Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2014-06-23 14:20
There is sooooooo much material here to work with it's hard to know where to begin.
The first thing that strikes me is that it seem that you are saying that "if I have such and such equipment, then I will sound like so-and-so." I would point out that Sabine Meyer has a very big, open sound and could not possibly sound more different from Karl Leister. However, they both play Oehler system Wurlitzers. Even Ottensamer and Fuchs, who both have a home in the Berlin Philharmonic have different approaches (and different brands of horn).
Yes, there is an acoustic signature to the Oehler clarinet, but that involves the whole package (reeds, mouthpieces, bore, fingerings..........AND HOW YOU PLAY IT).
Speaking of Ottensamer and Fuchs, there are those videos someone posted on this board showing them playing Legere reeds. Ottensamer was playing a solo with piano. In that case I was NOT thrilled with the resultant sound. I could hear the limitations of the upper partials in that recording. As for the Fuchs video, it showed him having a Legere on as he gave a master class to students. To illustrate what he talked about he would play a bit of the excerpt they were working on. In this recording, Fuchs had an amazing sound. I wish I know exactly how he did it. But to me it proves that the Legere affect is both 'hit-and-miss' as well as something that takes a LOT of time and money to work out for one's self no matter who you are or what national school you come from. Bottom line with Legere is that it is still easier to get a great sound on a real cane reed.
I would further submit that you could spend over $20,000, wait four years for a pair of Wurlitzers, learn German fingerings and still not get the sound you are looking for (though you would be closer).
I guess I am just suggesting to work at getting the best sound out of the equipment that you have. Doing that requires using STANDARD combinations of reed, mouthpiece, and horn. Now, if the person of whom you speak with the German mouthpiece on the French clarinet is doing that in a "top flight" orchestra, then I am wrong, and you just need to study with that person to find out how she/he does it.
...............Paul Aviles
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