Richard Stoltzman

Goldberg Variations

2012-01-02T13:31:00.000-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-r_0RA0b6s&feature=email

Video from Guitarfest 2010 with Eliot Fisk

2011-06-30T16:11:00.003-04:00

Check out this link to my live video with Eliot Fisk from last year's Guitarfest (2010) at New England Conservatory's Jordan Hall! It is a recording of the Beaser song, "Fair and Tender Ladies." http://vimeo.com/15802709

Benefit Concert for Japan

2011-05-25T11:08:00.000-04:00

KIZUNA  - Benefit Concert for Japan
Thursday, June 2nd, 2011 6:30pm~
The Charles Hotel - One Bennett Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
$150.00 per person
Tickets are available at http://japanbenefitconcert.eventbrite.com

Participating Musicians:
Richard Stolzman
Borromeo Quartet
Keisuke Wakao
Andrew Kohji Taylor 
MC: Cathy Fuller - WGBH

  ** Pre-reception by top Japanese chefs **
Chef Shimizu of Daikanyama
 Chef Oga of Oga’s
 Chef Watanabe of Wanokura

All proceeds will benefit the Japanese Disaster Relief Fund - Boston

Keiser Classical, Richard Stoltzman Series

2011-02-22T12:29:00.002-05:00

Check out the Richard Stoltzman Series by Lauren Keiser Music Publishing! Works published include Schubert Sonatines, arranged for clarinet and piano, with more to come in the near future! The works are available for distribution through Hal Leonard.

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T11:49:00.002-05:00

Thanks to all of my friends and listeners! Have a great 2011.

Mikarimba Madness

2010-11-23T10:29:00.001-05:00

Check out the details of this exciting upcoming performance with Mika Yoshida, Steve Gadd, and Eddie Gomez. I'll be playing with them at Zankel Hall on January 7, 2011 at 730 PM. Ticket information is available at

WQXR Interview

2010-11-07T15:12:00.006-05:00

Check out my recent interview and discussion of Messiaen's QUARTET FOR THE END OF TIME on WQXR: http://www.wqxr.org/articles/wqxr-features/2010/nov/04/richard-stoltzmans-clarinet-playing-hits-new-notes/

RICHARD STOLTZMAN & EROICA TRIO TO APPEAR ON RUBIN MUSEUM OF ART’S RESONATING LIGHT SERIES

2010-10-26T16:55:00.000-04:00

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2010 AT 6 PM

New York - On Sunday, November 7, 2010 at 6 p.m. clarinetist Richard Stoltzman joins the Eroica Trio in a performance of Messiaen’s haunting masterpiece Quartet for the End of Time. The work was the signature piece and the reason for the founding of Mr. Stoltzman’s former chamber group, TASHI.

The program continues the Rubin Museum of Art’s new classical music series, Resonating Light, hosted by WQXR’s award-winning broadcaster Elliott Forrest.

THE COMPLETE PROGRAM:

Sunday, November 7, 2010 at 6 p.m.
Rubin Museum of Art
150 W. 17th Street
New York, NY 10011
Eroica Trio
Erika Nickrenz, piano
Susie Park, violin
Sara Sant’Ambrogio, cello
Richard Stoltzman, clarinet

Messiaen – Quartet for the End of Time (with Richard Stoltzman); Villa Lobos – Bachianas Brasilieras No. 5; Schumann – Trio in F Major Op. 80

Tickets are $40. Available online: www.rmanyc.org/resonatinglight. By phone: (212) 620-5000 x.344. In person: Rubin Museum of Art’s admission desk (150 W. 17th Street)

ABOUT THE PROGRAM:

During his internment in a WWII German prison camp, Messiaen encountered three other musicians among his fellow prisoners. It was for them that he composed his Quartet for the End of Time, which they first performed for their 5,000 fellow inmates in 1941.

Richard Stoltzman’s relationship to Messiaen’s quartet goes back almost 40 years. He reflects:

“The TASHI group had a very special coaching in Manhattan one afternoon in the late 1970's. Messiaen came with his wife, Yvonne Loriod, who translated into English for him. Quietly sitting in the corner was Toru Takemitsu.

