 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: prigault
Date: 2021-11-17 01:00
A great loss indeed. He will be cherished and staying with us for a long time through his marvelous compositions and recordings.
He recorded one of my favorite versions of Mozart's Kegelstatt (Naxos).
And for a masterclass in hungarian music interpretation, try his rendition of Weiner's Peregi Verbunk:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-XKKTO233Y
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Author: Paul Globus
Date: 2021-11-23 05:30
Sad news. He was a remarkable musician and instrumentalist, truly one of the greats from the last half century. He was also a renowned teacher -- you'd have a hard time listing all of the of the top flight clarinetists who emerged from his atelier. Virtually an entire generation of superb players were his students.
I met "Kovacs Bela" (Hungarians always say the last name first) at the Liszt Ferenc Zene Akademie (the Franz Liszt Music Academy) in Budapest a number of years ago. I was there to interview him and a number of other top clarinet players for an article I wrote for ICA magazine, The Clarinet, on the clarinet in Hungary. Don't ask me why, but they have boatloads of great clarinetists in that country. Indeed, for the Magyars, the clarinet is right up there with the violin and the piano -- the love it, they have an affinity for it, and they play it with the kind of passion that one rarely hears elsewhere in Europe or in North America.
I recall asking the late Tibor Dittrich, the top teacher at the Academy at the time, how he would describe the Hungarian style of clarinet playing. He looked at me like I had rocks in my head and said: "We play Kovacs Bela style."
Incidentally, almost every Hungarian clarinetist plays a French as opposed to a German system. I know a few who can play both but none who play strictly German. When I was there, Hungary was one of Buffet's biggest markets outside of France. Same goes for Vandoren.
Paul Globus
Post Edited (2021-11-23 20:15)
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Author: ruben
Date: 2021-11-23 10:34
Paul: Thank you for your tribute and your insights. I remember reading your article in the Clarinet with great interest and pleasure. Rest in peace Bela Kovacs and thanks for your legacy.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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