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BERNARD VAN DOREN, 40 YEARS OF PASSION - THE FLOW PACK - THE ENVIRONMENT AND VANDOREN STAYING IN TOUCH AT 56 RUE LEPIC - ENCOURAGING NEWS - PORTRAITS - POSTCARDS - VANDO JAMS - WEB

magazine6

Iam proud to offer you this editionfor two reasons. Not only does itcelebrate my forty years in the firm,

it also confirms a new era in terms of packaging:the “Flow Pack” era. Since 1967, you will recall, we

have been modernizing all the time. Productive output(machinery and innovative advances), personnel management (acqui-

ring greater social benefits for our staff) and the long-term development of quality products(efficiency and reliability tied to a respect for the environment) have been my

constant concerns. Reeds being very sensitive to external factors, our first task was to stabilizehygrometric conditions within the factory. Then we could begin work on the “Flow Pack”, airtight pac-kaging that now enables reeds to be kept for as long as possible in the same perfect condition aswhen they come out of the atelier. I see this “factory fresh” concept as a major advance for musi-cians. Moreover, we developed the concept to the full by going for individual packaging. Now eachreed reaches the final customer in a state of remarkable freshness. I wanted to free musicians fromany material and secondary constraints, any hindrance to their own creativity and freedom of expres-sion.

Bernard VAN DOREN

Registration of copyright: November 2007Director of publication: Bernard Van Doren

Chief editor: Anne-Sophie Van Doren, with the collaboration of Jean-Marie Paul.Creation and realization: Christophe Hauser / La Maison.

Tel: 01 44 90 02 20 / christophe@la-maison.netEnglish translation: Jeffrey Grice

Cover design : Nadine Marchal - Photos : Vandoren.Vandoren – 56, rue Lepic, 75018 Paris.

Tél. : 01 53 41 83 00 – Fax : 01 53 41 83 01.Email : info@vandoren.fr. Web site : www.vandoren.fr

Bernard Van Doren,40 years of passion ............ 4The Flow Pack .................... 7Environment ...................... 9Staying in touch .............. 10Encouraging news ............ 13Portraits .......................... 14Postcards ........................ 18Vandojams........................ 21Web sites .......................... 22

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magazine6

Flow Pack

www.vandoren.com

Delivered factory fresh to you

wherever you are.

New Vandoren reed packaging

E D I T O R I A L

What major changes haveoccurred since 1967?I came into the businesson April 7th, 1967. At thetime, the firm had a staffof 45, manufacturing 800reeds a day. Recruitingpersonnel was tough backthen: most people wantedto work in a bank. We hadto hire laborers fromYugoslavia who turned outto be excellent. At thetime, specialized work wasan honorable profession,skilled labor implying acertain know-how. But wehad to modernize becauseit was hard to transmitknowledge: there would bedisparities from one to theother, especially in termsof selection. Anything ableto be mechanized simplyhad to be. Every 200reeds, we would reset themachine, but inevitably ina different way. We wereusing steel from Sheffieldthat we hardened withBunsen burners. For, you

see, the secret of a goodreed lies in the cut. Thenwe started using tungstencarbide which only had tobe changed every 1000reeds. Since 1967, moderniza-tion has never stopped.Monsieur Franck helpeddesign new machines. Allthose new prototypes hadto be constantly ameliora-ted for us to attain theexceptional precision andregularity of today thanksto our mastery of the mostadvanced technologies.

Has packaging changed too?In terms of packaging, atthe time we used to layreeds flat in a little card-board box which couldlead to deterioration. Thesecret of Vandoren reeds isthat they are very fine onthe outer rim with a solidvertebral column inside.This was when I thought ofthe plastic box with aseparation in the middle

and 5 reeds on either side.This was the first modifi-cation. The advantage wasthat this box was exactlythe same size as the card-board boxes.

When did you develop theprotector? Increased reed manufactu-ring would, without modi-

fication, have requiredrecruiting twice as manystaff. What’s more, if wewanted to package allthese reeds, we also had toprotect them. That’s whenJacques Llorente developedthe protector. In this way,without anyone touchingreeds, they could be pack-aged like in a packet ofcigarettes. This led to theblue box. Annoyed by theyellow and violet box, too“retro”, I designed a blueone with two strips recal-ling the mark’s originalyellow and violet. I alsocreated our logo represent-ing, as well as a V, a styli-zed reed and mouthpiece.But now boxes were twiceas large, which posedother problems. Manufac-turers were saying: “you’retaking risks in changingsomething that workswell”. In the beginning theprotector was violet incolor but since youcouldn’t see the reed

Bernard Van Doren, celebrating 40 years as managingdirector of the business, talks in an interview with hisdaughter Anne-Sophie, about the process that led him to develop the Flow Pack in 2007.

