Kurt Masur, the German
conductor who led the New York Philharmonic orchestra for 11 years, died on
Saturday. He was 88.
Matthew VanBesien, president of the New York Philharmonic, issued a
statement on Saturday in which he said: “Maestro Masur’s 11-year tenure, one
of the longest in the Philharmonic’s history, both set a standard and left a
legacy that lives on today.”
Masur was born in Brieg, Germany – now Brzeg, Poland – on 18 July 1927, and
served in the Wehrmacht during the second world war. He made his musical
career and his name in East Germany and as a public figure played a key role
in the avoidance of bloodshed around the fall of the Berlin Wall and the
reunification of the country.
Masur later said “blood would have flowed” on 9 October 1990, if he and five
others – a satirist, a cleric and three party officials – hadn’t banded
together and issued a public statement calling for calm and promising
dialogue. Security forces and troops were massed in the streets and young
people “were ready to die”, he said.
Masur spent 26 years leading the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, and conducted
Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony at the celebration of German reunification.
He was director of the Philharmonic from 1991, a year after German
reunification, to 2002. The terror attacks of 11 September 2001 occurred
during his tenure in
New York.
“What we remember most vividly is Masur’s profound belief in music as an
expression of humanism,” VanBesien said in his statement.
“We felt this powerfully in the wake of 9/11, when he led the Philharmonic
in a moving performance of Brahms’s Ein Deutsches Requiem, and musicians
from the Orchestra gave free chamber concerts around Ground Zero.
“Today, New Yorkers still experience this humanist mark through the popular
Annual Free Memorial Day Concert, which he introduced.”
The current music director, Alan Gilbert, said: “Masur’s years at the New
York Philharmonic represent one of its golden eras, in which music-making
was infused with commitment and devotion – with the belief in the power of
music to bring humanity closer together.”
Masur also worked with orchestras around the world, including the London
Philharmonic and the Orchestre National de France. In July 2007, he marked
his 80th birthday by conducting the two orchestras together at a concert in
London.
After his retirement as director of the New York Philharmonic, he became
only the second man, after Leonard Bernstein, to be given an honorary title
– in his case, music director emeritus. He was given official honours in the
US, France, Poland and Germany.
12 December 2017
Harry Sparnaay - Legend Bass Clarinetist and
Renowned Proponent of New Music for this Instrument - In Memoriam
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Harry Sparnaay studied at the Conservatoire of Amsterdam with Ru Otto.
After graduating with a performer's degree for clarinet he specialized in bass
clarinet. Today he ranks among the world's distinguished bass clarinet players.
He has played solo at numerous music festivals all over the wordl such as
Warsaw, New York, Los Angeles, Zagreb, the Holland Festival, several ISCM
Festivals, Madrid, Paris and Athens. Other festival include those of Witten,
Aarhus, Como, Bolzano, Naples, Torino, Bourges, Middelburg, Graz, Salzburg,
Huddersfield, Saarbrücken, Royan and Houston.
Sparnaay has been a featured performer with many major orchestra's and ensembles
including the ASKO Ensemble, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Berlin Radio
Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Ensemble
Intercontemporain, Ensemble 2E2M, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the
Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, the Radio Chamber Orchestra, the Radio
Philharmonic Orchestra, the Residentie Orchestra, the Rotterdam Philharmonic
Orchestra, the Schönberg ensemble and the Seymour Group, and has appeared with
leading conductors including Luciano Berio, Riccardo Chailly, Richard Dufallo,
Peter Eötvös, Reinbert de Leeuw, Diego Masson, Jacques Mercier, David Porcelijn,
David Stock, Lucas Vis, Hans Vonk and Mark Summerbell.
He has given concerts and made radio recordings all over Europe, North and South
America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Asia, performing works written for
and dedicated to him. Over 500 compositions were written for him by composers
such as Claudio Ambrosini, Luciano Berio, Gerard Brophy, Paul-Heinz Dittrich,
Franco Donatoni, Morton Feldman, Brian Ferneyhough, Gérard Grisey, Mary
Finsterer, Andrew Ford, Jonathan Harvey, Maki Ishii, Sukhi Kang, Tristan Keuris,
Mark Kopytman, Helmut Lachenmann, Ton de Leeuw, Theo Loevendie, Roderik de Man,
Michael Smetanin, Maurice Weddington, Iannis Xenakis, Isang Yun, Andrés
Lewin-Richter, Nino Díaz, Hans Joachim Hespos and many others. His own
composition BOUWSTENEN for bass clarinet and multiple tape delay was selected
for the ISCM World music Days in Denmark.
