Author: DougR
Date: 2020-07-25 03:58
This is not meant to be any sort of definitive contribution to the discussion, possibly a broadening? Presenting links to 2 videos: one, Philippe Cuper, whose sound, to my ears, is light, lithe, luminous, and a distinct departure from the prevailing "dark" sound apparently sought-after today. I agree with Ruben that if I were going to present any of the traditional French repertoire, Cuper's sound is what I would shoot for. (Although I wonder if his is the "French" sound Ruben has in mind?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCJndhiAf8g&t=2s
Of course, having discussions with recorded examples at ALL is a little chancy, simply because of the changes and variability of recording, ambience, and so forth. The Vandoren TV videos are worth comparing perhaps, since they're recorded in similar settings with (presumably) similar equipment.
Here's a 2011 recording of Nicolas Baldeyrou in a similar setting. How does his sound compare to Cuper's?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OTt4h2xv70
And Jon Manasse, who we maybe could posit as an exemplar of the modern "North American" or "East Coast" sound?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXdBScK_69Y
Here's an ingenious dissection of Ralph McLane's sound, put through some sort of frequency analyzer to illustrate Russel Harlow's point how certain spectra in the clarinet sound can be enhanced to alter the sound, for better and worse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Zpnuokdmaw&t=44s
Harlow has an extensive website featuring many snippets of performances through history, that somewhat illustrates the difficulty of comparing players, particularly from different historical eras, or who may have been indifferently recorded.
https://rharl25.wixsite.com/clarinetcentral/russell-harlow
The site is tremendous fun to listen to, but arriving at a definitive sound that I personally prefer is difficult (for me at least). As Ruben suggested (and I think Manasse hints at this a bit in his video) having ONE "sound" does NOT fit all--at least, not well.
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The Clarinet BBoard
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