May 19, 2006

Sebastian String Quartet and the clarinetist Mihael Paar who carried out the whole concert, presented themselves as the musicians of a highly sophisticated style and a strong inclination towards the works of the Viennese Clasics, especially those from the pen of W.A.Mozart. The programme offering what is the very best of Mozart set high objectives to the performers to which they, as already established artists, claimed with all good reason. Moreover special compliments go to the clarinetist Mihael Paar who, with the warmth of his instrument appeared to be an excellent counterbalance to the string quartet, performing at the same time as primus inter pares, yet without any pretensions that would lead him out of “chamber”. The artist studying at the famous Mozarteum School of Music in Salzburg for several years now, reveals in the interview after the concert that the style of his playing is distinctly German if not even entirely German, although he continues to play the French clarinet. To reach such a distinguished timbre, he has completely reformed the approach to his instrument, having also done corrections in impostation and respiratory technics. He points out that a sound like this so perfectly consistent with the works of Mozart, Schumann or Brahms, is being tended by the clarinetists coming from the German speaking areas which has been tradition ever since the time of A.Stadler, the clarinetist that Mozat wrote for. Clarinetists such as K. Leister, A.Brandhofer or W.Fuchs are among the best exponents of this tradition today.

It is also interesting to mention that Andrija Potroško, our well known contrabassist, a long time member of the famous Zagreb Soloists who did not hide his enthusiasm with the concert, in the end evoked his memories of the great Benny Goodman. Mr. Potroško was a member of the Symphony orchestra that Benny Goodman appeared with in Philadelphia in 1969 performing the famous Clarinet Concerto by W.A.Mozart. Mr. Potroško says that the expressiveness which he then experienced, he re-experienced today through the inspired performance of M.Paar, whose warm and rounded sound tranquilly celebrated over the aura of the Mozart’s masterpiece.”

© Samobor Herald – Marijan Hranilović, May 19th, 2006