 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Cosmicjello
Date: 2009-04-12 04:24
I was lucky enough to study with him at UNLV in the years before his retirement. He was always open, funny and willing to share his time with me.
After performing in the Boston Symphony with Harold Wright, we relocated for a short stint with the Utah Symphony before settling in Las Vegas where he spent the next 30 years teaching at UNLV and performing as principal clarinetist with the Nevada Symphony and following that groups demise, the Las Vegas Philharmonic.
You can listen to a interview with him from 2005 here.
http://www.knpr.org/son/archive/details.cfm?programid=470
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Author: duxburyclarinetguy
Date: 2009-04-14 22:48
I was fortunate enough to have studied with him in the 1976 -77 school year while a freshman at Boston University. I originally came to Boston from San Antonio, Texas to study with him to get a thorough grounding and then possibly spend some time with Harold Wright. The next year there was an opening and I was accepted as a student of Harold Wright with whom I spent the next five years. Mr Viscuglia as I always called him, gave me his "blessing" and was very encouraging to me. He was very very good at so many musical and practical things such as equipment, including but not limited to reeds, mouthpieces, bells etc. He knew all the parts in the section and could play them all with such style. Once I relayed the time when asked by fellow student: "who are you studying with?" I told him "Mr Viscuglia, he was a Mazzeo student as was my high school teacher and he referred me to him." The other student then asked me: "Are you a bass clarinet player?" To which I said: "why no, I haven't really played much bass clarinet at all." When I relayed this incident to Mr. Viscuglia he said to me:"You tell that guy that you are a 'clarinet player' first and foremost and that it doesn't matter which instrument you are playing".
He was a consumate musician able to play the piano parts to the Brahms Sonatas, the Copland Concerto etc. as well as the alto sax part to "Pictures" and sound like a million bucks.
I will never forget the expression of dissapointment on Harold Wright's face when he told me that Mr. Viscuglia would not be substituting for Mr. Cardillo a second consecutive summer at Tanglewood. He was quite the "second" player, able to blend seamlessly!
I will miss him and his wisdom, truly rarely found today!
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