For many years Harry Sparnaay was professor of bass clarinet and contemporary
music at the Conservatoires of Amsterdam and Utrecht where his unique bass
clarinet programme attracted students from all over the world, many of them
prize winners during major competitions. He has also been musician-in-residence
and has given masterclasses at several universities.
Sparnaay played the world première of IN FREUNDSCHAFT and SOLO (adaptation for
bass- and contra bass clarinet by Barry Anderson) by Karlheinz Stockhausen and
was one of the soloists in DIE VERWANDLUNG van Paul-Heinz Dittrich and in the
opera's NAIMA by Theo Loevendie, PROMETEO by Luigi Nono and A KING, RIDING by
Klaas de Vries. During the Holland Festival 1999 he was one of the instrumental
soloists in KOPERNIKUS by Claude Vivier.
Harry Sparnaay founded the Bass Clarinet Collective (9 bass clarinets, including
3 contrabass clarinets) and with pianist Polo de Haas the duo Fusion Moderne
which was awarded the fifth prize during the International Gaudeamus Performers
Competition in 1972. Together with flautist Harrie Starreveld and pianist René
Eckhardt he founded in 1982 Het Trio . For this group over 180 compositions were
written in the meantime. With harpsichordist Annelie de Man he founded
Double_Action and with his wife, organist Silvia Castillo, the Duo Levent .
He
has recorded more than sixty cd's as a soloist, with Het Trio and in other
combinations. The Trio 's recording of works by Dutch composer Ton de Leeuw
received an Edison Award in 1995. His television productions have been broadcast
in the Netherlands, Poland, Belgium and former Yugoslavia. Several times he was
a jury member at the International Gaudeamus Performers Competition and he also
served as a member of the Dutch section of the ISCM, the International Society
for Contemporary Music.
He
conducted the Ensemble for New Music of the Conservatoire of Amsterdam in works
by Arnold Schönberg, Pierre Boulez, Elliott Carter, Olivier Messiaen, Theo
Loevendie, Franco Donatoni, Joe Cutler, Toshio Hosokawa, Mary Finsterer and
Iannis Xenakis and during the International Gaudeamus Music Week he regularly
conducts ensembles in works by the youngest generation. From 2005 he is
professor for bass clarinet and chambermusic at the ESMUC in Barcelona.
Harry
Sparnaay plays the new model Prestige GreenLine bass clarinet by Buffet Crampon
and he plays on RICO bass clarinet reeds.
His book
"Harry Sparnaay - the bass clarinet - a personal history" published by Periferia
Music in Barcelona (www.periferiamusic.com) is received worldwide with great
enthusiasm. See for all the comments: http://www.harrysparnaay.info/book.htm
1972 First prize International Gaudeamus Performers Competition
1985 Swedish Record Prize (music by Arne Mellnäs)
1987 Bulgariona Composers Union award
1988 Inaugural Sounds Australian Award
1995 Edison Award (music by Ton de Leeuw)
1996 Jan van Gilse Award (given by the Dutch Association of Composers)
Reviews:
At certain moments in the history of an instrument, a single player
comes along and opens a whole can of worms.
Such is the case with Harry Sparnaay , the Dutch virtuoso whose
astounding facility on the bass clarinet has inspired such
heavyweights as Iannis Xenakis, Isang Yun, Morton Feldman and Brian
Ferneyhough (along with some 400 other composers)
to write works specifically for him.
CHICAGO READER - John Corbett
What Sparnaay demands from his instrument, the limitless fantasy with
which he again and again discovers
new timbral possibilities is unique in music history.
ARGENTINIAN DAILY - E.A.Alleman
The star of the evening was the Dutch bass clarinet virtuoso Harry
Sparnaay ,
who extracted from his instrument the whole scale of sound shadows.
The best presentation of the first part of the festival.
