Aston Magna Concerts Begin with Rare Baroque Reed

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Print Email Font Resize Aston Magna concerts begin with rare baroque reed

By Andrew L. Pincus, Special to Berkshires Week Posted: 06/13/2013 12:10:43 AM EDT Updated: 06/13/2013 11:45:22 AM EDT

GREAT BARRINGTON -- The chalumeau is to the clarinet what the recorder is to the flute -- except that you can still hear the recorder played in public but the chalumeau, almost never.

The obsolete instrument will emerge from the history books Saturday night when Aston Magna opens its season with a program titled, "The Art of the Chalumeau." Eric Hoeprich, who has performed on the baroque clarinet several times in the early-music series, will be featured in a concerto and various ensemble pieces. More News "The chalumeau appears to have come out of the blue -- Jacob's Pillow dance performances to launch Lift Ev'ry invented by Johann Christoph Denner, c.1700," Hoeprich, who Voice Festival lives in England, wrote in an email. "It was made in four sizes, Kidspace artists at Mass MoCA find new words for not unlike the recorder, but the smallest, the soprano, seems freedom to have found favor with composers, possibly due to its higher 'On the Town' explores New York at Barrington Stage and more penetrating timbre." Aston Magna concerts begin with rare baroque reed Made of wood, few original chalumeaux have survived. In the 6 Chesterwood artist residency takes wing in Stockbridge p.m. program at Simon's Rock, Hoeprich will play a replica he made of a soprano instrument. He'll be joined in the program by baroque oboist Stephen Hammer, soprano Kristen Watson Most Viewed Most E-Mailed and a string ensemble. (From the last 12 hours) The centerpiece of the program is a chalumeau concerto by Johann Friedrich Fasch. Hoeprich will also be heard in the 1. 2 pounds of cocaine can't be used in drug case, judge accompaniment to an aria from Vivaldi's opera "Juditha rules triumphans" and in other pieces, all composed for chalumeau. 2. Mazzeo brothers get final OK to open new sports bar Vivaldi, for one, composed extensively for it. in Lenox

The chalumeau lasted only until the late 18th century, when 3. Housatonic man faces new assault charges just after the clarinet eclipsed it. several counts... 4. Egremont Police Department loses 2 officers after 1 Like the usual clarinet, it is cylinder topped with a single resigns reed, but the addition of keys to the clarinet, 5. Bill would warn viewers their TV is watching them Advertisement supplementing finger holes, allowed it to cover a wider range. Composers promptly went for the newfangled instrument. Mozart's 1789 Clarinet Quintet and 1791 Find us on Facebook Clarinet Concerto are among the early examples.

Enter Hoeprich, who not only collects historic clarinets - Berkshire Eagle he has more than 100 of them - but also makes replicas for modern use. One of his copies is of the basset (low- Like You like this. pitched) clarinet that Anton Stadler, for whom Mozart composed his quintet and concerto, used in performing them. Berkshire Eagle

A bit of sleuth work was required. Stadler's instrument is Facebook reader Steve lost but Hoeprich worked from an engraving he Moulton shared this photo discovered that depicted the instrument as used in a of the hot and sunny 1794 concert in Riga, Latvia. On the replica, he has beaches in Florida! performed and recorded the Mozart quintet with Aston Thank goodness it's also on Magna musicians and recorded both the quintet and concerto in Europe. the sunnier side today in the Berkshires! "He is one of my highly esteemed and favorite colleagues," Aston Magna director and violinist Daniel Feel free to share your Stepner said in a phone interview. They first met in 1980 when they, along with Stepner's frequent partners Laura Jeppesen (viola da gamba and Stepner's wife) and John Gibbons (harpsichord), joined Frans Brüggen's Orchestra of the outdoors photos with us, 18th Century in Holland. too! It is, after all, time for the Outdoors section at The All were founding members of the pioneering group, which is still active today. Hoeprich was principal clarinetist. Eagle. Hoeprich is American, born in Baltimore. He began the clarinet at 7, graduated from Harvard and lived for 30 years in (www.berkshireeagle.com/ Amsterdam before settling in Bedfordshire, just north of London. outdoors)

He is the author of the authoritative study "The Clarinet" and teaches at the Paris Conservatory, the Royal Conservatory You and 9,287 others like Berkshire Eagle. in The Hague and Indiana University's Early Music Institute. He performs mostly in Europe.

"He's had this remarkable traveling career," Stepner said, yet partly because of state support for the arts, "Europe has "He's had this remarkable traveling career," Stepner said, yet partly because of state support for the arts, "Europe has much more work for him" than his home country.

The chalumeau is one of many instruments left behind in the march of progress. Perhaps the most famous example is the arpeggione, a bizarre six-stringed instrument remembered mostly for the famous sonata Schubert composed for it. The piece is usually played on the cello. The viola da gamba was superseded by the cello but, like the recorder, regularly appears in early-music performance because of the large volume of literature left for it by Bach and other composers.

If Hoeprich's Mozart clarinet is a copy, the 19th-century instrument that he uses to play Brahms' chamber works is the Facebook social plugin real thing. It originally belonged to Richard Mühlfeld, for whom Brahms composed those works.

"Playing Brahms on a period instrument is a wonderful experience," Hoeprich wrote, "just as it is to experience any great music via the instruments from the composer's milieu."

And the chalumeau isn't entirely dead. On a commission from Hoeprich, Dutch composer Pim Moorer wrote a piece for RENTALS STUFF AUTOS JOBS chalumeau and orchestra that Hoeprich premiered in 2012 in Belgium. Perhaps appropriately, it's titled "Nachspiel" -- "epilogue." Assistant Director... If you go ... ALL LISTINGS

What: The Art of the Chalumeau (early clarinet) with clarinetist Eric Hoeprich will introduce the chalumeau, as part of the Aston Magna Concert Series

When: Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 6 p.m.

Where: Bard College at Simon's Rock, 84 Alford Rd., Great Barrington

Admission: Prices range from $20 to $50

Information: ashtonmagna.org or 413-528-0100

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Aston Magna concerts begin with rare baroque reed By Andrew L. Pincus, Special to Berkshires Week Berkshire Eagle Posted: BerkshireEagle.com

GREAT BARRINGTON -- The chalumeau is to the clarinet what the recorder is to the flute -- except that you can still hear the recorder played in public but the chalumeau, almost never.

"The chalumeau appears to have come out of the blue -- invented by Johann Christoph Denner, c.1700," Hoeprich, who lives in England, wrote in an email. "It was made in four sizes, not unlike the recorder, but the Great Barrington: Hungrytown to perform Saturday Lanesborough: Master Gardeners to conduct soil testing Lenox: Sanctuary to host ‘Insect Safari’ Florida: Library seeks volunteers North Adams: Donations sought for book sale Lee: Volunteers sought for breast cancer walk planning committee North Adams: Annual Cruz Night postponed due to rain Adams: Author to discuss suffragettes Great Barrington: Gospel concert, dinner to benefit Senior Center Adams: Benefit dinner planned for Talora family Great Barrington: BSC’s Julianne Boyd to present program Turners Falls: Model airplane air show slated Sunday Pittsfield: Dance group to host ballroom social New Lebanon, N.Y.: Nature center to host fundraising event Pittsfield: Sculptor Michael Melle to give live demonstration