“ We form agreat

family”

B E R N A R D V A N D O R E N , M A N A G I N G D I R E C T O R 4 0 Y E A R S O F P A S S I O N

54

“The secret

of Vandoren

reeds is that

they are very

fine on the

outer rim with

a solid vertebral

column inside.”

Between these interviews, considerable technological advances occurred with regard tothese very factors, and Vandoren, with the collaboration of scientists and musicians, isproud to have contributed.

Thanks to a hundred years of know-how in the fields of agriculture and technology,Vandoren developed its own machines, capable of exceptional precision (tolerances of lessthan 1/100th of a millimeter). Methods for selecting reed strengths were constantly beingrefined with the help of electronics. The last stage was coming to terms with the fact thatboth cane and reed continue evolving in themselves, in an atmosphere that also varies fromone day to the next. This is why Vandoren, since the beginning of the 21st century, beganto stabilize the degree of humidity in its factory and warehouses, night and day, 7 days aweek, with an optimal humidity ratio of 45 to 70%, which is what we advise our musiciansto do (something they can now control with our hygrometric kit, “Hygrocase”).

Minutely controlled in this way, the whole reed manufacturing process can contribute tothe regularity of the final product and reach a new degree of quality excellence. Which hasbeen confirmed by musicians testing production samples.

But there remained one obstacle to assuring the transmission of this fabulous tool to musi-cians all over the world: a guarantee that transport or storage conditions would not damage aquality so painstakingly obtained, from the initial packaging and departure from the factoryto the moment of reaching the final customer. For, despite taking precautions, you can neverbe completely sure of either transport (by sea or air notably) or storage conditions.

So Vandoren thought of developing a hermetic packaging. The “56 rue Lepic” box wasalready an innovation with its sealed protective cover.

Then tests revealed that the best solution was the Flow Pack:

- With individual packaging, reeds are guaranteed an unparalleled hygrometric stabi-lity at every stage of the whole process from the Vandoren factory to the musician.

- When he opens a Vandoren Flow Pack, the instrumentalist has a “factory fresh”reed, as if he had chosen it in the factory.

- Packaging in the Flow Pack sachet is perfectly neutral and has no other effect onreeds other than assuring optimal conservation.

Vandoren is pleased to announce that the Flow Pack procedure has now been applied totheir entire range of clarinet and saxophone reeds.

F L O W P A C K

the

“ What in your opinion are the factors that most affect the reaction of a reed?” Temperature, season, and above all, differences in humidity.

Marcel Mule, Honorary professor of saxophone at the Paris Conservatoire(Vandoren interview at the beginning of the 90s)

Published in 1999 in the Vandoren magazine n° 1

Available on www.vandoren.fr

“ For me, this Flow Pack reed is terrific. No matter where I am in the world, it’s as if I were in the Vandoren factory in Bormes-les-Mimosas, with a reed that vibrates, unaffected by any hygrometricchange. Once I fit it onto my mouthpiece, I can go stress-free into the rehearsal room ”

Claude Delangle, Saxophone professor at the Paris Conservatoire

Interview 2007 (video extract on www.vandoren.fr)

through it, we made itcolorless. This year the newmodel is even more ergono-mic, with a rounder form.

Tell us about innovationslinked to the cane itself.We have only ever usedhighest quality cane forour reeds. So discardedcane was a problem forwhich we found simple

solutions: using some tomaintain factory tempera-ture through floor heating,and the rest as compostfor the cane-fields. As thefirm developed, we had tofind automatic systemsthat left workers free forother tasks. Every manualoperation was mechani-zed, but might I add thatno-one was laid off as aconsequence. Then wefinally installed constanthygrometry in the factoryso that the reeds werealways in good shape. Butclarinetists and saxopho-nists buying them two tosix months later in over-heated shops were some-times unsatisfied. Webegan putting reeds in airtight Tupperware®-typeboxes, with effectiveresults. And from thisdeveloped the idea of the“56 rue Lepic” box andthen the “Flow Pack”, airtight packaging designedto maintain reeds as perfectly and as long aspossible in the samecondition as when they

came out of the factory. This was the “factoryfresh” concept. Abreakthrough wepushed evenfurther bypackingeach reedindividually.In this way, each reed reached the final customerin a remarkable state offreshness.