GAZETA W KARKOWIE - Jowita Dziedzic
The sounds the bass clarinet can make are too grand for our human
dimension........It was an astonishing expansion of the sonic
capabilities of the bass clarinet and the audience in the Hugh Lane
Gallery marvelled at the skill of the players.
(together with CONCORDE Ensemble under Jane O'Leary )
THE IRISH TIMES - Douglas Sealy
El clarinetista bajo holandés Harry Sparnaay está considerado como el
mejor en su género en todo el mundo
DIAS DE MUSICA CONTEMPORANEA - Tomás Marco
Sparnaay is a virtuoso of the top flight, as accomplished in
conventional scores as in pieces demanding more theatricality.
His performance was equally extraordinary.
Sparnaay's recital proved the most rewarding of the Festival. A
fascinating programme. ( Huddersfield Festival)
FINANCIAL TIMES - Andrew Clements
Sparnaay has been feted as a musician with boundless imagination and a
technique to match and it would be fair to say that
what this clarintetist can do with seemingly little effort or room for
breathing takes your own breath away.
CITY TRIBUNE/GALWAY - Carmel Vesey
Parmi les interprètes on retiendra un remarquable clarinettiste basse
néerlandais: Harry Sparnaay .
( Music Festival of Athens )
LE MONDE - Gérard Condé
Music needs people like Harry Sparnaay . His skills as a specialist in
bass clarinet render comment superfluous. The concert
must be counted among the finest hours of the longrunning annual series.
THE IRISH TIMES - Martin Adams
The most impresive performance of this electronic program, however,
came from a flesh and blood musician, the Dutch bass clarinettist Harry
Sparnaay ,
who was the virtuoso Harry of " Harry's Wonderland " by André Laporte.
THE NEW YORK TIMES - Donald Henehan
Flashes of genius from guest bass clarinettist Harry Sparnaay ,
most impressively in Swedish composer Klas Torstensson's SPANS.
THE IRISH TIMES - Michael Dervan
Maybe the bass clarinet has been waiting all these years for Harry
Sparnaay.
TORONTO STAR - William Littler
5 December 2017
Dennis Smylie - Renowned Clarinetist and Bass
Clarinetist in New York and proponent supporter of New Music - In Memoriam
New York City USA
Dennis Smylie received his bachelor and master of music degrees from Julliard,
where he studied with Joseph Allard. His other teachers included Alfred Zetzer, Stephen Freeman, Kalmen
Opperman and Bill Street. Mr. Smylie served as a member of the Westchester
Philharmonic, the American Symphony, and the Brooklyn Philharmonic and also
performed with the New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera, New York City
Ballet and Opera, Buffalo Philharmonic, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Music
Society of Lincoln Center, St. Louis and Montreal symphonies, and Speculum
Musicae. Mr. Smylie was the bass clarinet soloist in the premiere performance
and recording of Donald Martino's Triple Concerto. He has given recitals and
lectures/performances at the Juilliard School, Oberlin, Yale, Princeton, Kent
State University, and Florida State University, as well as in Aspen, Weill
Recital Hall, Symphony Space, and the Cleveland Museum of Art. Mr. Smylie has
recorded for Deutsche Grammophon, Nonesuch, New World Records, CRI, RCA, and
Virgin Classics.
He has given
recitals and lectures/performances at Julliard, Oberlin, Yale, Princeton, Kent
State University, Florida State University as well as in Aspen, Weill Recital
Hall, The Symphony Space and the Cleveland Museum of Art. He has been on the
faculty of the Aspen Music Festival and School.
Dennis Smylie was honored with the Steinhardt Award for
Excellence in Music on May 3, 2015, at the New Music Ensemble concert in the
Frederick Loewe Theatre. Professor Esther Lamneck presented the
award recognizing the bass clarinetist's distinguished career, including more
than a decade of service on the Woodwind faculty at NYU Steinhardt.
22 November 2017
Ted Cole - Renowned Orchestral and Chamber Music Clarinetist - Former
Principal Clarinetist in the Orquestra Sinfonica del Estado de Mexico, New
Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra in NY - In Memoriam
It is with deep sadness that the family of Ted Cole announces that Ted
passed away in the Palliative Care Unit of Mount Sinai Hospital on November 22,
2017 after an acute battle with advanced heart failure and chronic restrictive
cardiomyopathy.
