Posted by Richard Armandi on March 02, 2002 at 01:31:18:
In Reply to: Re: Besson EEb question posted by Ola on March 01, 2002 at 11:11:22:
Re: the 'tale' you tell.
I can't verify it one way or the other, but it sounds like one I personally heard Fletch tell in reference to conductors hearing with their eyes. He was playing his smaller bell Boosey Eb (I had a similar one at the time) on Bruckner 4 and the conductor looked up, saw it, and said something to the effect of "no, no, please get a larger instrument". Fletch went to his locker, got his other Boosey Eb with the larger bell (which he felt, btw, had a sound and output no different than the other instrument), brought it to the stage and played, and subsequently got the 'O.K.' sign from the conductor.
He was a wonderful, humorous gentleman with, I dare say, a healthy disdain for clueless conductors.
Rich Armandi