What about mouthpieces?In the beginning, product-ion was fairly limited(about 300 a month).There was the 5RV, anextraordinary mouthpiece.Then I made the B45.First we kept to the clari-net, where I see threemajor mouthpieces: the5RV, the B45 and the 5JB.The others are all only firstcousins or little brothers.

What instigates the creationof a new product?There’s an old saying: “ifyou serve the market, themarket will serve you”. You

haveto listen to

people. Ulysse Delécluse,a friend of my father, saidabout the B45: “but you’renot going to let that mouthpiece come out!”.Because it was radicallydifferent. You should neverdo things by halves. TheOptimum mouthpieces(AL3-AL4) for alto are verydifferent from the A27 andthe A28; it serves a rangeof musicians who do notplay our mouthpieces.Especially since in thesaxophone world, lots ofgurus touch up mouth-pieces, there’s absolutelyno regularity in the mate-rial. I ask musicians to tryout mouthpieces: it’s likein the fashion industry,you work in an atelier andthen you have a showing.For final touches, I listeneither to the musicianswho visit our Parisian show-room or to our travellingartistic advisors. It’s a whole alchemy of exchangeand communication.We form a great family!

WITH INDIVIDUAL PACKAGINGREEDS ARE GUARANTEED AN UNPARALLELEDHYGROMETRIC STABILITYAT EVERY STAGEFROM THE VANDOREN FACTORYTO THE MUSICIAN.

7

“This year thenew model

is even more

ergonomic, with a

rounder form.”

“As the firmdeveloped,

we had to findautomatic

systems that left workers

free for other tasks.”

“If you serve the market, the market will serve

you”

VandorenFlow Pack

Revolution

6

E N V I R O N M E N T

WE AT VANDOREN HAVE RECEIVED MANY QUESTIONS RECENTLY CONCERNING ECOLOGY AND THE NEW

PACKAGING. WE ARE VERY SERIOUS ABOUT PRESERVING OUR NATURAL RESOURCES FOR FUTURE

GENERATIONS AND WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU THE STEPS WE HAVE TAKEN TOWARD THIS GOAL.

THE CANE USED TO MANUFACTURE REEDS IS A 100% NATURAL PLANT. WE USE NO FERTILIZER OR PESTICIDE

DURING ITS GROWTH AND NO CHEMICAL COMPONENTS DURING ITS TRANSFORMATION INTO REEDS. THE SHINY

PART OF THE REED, IT SHOULD BE MENTIONED, IS NOT VARNISH BUT THE BARK OF THE CANE. ANY LEFTOVER CANE RESULTING FROM

REED MANUFACTURING IS COMPLETELY REUSED AS EITHER COMPOST IN OUR PLANTATIONS OR FUEL FOR THE BOILER THAT HEATS OUR

FACTORY. NO OTHER ENERGY SOURCE IS THEREFORE NECESSARY IN TERMS OF HEATING. OUR HIGH PERFORMANCE BOILER, INSTALLED

IN 2006, GIVES OFF ONLY WATER VAPOR AND CO2 INTO THE ATMOSPHERE. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THIS CO2 EXHAUST IS

OF PLANT, NOT FOSSIL ORIGIN AND THAT ITS ATMOSPHERIC EVACUATION CONTRIBUTES IN NO WAY TO THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT. THE

QUANTITY EVACUATED DURING COMBUSTION IS, IN FACT, COMPLETELY COMPENSATED FOR BY THE QUANTITY OF ATMOSPHERIC CO2ABSORBED BY THE PLANT DURING ITS TWO-YEAR GROWTH. FINALLY, ONE LAST POINT: THE LOGO ON THE BACK OF THE REED IS

PRINTED IN EDIBLE INK, OF NO DANGER TO THE ENVIRONMENT.

THE REED PROTECTOR IS MADE FROM 100% RECYCLABLE POLYPROPYLENE (BEARING THE TRIANGULAR PP5 MARK).