Ted was a master classical clarinetist, graduating from the Peabody Institute
(Johns Hopkins) in 1976 and then studying at The Cleveland Institute in 1977.
In high school he began studying with renowned clarinet teacher Leon Russionoff
of NYC. For many years, he studied with Franklin Cohen principal clarinetist of
the Cleveland Orchestra. He was the Principal Clarinetist in the Orquestra
Sinfonica del Estado de Mexico from 1977-1983. He returned to the U.S. and
freelanced for orchestras in the tri-state area for many years.
Ted developed a second career as a computer software developer, analyst, IT
Director and Data Architect and worked for non profits such as Parlimentarians
Global Action, Planned Parenthood of NYC (1988-2000) and in the last 17 years at
Young Adult Institute (YAI) in New York.
Ted and his wife Lorraine moved to Maplewood, New Jersey with their then
18-month-old daughter Sonya in 1997. While in Maplewood, Ted was actively
involved in community organizations. Most notably he served on the Grants
Committee and later as president of the
Achieve Foundation, an organization that provides funds to support
innovative programs for teachers and students in the public school district of
South Orange and Maplewood, NJ.
During the same time, he continued to play clarinet with a variety of chamber
groups and orchestras including the New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra in NY. He
also found a musical home at St. George’s Church in Maplewood where he performed
with other classical musicians playing for chorales, musicals and a concert
series. He is described by other musicians in this community as having had “a
unique sound which was pure and ‘effortlessly beautiful.’ Another hallmark
was his beautiful phrasing — “every phrase sounded so organic and natural,
surely the ONLY way it could be played! That’s a superlative musician. I
remember hearing him play just a simple
ritard at the end
of a piece and being amazed at its finesse — perfectly executed and so
satisfying. He had an incredible encyclopedic musical knowledge, evidence of a
deep passion and commitment to his art. And, of course, he was very modest about
it all.”
Ted was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey to parents Archer and Jeanette Cole in
1953 and grew up in Roselle, New Jersey making lifelong friends and developing
his commitment to community, the arts and education and integration in the
schools.
Ted is survived by his wife of 30 years, Lorraine, and his beloved daughter
Sonya Cole; his brothers and their wives: Hank Cole (Claudia Raskin) of Croom,
Maryland, Fred Cole (Ellen Levine) of Highland Park, New Jersey, and Steve Cole
(Pat Stahl) of Chicago, Illinois; his beloved nieces and nephews Rachael Cole,
Matthew Cole, Sam Cole, Shanna Cole, Genya Cole and Lou Cole; and his grand
nephews and grand nieces Alex Van Grunsven, Jackson, June and Claire Cole, and
Arrie Cole.
Thanks to those who have
given to the Maplewood-South Orange’s education foundation,
Achieve, in Ted’s memory. Ted’s wife Lorraine writes, “I wanted to let
friends who gave a general donation, or are wondering how to designate a
gift, know that we’re planning to fund a grant to support a teacher who will
use the money for professional development in the area of music education.
We’ll share more specifics soon. In the meantime, any undesignated funds
given in Ted’s name will be earmarked for this grant. Elise Howard, fehoward@gmail.com,
is helping me work with Achieve and will be happy to answer any questions
about the project.”
Born in Woolwich, Ray spent his early years following his family around various
postings from the UK to India, in his father's footsteps, a drum major in the
Coldstream Guards.
At the age of nine he attended the Duke of York's military school in
Dover. When he was 16 he signed up for the Royal Artillery Band and was
immediately sent to Kneller Hall, the Royal Military School of Music, where he
studied the violin and clarinet.
At the outbreak of the Second World War he returned to
the Royal Artillery Band where his duties took him all
over Europe and North Africa, making several lifelong
friendships.
"In 1948 he bought himself out of the army
with £20 worth of books, and a loan from his mother, in
order to take up the job he had been offered in the
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra as second clarinet to
Hyram Lear. At the request of Sir Charles Groves he was
invited to become principal in 1953," said Jeremy, one
of his son's.
