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Re: Popular players?

Author: D Dow
Date: 2004-11-22 14:59

I have been Principal Clarinet in an orchestra now for about 6 years and can honestly say the Principal Oboe can determine a great deal to just how fine a Woodwind section plays and tunes..although somewhat digressing I have always preferred the sonority of the French and german oboe playing for different reasons..I tend to find the biggest problem is low register oboe playing to adjust to with North American playing. Low C's and D which are routinely flat are not easy to tune with..so I think the better oboe players no matter where they are from must really consider where the note is sitting...for the chalumeau low D on clarinet to match they must tune.

Anyways...my all time favorite sound in the world is the Dutch oboes player Han de Vries of the Copncertgebouw who ties alongside the sound of Lothar KOCH, who is really something special in spite of the way Oboe playing has evolved.

DeVries has a really distincitive way of phrasing and also controlling his dynamics very few oboists ever can match, added to this his playing is always polished and there is a natural colouring of the sound to suit whatever the music he is playing...you really should listen to the Ravel Haitink on Philips to get to what I am talking about. He is very much underrated...

As to Lothar Koch I really like the ideal he is after..the sound is so big and round but without the forced quality heard so often these days in many orcchestral records...added to this is the wonderful way Koch has of making his tone ring within the acoustics of whatever hall he is in and I suspect he has a tremendous knowledge of how to get reeds to work to fit the room! There is also a very nice bite in his articulation..he seems unafraid of trying anything and is also capable of being a bit wild too!
Sometimes nowadays people are so bent on control they have forgotten the music requires dynamics as well...

So there you have it...'DeVries and Koch"

As for american players I have a soft spot for the Gombergs and for Genovese.

David Dow

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Popular players? new

sömeone

2004-01-03 08:26