Posted by Alex Lapins on December 13, 2003 at 18:15:27:
Hello, everyone. This came out at a public masterclass, so I'm sure it's ok to pass on these words. Joe Alessi is at IU this weekend and at the end of one masterclass I asked,"what was it about Alan Baer's playing which made him the obvious choice?"
Too keep it simple, so as not to put words in Joes's mouth;
His pitch and time were absolutely perfect. Rhythm, too. That was enough to put him way ahead of almost everyone else. When he played with the section in the semis and finals, everything locked right off the bat, "his radar was just perfect," he took cues perfectly without any discussion, acted professionaly and played his solo well and totally confidently for the music director. "There just weren't any questions at any time." "There wasn't much need for discussion with him... or about him."
Pardon me for pointing this out, but Joe did not even hint that it was a particular style, sound, schooling or type of instrument. It was just fantastic fundamentals, a complete understanding of the music, and the confidence and efficiency which comes from ability, work ethic, ravenous self exploration and experience.
Sorry if this seems uninteresting, but we here at IU were happy to have such a clear and open answer from the other side of the auditon screen about someone who seems to have figured things out. Thought you might like to hear about it.