During his time at the BSO he performed in
the tenures of Rudolf Schwarz, Sir Charles Groves,
Constantin Silvestri, Paavo Berglund, Uri Segal and
Rudolf Barshai, and can be heard on all the recordings
from this renaissance period of the BSO. He was
regularly the soloist in the major clarinet concertos
with the orchestra, even having one written for him by
Graham Whettam.
In 1953 he married Cynthia Mitchell, a
violinist in the orchestra and later the co-leader with
the Bournemouth Sinfonietta, and together they had five
children.
"Always mindful of his days as an underling in the army
he treated all who played next to him or conducted in
front of him with the utmost kindness and respect," said
Jeremy.
Even though Ray retired in
1987, he continued to play with various ensembles both
classical and jazz, often with Cynthia. He gave musical
lectures, and was instrumental in the production of nine
CDs of previously unreleased recordings under the baton
of Constantin Silvestri.
"Ray also fought tirelessly in an attempt to save the
Winter Gardens, the home of
so many of the critically acclaimed concerts that he had
been part of during the previous decades, sadly to no
avail," said Jeremy.
He also wrote two books, 'The BSO: A Centenary
Celebration' in 1993 with Sean Street, and 'Constantin
Silvestri; Magician - A view from the Orchestra', in
2011.
After Cynthia died in 2008, he continued to
enjoy life, practising yoga until he was 93, reading and
writing poetry and lived on his own at home until a week
before his death.
Ray died October 29 after a short illness. He will be
much missed by family and friends.
He is survived by a sister, five children and eight
grandchildren.
His funeral will be held at Portman Lodge Funeral Home,
Christchurch Road, Bournemouth, on December 2 at 1.30pm.
23 September 2017
Petko Radev Petkov - Renowned Orchestral Soloist and
Teacher in Bulgaria - In Memoriam
Sofia, Bulgaria
Clarinetist Petko Radev is one of the renowned Bulgarian folklore musicians. He
was born on April 9, 1933 in the village of Svododa in the heart of Thrace.
The musician inherited his love towards music from his father.
Petko Radev started performing folklore music and was influenced by the
orchestras from Parvomay and Dalbok Izvor. His talent brought him to the School
of Music in Sofia, where he started studying classical music. At first it seemed
hard to him but success came soon. At a contest in Bucharest he won the first
prize. As a student in the Academy of Music he took part in the third Bulgarian
contest for instrumentalists and won the first prize, too. In 1957 he also won a
prestigious award from a contest in Genève. In 1961 he started working as a
clarinet player in the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 1974 Petko Radev won a contest in La Scala in Milan and after that he spent
11 years playing the clarinet in one of the most renowned opera theatres in the
world. During this period I had the pleasure of performing with some of the best
conductors on the planet like Claudio Abado and Ricardo Muti. It was one of the
best periods in my career.
Before leaving for Milan, Petko Radev became a lecturer in the Music Academy.
After he returned to Bulgaria in 1985 he continued lecturing. To my joy my
students were all talented players. They were so good that they all went to work
in the US, Austria, and the UK. My students also work in the Bulgarian opera,
music theatre and philharmonic orchestra.
Petko Radev is not only working in the sphere of classical music but continues
loving Bulgarian folklore. He has also established a folk orchestra and is the
author of a number of Bulgarian chain dance melodies.
Here is what Petko Radev told Radio Bulgaria:
“When I was working in the orchestra of the radio I had the chance to make
contacts with a number of renowned folk musicians. At that time I made my first
records with accordion players Kosta Kolev, Ivan Kirev, Ivan Shibilev and Emil
Kolev. My meeting with accordion player Petko Dachev encouraged me to create an
orchestra of my own. We had a number of concerts with this orchestra and I
recorded some of my best music with it. I have performed together with singers
like Yanka Rupkina, Nedyalka Keranova, Yovcho Karaivanov and others. These
recordings are kept in the audio fund of the BNR.”
In
the past years Petko Radev has been the chairman of the jury at a music contest
in Parvomay. “It gives me a great pleasure to continue keeping in touch with my
first love – folk music,” he says.
The importance of the clarinet in the development of Bulgarian folk
music is significant. One of the most influential performers is Petko Radev.
