 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: mw
Date: 2001-08-20 02:53
Any comments on the Friday night performance? No doubt, Larry Combs made a wonderful presentation, as well. Comments appreciated.mw
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Author: connie
Date: 2001-08-20 03:03
OK, my 2 cents' worth:
-The Wurlitzer clarinet had a very different sound than Larry Combs' Leblanc Opus. Don't ask me to describe it in terms of dark and focus and centered, because I'm not sure of those meanings.
-I sometimes had trouble hearing the clarinet over the strings. (I was in the second row).
-I had trouble watching him play, because he holds the clarinet off-center to his right, and has lots of "flourishes", waving his clarinet at the end of a passage in an overdone sort of thing. The first violinist also participated in the overdone school of acting, which I found very distracting.
-With my eyes closed, it was gorgeous!
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Author: mw
Date: 2001-08-20 03:34
Thanks.
Mark -- how did the venue compare soundwise with OU's new concert hall?
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2001-08-20 03:43
I sat in two distinct sections in the Orpheum. In the back (1 row from the extreme lower wall) for Leister/Fountain, 4th row center for Cohen./Daniels. Both locations were nicely balanced, good instrumental separation. I found OU's hall to have really difference characteristics depending on where you sat, but the difference wasn't "bad", just different.
The Orpheum's been around for 80 years and is known for the quality of unamplified acoustics and the almost perfect sight lines no matter where you sit. It was built for the old vaudeville acts.
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Author: mw
Date: 2001-08-20 12:30
... were all performances at the Orpheum? I had assumed that many of the performances were at the Hilton, in meeting-breakout rooms? This was not clear from the program, although the performances at the Orpheum were listed as such. mq
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2001-08-20 12:54
No, there was a ballroom for the performances not listed as being at the Orpheum. The ballroom was listenable, but it wasn't designed for music.
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Author: Terry Horlick
Date: 2001-08-20 14:35
Mark,
You said "recordings much better than live". Does this mean there are recordings of some of the performances? Are they available for those of us who could not attend?
Where can we get them?
Thanks, Terry
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2001-08-20 15:05
I meant in general the recordings of Leister I've heard were better than hearing him live.
There are recordings of some of the performances (where permission was granted); however, due to legal thingamabobs you have to order the recordings at the conference. They are not for general distribution.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2001-08-20 16:41
I really have to agree with Mark concerning Karl leister's sound. I was fortunate enough to stand next to him for about 20 minutes as he was playing some of the new Wurlitzer clarinets at the Wurlitzer booth. I would describe his sound as small and very focused (not anything near the sound I was used to hearing on his recordings).Perhaps the recording studio "enhances" or lets his sound "ring" more. Don't know..a trifle disappointing.
However, I did get to spend about 15 minutes alone with him (he even signed my program and posed for a photograph with me) on the first day of the festival. He was very gracious, and answered all the questions I posed to him. We talked about his recordings of the 4 Spohr concerti ( done in 2 days with some touch ups) and his Brahms Quintet which he has now recorded 6 times- no more for the forseeable future. Also the fact that he rarely listens to his recordings, as it is merely a musical statement at a particular time, and his ideas are always evolving.
The most lasting thing that Leister told me was that whenever he prepares a work (he mentioned the Spohr, and the Schumann in particular) he spends a large amount of time listening to and studying the other works of that composer, mainly the vocal works. He said that the mistake that most players make is that they try to learn a great work without knowing the other pieces of the same composer. if one studies the vocal lines of a composer, the preparation of any work becomes clearer.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2001-08-20 16:54
connie wrote:
> -I had trouble watching him play, because he holds the clarinet
> off-center to his right, and has lots of "flourishes", waving
> his clarinet at the end of a passage in an overdone sort of
> thing.
Yeah. 20 seconds of holding a pose at the end. I was hoping for the theme from "Police Squad" and someone coming out to put away the music while they were holding position ;^)
The first violinist also participated in the overdone
> school of acting, which I found very distracting.
You're being too kind. I was waiting for her chair to fall over when she would lean sideways and roll her eyes heavenward. Kind of reminded me of a William Shatner impersonator.
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Author: mw
Date: 2001-08-21 03:36
ClarinetFest in Norman, OK was the SAME regarding recordings. You had to order them THERE, and only certain Artists were cleared for the recorded sales. Tom Martin & Jon Manasse stand out as 2 whose recordings were not available @ Norman (no doubt there were others, those are the 2 that presently come to mind). Best, mw
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Author: Daniel
Date: 2001-08-21 06:09
While i didn't particularly like some of the slow movements (i think Karl need a little winding up - ie. too dragging in spots), and his sound was a bit small... it never became spread and was always clear and focused. And boy what a sound!
I also attended the conversation session with him the next morning and he even pointed out that while some people complain about him not getting as loud as some players, he aims to make beautiful sounds any time he's playing.
I had to shut my eyes, at the risk of falling asleep, just to be able enjoy the two quintets. The first violinist looked like she had no spinal cord one second, and the next was having spasms. The second fiddle was a little better, but still moved around alot more than neccessairy, and the violist, still moved more than i would have liked to see. It's a shame that they put so much energy into being contortionists when they could focussing even more energy on the music. Not they they sounded bad... they were a very together ensemble, with both clarinetists.
I went to the Wurlitzer booth saturday afternoon and played two of their Reform-Böhm clarinets and fell in love with one of them. WOW!!! such a beautiful looking horn, and it makes even the best French clarinets i've played sound like Bundys. Now i just have to save up $8000 for a pair. :-(
Daniel
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Author: irene
Date: 2001-08-21 13:27
Mark,
It's funny what you said about Leister holding his pose at the end. I was at a concert in Rotterdam where he played the Brahms quintet, and he did exactly the same. Finally the audience applauded before he moved.
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2001-08-22 02:06
Dear Folks,
First a heart felt thanks for your support and making new friends and talking to old friends at the Fest.
mw - since you gave me such a nice bon voyage note I was particularily tuned into the Karl Leister concert - he talked with me in the hallway on the afternoon after the concert for about 20 minutes - lovely guy. Anyway, since I am blessed-cursed with a tonal ear it was a pure joy to hear him play. The projection - volume was not less but just different than some of the other players and what we expect I guess. The tone and intonation was beautiful.
About the body movements - from talking with him I can commisariate with anyone who is not a natural stage performer - me too! Often people with "stage fright" - the "willies", etc. will exaggerate movements or gestures rather than the l response to stand there like a stone. Natural stage performers communicate with the audience without thinking about their gestures or poses but others, be they world class artists or not, are just not comfortable with their body movements. I did not discuss this topic with Karl but one-on-one he was very comfortable, easy to talk with, and had good body language. There was no excuse for the violin player, it was distracting. I loved the concert. The concerts in the ballroom at the hotel were, IMHO, awful due to the acoustics. These great musicians deserve more respect than playing a wedding gig in the ballroom. It may be fine for Jazz - I would question that too because in general those venues are much smaller, lower ceilings, etc. but not for heavy classical pieces and intricate phrasing. Just my opinion as an observer!
Since I am so burned out from the fest marathon my though process is disjointed so - has anyone seen or tried the new Scandinavian hard shell ergometric back packs for their horns?? I was just recently on a trip over their, visited the university music department, and saw all these blond haired kids packing their horns in these new backpacks - plenty of protection and feels like you are putting on a coat to wear one.
Best to all.
The Doctor
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