THE FILMS. THE CHOICE OF OUR SUPPLIER WAS DETERMINED NOT ONLY BY THEIR ABILITY MEET OUR TECHNICAL DEMANDS LINKED TO

FLOW PACK PERFORMANCE IN PROTECTING THE REED, BUT ALSO WITH A REGARD FOR ECOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS (THE SUPPLIER OF

THE FILM IS AN ISO 14001 CERTIFIED COMPANY CONCERNED WITH ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT). OUR CELLOPHANE ON THE OUT-SIDE OF THE BOX IS OF A VERY COMMON TYPE MADE FROM POLYPROPYLENE. MOREOVER, WE ARE CURRENTLY PURSUING RESEARCH ON

THE USE OF BIODEGRADABLE OR COMPOSTABLE FILM. WE SHOULD POINT OUT HERE THAT THE THICKNESS OF THE FILM WE USE EFFEC-TIVELY LIMITS WASTE VOLUME IN COMPARISON WITH OTHER PACKAGING SOLUTIONS LIKE AIRTIGHT BOXES, TUBS OR OTHER PROCEDURES

FOR MAINTAINING HYGROMETRY.

CONCERNING BOXES AND CARDBOARD PACKAGING, AND IN THE NEAR FUTURE ALL OUR PRINTED MATTER, WE HAVE DECIDED TO CHARGE THEIR

MANUFACTURING TO A COMPANY STRONGLY COMMITTED TO ECOLOGICAL CONCERNS. THIS GROUP, ISO 9001 CERTIFIED SINCE 2004,HAS OBTAINED THE IMPRIM’VERT LABEL AND WAS ONE OF THE FIRST FRENCH BUSINESSES TO SIGN THE WORLD BUSINESS PACT

INSTIGATED BY THE UN IN JULY 2000 ON THE INITIATIVE OF MR. KOFI ANNAN. CONCRETELY, THIS YEAR, A FIRST OBJECTIVE HAS

BEEN ACHIEVED BY USING PAPER CERTIFIED BY THE PEFC (PROGRAM FOR THE ENDORSEMENT OF FOREST CERTIFICATION) AND THE

FSC (FOREST STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL). THIS MEANS THAT THE PAPER COMES FROM TREES PLANTED EXPRESSLY FOR PAPER PRODUCTION AND

DOES NOT CONTRIBUTE TO DEFORESTATION. MOREOVER, TREES ARE SYSTEMATICALLY REPLANTED IN EACH SECTION AS THEY ARE FELLED.THIS PROCEDURE HAS ALSO BEEN APPLIED TO INKS, FIXATIVES, DEVELOPERS AND SOLVENTS, WHERE TOXIC PRODUCTS ARE REPLACED

BY OTHERS LESS POLLUTING IN NATURE (FOR EXAMPLE, THE USE OF OFFSET INKS INSTEAD OF HABITUAL UV INKS).

VANDOREN’S COMMITMENT TO THE ENVIRONMENT GOES MUCH FURTHER THAN SIMPLY OUR PRODUCTS AND THEIR PACKAGING. WE SHOULD LIKE TO MENTION THAT ELECTRIC VEHICLES ARE USED TO GET AROUND OUR PRODUCTION SITE IN BORMES LES MIMOSAS

AND THAT MR. VAN DOREN, THE INITIATOR OF THIS PROCEDURE, DRIVES A HYBRID CAR.

The environment

and Vandoren

Jacques Llorente hasbeen collaboratingwith Vandoren for

over 20 years, helpingto develop wrappers and packaging. Dressing in every size…

How has Vandoren packa-ging developed, both visual-ly and technically, since youinvented the protector?There were several stages.When I created the pro-tector, we were initiallyputting reeds into boxes of5 or 10, depending on the

categories. The next stagecame twenty years laterwhen I was asked to thinkabout designing a freshlook for the packaging andameliorating some of theergonomics of the protector.There was the added pro-blem of protecting thereeds themselves. Theyrisked deteriorating fromany extreme hygrometricchange. After a trip to theUSA, Bernard Van Dorenasked me to consider theconcept of protectingreeds in airtight pack-

aging. At that point, after alot of research, we came tothe conclusion that wrap-ping reeds in a flow packwas an interesting solu-tion. That was the firststep. But once reeds hadbeen wrapped in the flowpack, formats were nolonger compatible withexisting boxes. So we hadto create new formats. Weset out from what we hadlearnt from the initial stu-dies to research the pre-sentation of new formats.It took a long time to deve-lop because we had towork to re-adjust if wewanted to re-adapt graphiclayouts without losing any-thing. We went back to thedrawing board quite a lot:we would create prototypes,test them out and eithercontinue or not until we reached the final decision.

