Mihael Paar » clarinet

Mihael Paar becomes D’Addario Woodwinds Artist

MihaelPaar.com — Sun, 13 Dec 2015 22:41:16 +0000

It is with great pleasure to announce that Mihael has recently been invited by D’Addario Woodwinds to join their rooster of artists! This acknowledgment came after Mihael’s numerous feats in both clarinet and composing area. His work came into prominence after achieving substantial success on various social media platforms that soon caught eye of D’Addario’s team. First affiliation of the two dates back in late 2012 when D’Addario shared his “must-see” Christmas video on their Facebook page which immediately went viral within the clarinet community.

Being a brand ambasador, Mihael works actively in presenting D’Addario products, especially Reserve line of reeds. This year alone, he gave several masterclasses discussing the advantages of the Company’s flagship – Reserve Classic. When asked about it, his response was:

“Once I discovered Reserve Classic reeds I have not changed my set up since. They are that good!” On other models he shares the same opinion: “New Reserve and GCS family, especially Evolution, are brilliant in their own way, with their traditional tips and rounded tip corners offering tonal warmth. Due to such a broad scope of products, every clarinetist is destined to find a material matching his set-up and personal style of playing.”

Mihael Paar plays exclusively on Reserve Classic reeds strength 3.5+/4.0 and uses Multi-Instrument Reed Storage Case with Humidity Control Pack. Take a moment to view his artist profile page on the Company’s Official Website. And this is how it all started:

For this recording session, Mihael used Reserve Classic reeds in strength 4.0, which he has deemed “the best reed in the world”…

The post Mihael Paar becomes D’Addario Woodwinds Artist appeared first on Mihael Paar.

Photo session – new material for the new season

MihaelPaar.com — Thu, 09 Jul 2015 20:00:32 +0000

Having a photo-session can be a fun thing to do. So Thursday the 9th 2015 was a pretty funny day, despite all the hassle on the way. We tried several stylings but one of them really takes the cake – a street performer! The outfit was perfect and I really felt like a busker!
The session was held in Samobor on July 9th with Mr Romano Grozić as a photo director. Hair Salon Zagreb by the name – Salon was incharge to do the – hair (what else:) and Mrs Sunčana Jozić Lučić had an enormous share in the field of make-up, styling and organization.
Make sure to come back soon to check the pics out. You just might end up being surprised when you see them! And I am really looking forward to surprising you

Crew:
Photo director: Romano Grozić (portfolio.hr)
Make-up & Styling: Sunčana Jozić Lučić (GUGABAGA)
Hair: Vintage Salon Zagreb
Outfit: Clocklions, Tommy Hilfiger, Bentley, Koon, H&M, Angelo Litrico, Risa

The post Photo session – new material for the new season appeared first on Mihael Paar.

Clarinet & Saxophone Magazine praises Paar’s signature work

MihaelPaar.com — Sun, 07 Dec 2014 16:29:18 +0000

Little Christmas Fantasy has received a fantastic review! Clarinet & Saxophone, one of the leading magazines for the clarinet in the world, has tributed the piece in its autumn issue with some extraordinary kudos! Praising it as a ‘sensational, seasonal showpiece’, the author goes even further and states that ‘… if you are looking for a simple little piece to sight-read to your grandma on Christmas day after a few glasses of sherry, be warned, this piece is not for the faint-hearted!’. It is a ‘superbly crafted little piece’ that requires technically powerful performer able to deliver number of extended techniques indicated in the score.

The Magazine is distributed across the globe and is the flagship outlet of the CASS – The Clarinet & Saxophone Society of Great Britain. It should also be mentioned that this is the first clarinet piece ever by a Croatian composer/clarinetist to be featured in the Magazine.

Order sheet music here and read the whole review by Mr. Michael Pearse here

‘…sensational, seasonal showpiece of considerable worth and a welcome addition to the repertory.’

The post Clarinet & Saxophone Magazine praises Paar’s signature work appeared first on Mihael Paar.

Sensational, seasonal showpiece of considerable worth

MihaelPaar.com — Sat, 06 Dec 2014 21:59:53 +0000

ln the lnternet age it is increasingly common to have seen or heard a piece of music multiple times without fully registering the performer or composer involved. This is not necessarily a reflection on the quality of the performance, but rather an unfortunate consequence of our increasingly fast-paced clicking habits. Many of our readers, myself included, may not know Mihael Paar’s Little Christmas Fantasy by name, but with nearly 20,000 hits on YouTube, many will have seen the composer’s brilliantly virtuosic rendition of his own work flying around various social media sites. lt is not known whether Paar published the work as a direct consequence of the video’s online popularity, but whatever the reason, this is a sensational, seasonal showpiece of considerable worth and a welcome addition to the repertory.

Croatian-born clarinettist Paar is a young, emerging artist with an ever-growing reputation at home and abroad. His Little Christmas Fantasy takes the well known Christmas tune we all love to hate, Jingle Bells, on a light-hearted, humorous journey through a variety of styles. But if you are looking for a simple little piece to sight-read to your grandma on Christmas day after a few glasses of sherry, be warned, this piece is not for the faint-hearted! Mihael Paar is a performer who possesses a brilliant virtuosic technique, which he aptly demonstrates in his YouTube performance of the work.

The Fantasy uses a number of extended techniques including flutter-tonguing, slap-tonguing, double-tonguing, high notes up to Super C and a particular favourite of mine, an unusual effect where the performer is asked to play and release air outside the mouthpiece simultaneously to create an off the-beat percussion effect. To make the work more accessible, Paar has written a number of ossia lines and has suggested some useful cuts which remove some of the work’s more technically demanding passages, but I would still say that even the abbreviated version of the work is of a grade eight standard, especially if performed at the given tempi.

If you are up for the challenge, I would highly recommend learning the Fantasy in its entirety, along with all the extended techniques Paar incorporates so effectively into the work. lt is a superbly crafted little piece, which is highly effective, texturally interesting, fun to play and is sure to put a Little Christmas smile on your face. Bah Humbug!

Michael Pearce

The post Sensational, seasonal showpiece of considerable worth appeared first on Mihael Paar.

Concert in Požega with Srebrenka Poljak

MihaelPaar.com — Sat, 25 Oct 2014 23:25:54 +0000

Coming up – Concert in Požega this Tuesday 28/10/2014! I will be playing some very interesting pieces that are quite rare on the repertoire. Reger’s Romance, Llyod’s Bon Voyage! and Paessler’s Divertimento will surround the standards by Weber and Cossetto. Great pianist and associate of mine Srebrenka Poljak will also have her share, especially in Sonata for Piano by Šulek. I will post the photos and leave my impressions shortly after the concert – come back again to check it out! For detailed information see the event.

The post Concert in Požega with Srebrenka Poljak appeared first on Mihael Paar.

Announcing autumn 2014 concert schedule

MihaelPaar.com — Fri, 10 Oct 2014 23:29:36 +0000

Dear Friends,

I am happy to announce the concerts I will be giving throughout Croatia till the end of the year. Various musicians and ensembles will join me on these occasions. I am looking forward to seeing you on some of them! For detailed information please visit schedule.

Oct 28 – Požega
Nov 5 – Samobor
Nov 13 – Jastrebarsko
Nov 23 – Sv. Nedelja
Dec 3 – Zagreb
Dec 12 – Samobor

The post Announcing autumn 2014 concert schedule appeared first on Mihael Paar.