“The coaching was a turning point for the group, which had been formed specifically to play the QUARTET FOR THE END OF TIME but had never before worked directly with Messiaen. Messiaen gave great insight and encouragement into how to perform his intentions, which are sometimes indicated through his own religious fervor and meditation on the name Jesus, and in colors. He used phrases like "powdery chords" and asked me to make the tone "noir," or black, over and over again. His musical language incorporated very precise rhythms and then using them backwards, and in 2, 3, or 4 times the duration, or in half the duration.

“Messiaen was adamant about getting those ratios precise because they meant more than just exactness -- they revealed a sense of cosmic unity. He also worked a lot with Peter Serkin on the sonority of the piano and on the use of pedals.

“It was a great afternoon and was especially meaningful because Takemitsu witnessed the wisdom of this great French composer and was inspired to write QUATRAIN for TASHI.”

All concert presentations at the Rubin Museum of Art are programmed to reflect the museum's collection and exhibitions. The exhibit, entitled “Grain of Emptiness,” features five contemporary artists all inspired by the Buddhist notions of emptiness and impermanence and Buddhist ritual practice. These artists are from disparate backgrounds and explore a range of artistic mediums, but all have inherited the practice of incorporating Eastern religious beliefs into their works.

The Eroica Trio state:

“According to the composer, the Quartet was intended as a musical expression of the concept that the end of Time would be the end of past and future and the beginning of eternity. Although Messiaen's structure is guided by the Book of Revelations account of the Apocalypse, the composer's personal statements about the work also reflect Buddhist ideologies of impermanence and nothingness, a time and existence with no beginning, no end, void of reference. The concept of sunyata, void, or emptiness can be discovered in the The Pali Canon, many of the Buddha's teachings (sutras), and Buddhist art found throughout the Rubin exhibitions.”

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Clarinetist RICHARD STOLTZMAN'S virtuosity, musicianship and sheer personal magnetism have made this two-time Grammy® Award winner one of today's most sought-after concert artists. As soloist with more than 100 orchestras, as a captivating recitalist and chamber music performer (performing the first clarinet recitals in the histories of both the Hollywood Bowl and Carnegie Hall), and as an innovative jazz artist, Stoltzman has defied categorization, dazzling critics and audiences alike while bringing the clarinet to the forefront as a solo instrument. A prolific recording artist, Stoltzman’s acclaimed releases can be heard on Parma Recordings, BMG/RCA, SONY Classical, MMC, NAXOS and other labels, and include the Grammy® winning recordings of Brahms' sonatas with Richard Goode; and Trios of Beethoven, Brahms and Mozart with Emanuel Ax and Yo-Yo Ma; as well as Hartke’s “Landscapes with Blues,” a New York Times “Best of 2003”.

One of the most sought-after trios in the world, the Grammy-nominated EROICA TRIO electrifies audiences with their passionate performances. Launched upon receiving the prestigious Naumburg Award, the Trio was subsequently chosen by Carnegie Hall to represent the United States to tour many of the great concert halls of Europe, including the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

ABOUT THE RUBIN MUSEUM OF ART:

The RUBIN MUSEUM holds one of the world's most important collections of Himalayan art. Paintings, pictorial textiles, and sculpture are drawn from cultures that touch upon the arc of mountains that extends from Afghanistan in the northwest to Myanmar (Burma) in the southeast and includes Tibet, Nepal, Mongolia, and Bhutan. The Rubin Museum has a history of commissioning new music works, most often from jazz composers but also contemporary composers Huang Ruo and Sir John Tavener, whose Towards Silence was given its world premiere last spring. The concerts will take place in the museum's theater, praised for its exceptional acoustics and intimate atmosphere.

Performance with Menahem Pressler at (le) Poisson Rouge

2010-10-06T14:17:00.004-04:00

Menahem Pressler and I will be performing together on October 27. Details are listed below. We'd love to see you there!

Richard Stoltzman & Menahem Pressler at (Le) Poisson Rouge
Date/Time: October 27, 2010 at 7:30pm
Place: (le) poisson rouge
158 Bleecker Street
New York, NY

The program will feature works by Bernstein, Brahms, Debussy, Gershwin and Steve Reich.

Tickets: $25 (Students $15) available at the box office, or calling
866-55-TICKETS, or by visiting www.lepoissonrouge.com

Testing Reeds

2010-08-20T16:24:00.001-04:00

While testing reeds, rather than taking the time to put my regular ligature on and off of the mouthpiece, I use a thinner, smaller ligature, which is a RATTERREE. This saves time and works well for me.

