 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: David
Date: 2002-12-21 23:36
While decorating the Christmas tree, (arduous task, using lots of decs from Weston VT) I stuck on a CD I picked up today of The Netherlands Wind Ensemble playing arrangements of "The Barber of Seville" "An Italian Girl in Algiers" and "Don Giovanni."
This recording is pushing 30 (1974-ish), but it's really astounding. It must be some sort of benchmark for ensemble (sic) playing. And if it's not, it should be.
That George Pieterson. I've not run across him before, but he has suddenly shot to the top of my favourite clarinettists list. I can't exactly say what's so good, but it was a sort of unmannered, no-nonsense sound. Very beautiful, but without being prissy. And the flashy stuff went effortlessly, but without sounding like he was just ripping through it, as you so often hear these days.
The tree's well behind schedule.
Happy Christmas everyone.
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Author: Mark Pinner
Date: 2002-12-22 21:54
I picked up a recording at a recent band contest of the Royal Dutch Winorchestra of Thorn. Playing transcriptions of Bizet's Carmen, Saint-Saens Bacchanale from Samson and Delilah, Khatchaturian's Ballet Suite from Gayaneh, The Jazz Suite Number 2 by Shostakovich as well as a Violin solo. Recorded around 1997 and conducted by Jan Corber.
This group likewise displays a high level of effortless precision but is totally soul less. I appreciate the precision and ability of the conductor to pull these works together but it is as boring as batsh*t. If anybody wants the CD they are quite welcome to it.
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Author: Jeroen
Date: 2002-12-23 07:44
George Pieterson plays also in the Concertgebouw orchestra.
To Mark: The Thorn windorchestra is an amateur band.
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Author: Bart
Date: 2002-12-23 09:21
Jeroen wrote:
George Pieterson plays also in the Concertgebouw orchestra.
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That's true - but the 'also' does not mean he plays in the Netherlands Wind Ensemble at the moment.
The ensemble's website is: www.nbe.nl
The ensemble's playing has been noted before on this BB:
http://www.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=32942&t=32935
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Author: Mark Pinner
Date: 2002-12-23 09:35
Is the Netherlands Wind Orchestra professional? Sorry I should have known and also made the assumption that the professional band was automatically better in some way.
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2002-12-23 17:11
George Pieterson was the original leader of the Netherlands Wind Ensemble and principal in the Concertgebouw. He plays Wurlitzer reform Boehm clarinets, which have a German-style bore, I think pushed a little way toward the smaller French bore, and a German/French compromise mouthpiece.
He's one of the big-time players. He has enormous power and perfect technique, and, as you will notice immediately from the early NWE recordings (which I like better than the later ones), the most charming and elegant musicianship. He's a huge fellow -- way over 6 feet. The clarinet looks like a toothpick in his hands.
I think he left the Concertgebouw several years ago to teach and perform.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Larry Liberson
Date: 2002-12-23 18:50
To follow up what Ken mentioned, George was one of the original members of the NWE, although he was not the leader of the group (and never really was). The NWE was founded by a bassoonist, Thom de Klerk, who first founded a wind quintet called the Aulos Wind
Quintet, of which Pieterson was a member. de Klerk had bigger ideas and this ensemble was soon expanded to become the NWE.
When de Klerk died (suddenly), the conducting/leadership duties were assumed by Edo de Waart, who was the original oboist in that first quintet. He had left earlier to establish a conducting career.
Interstingly, when George decided to leave the group (because he was so busy!) in the 70's, the clarinet situation in the NWE never was quite the same as the newer members never could get their unique style equal to what it had previously been. More than a few came and went, apparently, but the quality (and morale) of the NWE suffered greatly. He was a real anchor for that group.
My understanding is that they pretty much disbanded (it became more or less a free-lance type thing with an assortment of players) and a new NWE was formed with all new players and is thriving once again.
When I first heard the NWE live in the early 70's, I was more than impressed. It was an amazing concert of some of the greatest wind music that you could imagine -- and so fun and enjoyable to boot! Aside from the obvious excellence in music making, it was inspiring (at least to me it was!) to witness these guys having such a great time up there on the stage. No one left the hall with anything less than a smile that evening.
I had a chance to go backstage after that concert and spent some time speaking to George, who was very approachable and generously spent a good deal of time with this very impressed college student. While he wouldn't know me today from a hole in the ground, I still remember the night, almost thirty years later, like it was yesterday.
BTW, George is still a member of the Concertgebouw Orchestra.
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Author: Joris van den Berg
Date: 2002-12-24 01:04
Traditionally the NWE gives an alternative new years concert. In contrary to the Vienna one, they play interesting new music. It is broadcasted on Dutch television, and I personally find it very entertaining.
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