Since clarinet became part of Bulgarian folk music it has influenced greatly its
development. Today’s players are true virtuoso performers and are good in
improvisation. Many were affected by the example of Ivo Papazov. But there are
other great players like Dimitar Paskov, Filip Simeonov, Orlin Pamukov.
With the
introduction of new technologies the opportunities for music inventions grow.
For example, Ivo Papazov is often a guest to jazz festivals. But still folklore
music is returning back to its roots, the musician says.
Clarinet player Petko Radev continued to work actively in the sphere of music.
He was a lecturer in the Music Academy in Sofia and Plovdiv and takes part in a
number of international festivals.
When he was young he was a tv star of folklore music in Bulgaria where he was
born . He worked a lot classical music with his teacher in Sofía Mr. Dimitrov .
He got the first prize for clarinet et at the Geneva international competition
and was the only non Italian to become principal clarinet of the La Scala of
Milan orchestra . He return in Sofía Philharmonic orchestra and teacher at the
Sofía High school of music where he had many student until now ( he was honorary
professor )
He won the Geneva competition in 1957 and I meet him many time in Bulgaria and
we played concerts with his students like Vanguel Tangarov, Denitza Laffchieva.
He was very proud of his young student Marian Bojidarov. For the 80th birthday
of Petko Andrew Marriner and me were invited in Bulgaria by his students to make
a surprise to Petko with a big concert also with Maria Prinz ( piano) the widow
of Alfred Prinz.
I
met Petko Radev many years ago in Prag spring international competition in
Prague spring international competition for clarinet when we were judges also
with Gervase de Peyer. ( Paolo Beltramini got the 1st Prize).
I liked Petko a lot , he had a
great humility.
4 September 2017
Maine
Loren Kitt, Renowned Solo Clarinetist in the Buffalo
Philharmonic, Washington National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) and faculty at
several Universities and Conservatories including University of Maryland,
Catholic University, Peabody and Oberlin Conservatories - In Memoriam
The Vandoren family is deeply saddened to inform you that
clarinetist and artist Loren Kitt has passed away. Thank you to the National Symphony Orchestra for the post dedicated
to Loren. Let's play some beautiful music for Loren, his family, and his friends
today. Read more about Loren's career:
28 July 2017
Hans Rudolf Stalder - Renowned Swiss Clarinetist,
former Solo Klarinettist in the Tonhalle Orchester in Zurich, active in New
Music with Pierre Boulez, and proponent of Early Historical Clarinets - In
Memoriam
Zurich, Switzerland
Hans Rudolf STALDER was born
in Zürich on July 9, 1930. He studied in Zürich Conservatory with Emil Fanghänel,
then with Gustav Steinkamp and Louis Cahuzac (in Luchon in SouthWest France),
First he was principal clarinet with the St Gallen Orchestra, 1953–1955, then
with the Zürich Tonhalle Orchestra, 1955–1986. In Augsburg,1968 he gave the
first performance of Mozart's Concerto in a reconstruction of its original vers...ion
for basset clarinet. He was playing the chalumeau, period clarinets and basset
horn, but also contemporary music. He gave the first performances of Karl
Amadeus Hartmann's Chamber Concerto for clarinet and strings and Frank Martin's
Ballade in the composer's arrangement for him for basset horn and orchestra.
His own groups, Stalder Quintet (1955–1990) and Zürich Clarinet Trio (founded in
1976) have had many works written for them. Stalder taught at the Zürich
Conservatory from 1960 to 1970 and in 1975 was appointed to the Basle
Musikakademie.
A tribute from Philippe Cuper:
Hans Rudolf Stalder was a student of
Louis Cahuzac in France ,later principal clarinet at the Zürich
Tonhalle orchestra and teacher at the Basel High school and
member of the jury in all the most important clarinet competitions including the
ARD Munich Competition. He was the first ( or one of the very first ) to record
Mozart concerto on the original basset clarinet or to play with Pierre Boulez. I
played for him Mozart with Matthias Müller last April at the
special hospital house where he was near Zürich. He could play French and German
clarinets old or modern system.
A tribute from former student Matthias Mueller:
In this moment I got the very said news that our beloved teacher and great
person for history of the clarinet Hans Rudolf Stalder died.
