalman Bloch, who also held exactly the same position.
Need I say more? (wink, wink, nudge, nudge)
------------------
Your position is BS. While exposure via "connections" has hardly ever hurt, one has to have talent to succeed over time. And Emma has certainly done that! While Emma (and Michelle) are not everyone's cup of tea, they are both talented performers who get up on stage and "let it hang out" on a daily basis in front of thousands of people, many of whom think they can do it better.
But most of them can't and the ones who can don't knock the people on stage. They have better manners.
Usually.
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2008-01-12 21:51
My position is such from a Clarinetist who was complaining about her "rise to stardom" a while back at a Clarfest (she was playing at).
Major English Clarinetist who literally is big like Pay (not him though) and those were his words.
But I do find her recordings boring and unimaginative.
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2008-01-12 22:01
DavidBlumberg wrote:
> Major English Clarinetist who literally is big like Pay (not
> him though) and those were his words.
I would always rather offer my own opinion here rather than some arbitrary unattributable opinion. Especially when when the opinion is negative and requires explanation.
Or not tell tales at all.
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2008-01-12 23:15
Ok, but I did agree with him on it, just didn't know of the behind the scenes details.
Players certainly talk about each other and do get down and dirty, but not in public.
I find Sabine, Julian, and many other of the big soloists to be in a completely different league than Emma, but again that's just my opinion probably best kept to myself.
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
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Author: Old Geezer
Date: 2008-01-13 02:54
To say nothing of Robert Springs who triple tongues the whole thing.
A little thread about Julian sure enlivens the Clarinet BB!
Keep those barbs and kudos coming you'all!
Clarinet Redux
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2008-01-13 12:50
That's nice Norbert, but I don't know what position he was before 1993 when the player was commenting about her (at the belgium clarfest). He would be in a position to know about him, I'm not. And if he retired/left before google had him it wouldn't be easy to find either. (I looked and didn't see him, not that I know his first name, it certainly wasn't Don ..... 
If I liked her playing I would have come to her defense and/or ignored the comment.
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
Post Edited (2008-01-13 13:21)
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Author: Kevin
Date: 2008-01-13 22:12
But Julian's playing is not musically mature!!!! It's just all notes!!!
;)
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Author: Tony Pay ★2017
Date: 2008-01-14 13:03
I think this is a ridiculous conversation, frankly.
I very much doubt that Julian was intending to produce anything like a performance in that clip. It's almost wilfully technically oriented, and should be thought of as a workbench fragment geared to a particularly clarinet-oriented audience, thrown off in demonstraton style. (I even doubt that he knew it was being recorded.)
To criticise it -- or alternatively to make it out to be a superlative execution of the FotBB -- seem to me to be equally naive reactions.
Tony
Post Edited (2008-01-14 13:40)
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2008-01-14 13:52
You are right Tony! Bumblebee is an easy piece - Chromatic fluff.
Julian did do it in a harder key than Emma - starting it on F# with the chromatics lays a lot harder than the starting on E version where it shifts from hand to hand.
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
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Author: Tony Pay ★2017
Date: 2008-01-14 14:18
DavidBlumberg wrote:
>> You are right Tony! Bumblebee is an easy piece - Chromatic fluff.>>
That wasn't quite my point, which was rather that I don't think he was trying to play it AS A PIECE. What he did was a technical showoff of the clarinet part, geared to the situation.
Though TFoTBB isn't one of my numbers, I rather suspect that it's possible to play it in a way that is still virtuoso, but virtuoso in a different sense -- more 'humble bumblebee'-like than 'cocky instrumentalist'-like.
But of course, that would come out as a celebration of how clever R-K was, rather than how clever the player was; so most players, and clearly quite a few people on this list, wouldn't be interested.
Tony
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Author: Old Geezer
Date: 2008-01-14 15:06
Just viewed again Julian's Youtube playing the third movement of the Mozart concerto. If was a prepared piece and he knew he was being filmed. He used circular breathing at times.
In my opinion (informed by sketchy knowledge and presumption) it was a mediocore performance. I think any clarinetist hearing an unidentifed audio version would feel the same way.
But what do I know...I think Emma Johnson is rather good, I even like Gervase De Peyer!
Clarinet Redux
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Author: toney
Date: 2008-01-14 15:52
This looks like it was performed at Royal Academy of Music. Masterclass or Friday's at 4 perhaps?
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Author: Philip Caron
Date: 2008-01-20 22:54
Drifting slightly OT, Cziffra's version was transcribed by himself, for solo Cziffra. Others have played his version, but to my ears his panache is inimitable. That's a big factor in making mechanical displays come alive.
Bliss isn't doing that here, as far as I can tell. I'm impressed with his clarity at speed and the circular breathing - and his sound, if the clip's wretched sonics are any guide - but as someone else pointed out, this isn't and probably wasn't intended as a serious performance. Nothing *that* special is projected.
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