Kalmen Opperman

2010-06-21T13:48:00.001-04:00

Kalmen Opperman, my teacher, my clarinet father, my inspiration,
my conscience, died Friday morning June 18, 2010. To those who had the
honor of being his students the loss is irreplaceable. His passion for
each of us was both personal and pure, honest and relentless, caring
and uncompromising. To the clarinet world and music world at large Kal
stood for the highest level of mastery, sensitivity,and dedication to
ideals of beauty, knowledge, and devotion.
He gave his life to us. His wisdom will live beyond us. "If there
are no good reeds in heaven, I'm not going".

FACEBOOK Survey

2010-06-09T12:58:00.001-04:00

Message me on FACEBOOK to participate in my poll: what is the all-time best practice tip you've been given?

Summer Practicing

2010-06-07T14:47:00.002-04:00

Summer is a great time to get 'back to basics.' While I always spend a lot of time playing scales and working on Opperman Etudes, I find that during the summer my schedule is less hectic and I can remind myself of how important this work is. This should be true for everyone- from students to the most advanced performers.

Your Sound

2010-04-30T14:33:00.001-04:00

Develop your own sound, and then take it out into the world with you for everyone to hear.

Michael Lawrence Film Project

2010-02-12T15:15:00.004-05:00

I really enjoyed collaborating with Michael Lawrence for his newly released DVD, Bach and Friends. Check it out at this site: http://www.mlfilms.com/productions/bach_project.

You can also see parts of it below on YouTube.

2010-01-11T15:20:00.000-05:00

2010-01-11T15:18:00.000-05:00

Sesame Street Appearance

2010-01-11T15:07:00.003-05:00

Click this link to see Richard Stoltzman befriend Oscar, the Sesame Street Grouch!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjenWHXLr-M

Practicing Tips

2009-12-30T13:57:00.001-05:00

"After forty years, I am still trying to heed my own teachers practicing advice: take frequent breaks!"

A week in the life...

2009-12-02T11:43:00.001-05:00

On December 1, 2009, Richard Stoltzman and countless other students, friends, and admirers of Kalmen Opperman gathered at Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall for a concert saluting the master clarinetist who is Mr. Stoltzman's teacher. The concert featured solo works written and arranged by Mr. Opperman, as well as duets, trios, and a show-stopping clarinet choir.

Mr. Stoltzman will return from New York this week to begin rehearsals with acclaimed pianist Judith Stillman and renowned 'cellist Michael Reynolds for their upcoming trio performance at Rhode Island College and for their approaching recording collaboration.

This week Mr. Stoltzman will also be engaged teaching at New England Conservatory and rehearsing with the Borromeo Quartet, with whom he will be performing the World-Premiere of the late Andrew Imbrie's Clarinet Quintet for the Harvard Musical Association. The piece was completed by professor Hi Kyung Kim of USCS.

National Gallery of Art

2009-11-07T14:26:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, November 22, Mr. Stoltzman and composer/pianist Yehudi Wyner will present a program of American composers' works at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. The performance will take place at 6:30 PM and includes Mr. Wyner's piece, Commedia.

Mr. Wyner is currently writing a new work for Richard Stoltzman, Lynn Harrell ('cello), and Robert Levin (piano), which will be premiered in March.

National Philharmonic

2009-10-14T12:42:00.000-04:00

Mr. Stoltzman will be performing works of Mozart, Gershwin, and Copland this weekend with the National Philharmonic in North Bethesda, Maryland (USA). The concert will be on October 17 at 8pm.

Welcome to the blog of acclaimed clarinetist Richard Stoltzman.

2009-09-04T14:14:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Richard Stoltzman's blog. It has been a very busy summer with performances all around the US and in Italy. Anyone in the Northwest part of the US is encouraged to come and hear Mr. Stoltzman perform Mozart with the Salem (Oregon) Chamber Orchestra and conductor Susan Davenny Wyner on September 19 or 20. Composer and Pianist Yehudi Wyner and Mr. Stoltzman will be giving a recital on the 18th of September at Willamette University, featuring works by Mr. Wyner, Bach, Gershwin, and Brahms.