 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: runner
Date: 2014-12-22 21:35
News this morning is that Franklin Cohen is retiring from his post as principal clarinetist of the Cleveland Orchestra. He retires at the end of Blossom Music Center in August 2015.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2014-12-23 06:05
Yea, his position was advertised in the Musicians magazine. We all retire, one way or another, at some time. He's had a great career.
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: runner
Date: 2014-12-23 21:33
So were there any specifics on the process to choose a replacement?
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Author: rmk54
Date: 2014-12-23 22:47
See the audition notice in the International Musician...
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2014-12-24 00:29
I saw Cohen give a masterclass at VCU last April. I appreciated the quality of his playing, with a great deal of subtlety in color and dynamics, and he worked with the participants quite well.
Cohen didn't hide the feud he and the current Maestro had, and he wondered aloud how much longer he would continue in the position.
James
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: runner
Date: 2014-12-24 08:41
I would like to know more about the nature of the feud.
Our local classical music station announced that Cohen will be bestowed the title "Principal Clarinet Emeritus," the first retired principal to receive such a title.
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2014-12-24 16:48
Hi Runner,
I added it to illustrate that in April Cohen was contemplating how long he wanted to continue, so retirement was on his mind. It was a mistake to mention the feud. What info I have is second hand, incomplete, and can be boiled down to two individuals who differ artistically.
James
Gnothi Seauton
Post Edited (2014-12-24 21:49)
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Author: elmo lewis
Date: 2014-12-24 23:30
2 interesting letters to the Cleveland Plain Dealer on this topic:
<blog.cleveland.com/letters/2014/04/cleveland_orchestra_letter_to_4.html> and
<blog.cleveland.com/letters/2014/04/cleveland_orchestra_letter_to.html>
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2014-12-25 00:21
Ok, I seem to be missing something. We no longer have "tyrant Maestros" who rule with an iron fist of pure subjectivity (for better or for worse)......at least not here in the States where we have the AFM (for better or for worse).
So, with tenure and AFM watchdogs all over the place, can a simple conductor actually have any influence over a tenured musician particularly a principal player?
.....DISCUSS.....
............Paul Aviles
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2014-12-25 00:28
Frank used to play in Baltimore in the late 60s-early 70s at a time we did split orchestra youth concerts in the inner city as an extension to our normal season. Because we lived close to each other we played in the same split so we could drive together. He taught me how to use the Reed du al and we would compare our reeds at those concerts. We often played on our new reeds before clipping them, yes with squared tips, they worked. Sometime even better than after we clipped them. :-) One morning the hall was very cold and Frank complained to the manager and had an argument and refused to play. It was within his rights by what our contract said about a reaonable temperature. So that year we were playing Peter and the Wolf but since it was the first week of the 3 week splits we had not began to rotate as we usually did at some point. Since there was something else on the program that required two I was there. He came back to our stand and said "Eddie, I'm going home, you do what ever you want" and left. I can't remember how I got home since he drove that day. So the manager came up to me and said sheepishly, will you play Peter and the Wolf, I said sure. Not only did I nail it, I knew it very well already, but I wasn't the least bit nervous having nothing to loose and probably never played it better in my life. :-). It wasn't the first time I'd ever played it and wasn't the last for sure. School, outside jobs, Eastern Music Festival and of course, rotation. I wonder if he still remembers that?
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2014-12-25 00:47
Paul I'll answer that. Yes, a tenured player in any position can be fired or moved down but they have to follow the procedure in the orchestra contract. When I was in Baltimore, retired last year, our contract said a conductor must meet with the player at certian intervals to tell the player what they are unhappy with in the course of one year and give the player time to "improve". After that time they can fire the player for the following season but the player has the right to have an audition for a committee of their peers chosen but the orchestra committee and the managment jointly. At least with us the conductor had to have at least 6 of the nine members vote with them. If they didn't agree it could go to arbitration choosing a neutral person from the outside that both sides agree on.
I remember once many years ago when our conductor fired a horn player and it went all the way to arbitration after the committee was unanimous to keep the player. I was on the committee so I knew the details. The person we agreed on was James Chambers, the former principal horn in the NY Phil but was now the personal manager. After the player auditioned for Chambers, with the conductor and committee present, Chambers said, in so many words, you must be crazy to want to fire this player who was the associate horn at the time. The whole process could take up to three years and then go to the end of the present years contract. That player retired in a year or two after anyway being of retirement age. It is different in every orchestras contract.
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: Dileep Gangolli
Date: 2014-12-25 00:54
I'm not sure that playing in an orchestra with the conductor not liking your playing would be fun especially after as long and illustrious a career as Mr Cohen has had.
Conductors have the ability to stroke you or to make your life very hard. And after 30 plus years of doing a job, why would anyone want to be subjected to the whims of a young conductor who has decided you are no longer necessary to the fabric of the orchestra.
So kudos and congrats to Mr Cohen. I have admired his playing from afar and attended masterclasses which I enjoyed. I do not know him nor have I ever studied with him but I appreciate a long career and wish him the best.
DRG
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Author: Liquorice
Date: 2014-12-27 00:32
"after 30 plus years of doing a job, why would anyone want to be subjected to the whims of a young conductor"
Franz Welser-Möst is 54. Hardly a young conductor?
When FWM was Music director in both Cleveland and my orchestra, he used to frequently complain to me about Franklin Cohen. (Which I found to be quite unprofessional of him) His main gripe was that Frank would have 4-5 different mouthpieces on his stand at every rehearsal, which made his intonation very inconsistent. Apparently this drove the other woodwind players crazy! This was already over 6 years ago.
Franklin Cohen is already well into his 70s, right? So probably this 'feud' had little to do with his retirement.
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Author: elmo lewis
Date: 2014-12-27 04:10
Also, F W-M's contract was recently extended until 2022 so FC had no hope for a change of director.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2014-12-27 04:55
Well the discussion from my perspective should be illuminating to those who are pursuing or those who wish to pursue a professional orchestral career.
It was my understanding many years ago when Clark Brody became inconsistent that it was finally HIS decision to step aside (and only death or a complete inability to play could stop a tenured player in the US).
No, I don't need to know the hairy details of Mr. Cohen's situation, but it should be a worthy lesson for the rest of us to have a synopsis of what can or cannot happen to us out there.
..............Paul Aviles
P.S. It's a shame that Franz Welzer-Moest can be so influential despite his questionable interpretive skills (not much better than Loren Maazel in my book).
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Author: clarinetist04
Date: 2014-12-29 03:34
I heard Mr. Cohen play Weber No. 2 along with a slightly bizarre assortment of other music (not sure what the programmers were thinking) and was underwhelmed. Maybe it was interpretation, maybe the several mistakes (heck, I can't blame him, it was a muggy outdoor night at the Blossom Music Festival in 2011), he obviously is very impressive as a clarinetist by his body of work. His style just maybe doesn't suit my tastes. Never mind that, congratulations to him on a very successful career and the best in retirement.
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