He was not only a fantastic clarinet player - he was a wonderful person
as well. His only interest was music and clarinet. He did so much in
exploring old music for clarinet as well as pushing the avantgarde of our instrument. Some examples:
- he was among one of the first who started to play Molter
Concertos.
- he recorded as first the Mozart Clarinet Concerto on a
Bassettclarinet (the recording is available)
- he worked together with Pierre Boulez and started with others
to play with contemporary techniques
- he was one of the first European who was active at ICE Fests
- he was teacher of a whole generation of wonderful players and/or
exchanged with them a life long - among them Sabine Meyer, Paul Meyer, Hans
Deinzer, Philippe Cuper, Charles Neidich etc. etc.
- he plays a unique role for Swiss Clarinet Historie and was the
founder of Swiss clarinet school
22 July 2017
Ernst Ottenamer, Renowned Solo Klarinettist in the
Vienna Philharmoniker and founding member of the Clarinotts Klarinetten Trio
with his sons Andreas and Daniel - In Memoriam
Vienna, Austria
We have been informed of the sudden, unexpected death of Ernst
Ottensamer, principal clarinet of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and the
Vienna State Opera. Ernst, who was 62, suffered a heart attack last night and
could not be revived.
His loss will be felt across the summits of the orchestra world, and far beyond.
His eldest son Daniel Ottensamer is second principal clarinet with the Vienna
Philharmonic.
His second son, Andreas, is principal clarinet with the Berlin Philharmonic.
Our sympathies to his grieving family, his colleagues and his students. Ernst
Ottensamer was a named that commanded universal respect.
Dominique Meyer, director of the Staatsoper, writes: Ernst Ottensamer was a
wonderful clarinetist, one that informed ears could recognize without seeing
him, as we would do with a human voice. I can’t believe I’m never going to hear
his Clemenza di Tito or his breakfast scene in Der Rosenkavalier again. Ernst
was also a lovely person. He often helped me when I needed it.
UPDATE2: Statement from the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra:
The
Vienna Philharmonic and the Vienna State Opera announce with deep sorrow the
sudden death of long-time orchestra member Ernst Ottensamer, who has succumbed
to a heart attack.
This loss leaves a deep personal and artistic void. Our thoughts are
with the family at this difficult time. Ernst Ottensamer was born in Upper
Austria in 1955 and studied clarinet at the University of Music and the
Performing Arts in Vienna. In 1979 he joined the Vienna State Opera Orchestra
and since 1983 he has made his artistic mark as principal clarinetist of the
Vienna Philharmonic. He began his teaching career at the Vienna University of
Music in 1986 and became a full professor in 2000.
Ernst
Ottensamer formed several chamber music ensembles, foremost the Wiener Virtuosen,
the Wiener Bläserensemble, the Wiener Solisten Trio and, together with his sons
Daniel and Andreas, The Clarinotts. He has performed as chamber musician and
soloist with the most prominent ensembles, orchestras and conductors.
2 June 2017
30 May 2017
Georg Stump - Clarinetist
and Bass Clarinetist in the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker - In Memoriam
Düsseldorf, Germany
We mourn the passing of our colleague and friend georg stump: on
Tuesday passed away yesterday the bass clarinetist of the düsseldorfer
symphoniker georg stump in a tragic car accident in mönchengladbach. The
musician was already 34 years as a member of the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra.
The Orchestra would like him as a sign of sympathy for the next symphony
concerts of the series sign on 9., 11. And 12. June in the hall.
The concern over the loss of our esteemed colleague's with the düsseldorfer
symphoniker big: " we are all stunned that our friend and colleague George from
one to the other moment torn from life. He was a great man and musician. He will
be greatly missed. Our thoughts are with his wife and his family ", so the
orchestervorstand.
Georg stump received his first klarinettenunterricht at the age of eleven years
ago at the rheinische music school in his hometown of cologne. From 1976 to 1980
he studied at the Robert Schumann University in düsseldorf. Since 1983 he was a
bass clarinetist of Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra. Except for his work as an
orchestral musician he dedicated himself to chamber music tasks, was an avid
cyclist and a passionate painter.