Were you largely instru-mental in re-developing thestrips of the initial boxes?Definitely. The whole pointlay in maintaining theVandoren image, in moder-nizing without destabili-zing the final customer.The strips were originallyof a certain width, practi-cally separating the box intwo (a little instrumentand a signature below).Reducing the width of thestrips allowed us to make amuch larger signature anda more visible instrument.

For you, what was the over-all driving factor behindredesigning packaging?There really was a needbecause the original pack-aging had been in exis-

tence for over twentyyears. It had to be up-dated a little. Reconsi-dering formats allowed usto envisage an evolution ofthe graphic layout.

Did you take into considera-tion the evolution of otherproducts and packagings onthe market?Yes definitely, as far as theprinciple of airtight pack-aging for the reeds goes.We considered everythingthat had already been invent-ed. The first breakthroughwas putting reeds in a boxwe created for the “56 rueLepic” reed. For productson today’s market, any-thing in the food line, ther-mal compression mouldingis extremely common inpractice. But one thing is sure: consumers wantindividual wrapping. Thatwas how the Flow Packwas born.

Do you have other projects?Let’s say that for themoment we still have todigest all this, but yes, ofcourse we are working onnew projects. The storycontinues…

Jacques Llorente :

“ 20 years on...”

E X P E R T A D V I C E

98

“0ne thing is sure:

consumerswant individual

wrapping. That was howthe Flow Pack

was born.”

Stayingintouchat rueLepic

S T A Y I N G I N T O U C H

56

11

At Vandoren’s, each day is another occasion

for our advisory staff to meet clarinetists or

saxophonists from different countries, per-

forming different types of music and playing diffe-

rent makes of instrument. The store also fosters

unexpected encounters between musicians. Come to

try a mouthpiece or look for scores, instrumentalists

are keen to discuss the reasons for their visit. Often

this dialogue goes much further: sharing impres-

sions about a way of playing, a repertoire, a country,

leads to genuinely vibrant cultural exchange.

Vandoren wished to also stimulate this interaction

by organizing meetings with artists. For

example, composer Nicolas Bacri

came to explain his works, bringing

Julien Hervé to illustrate with live

musical extracts, and clarinetist

Pascal Moraguès came for an event

organized for the re-edition of the CDs

of his Quintet. Novel encounters, occa-

sional reunions, we wanted to share

some of these special moments with you.

vfgfdhxjj-khfIn the beginning, choosing the saxophone was actually a fluke…my college band had openings for saxophone or fortuba. But I took to the sax immediately, I bought loads of recordings, so I could listen to the pieces we would beplaying at college the next day. I began on tenor, baritone and then alto just before going to university. I didn’t dothings in a conventional way… Now I play classical, contemporary, improvise with jazzmen and compose. I’m look-ing for music every day, because I’m curious and impatient. Music dwells in both time and space, and is unres-

tricted by any national boundaries. For a written piece, I work like a student. But in concert, I begin to express myself, as if it werean improvisation; from start to finish, I look for an interpretation that is truly alive. You can love (and serve) the composer, whilestill being different from him. Take a red flower; it’s the same thing for everyone, but each person has their own particular storyto tell. When I was living in France, you wouldn’t see that kind of flower as often as you do in Japan, but I reconstructed it in mymemory. To study at the Paris Conservatoire with Claude Delangle was to learn everything about the instrument with one of thegods of saxophone. But it was also to live in Paris, a historic town with a rich past, an art of living and moreover, since AdolpheSax, the city of the saxophone, the city of the manufacturers, the composers. That really inspired me. French and Japanese cul-tures are both very rich and I integrated them in my own way. In concert, I forget the medium, the saxophone is a prolongation ofmyself. It was a long time after the end of the piece that I realized there was an audience, that I was playing an instrument cal-led the saxophone. But when I try to analyze how I go about choosing my material and what I’m doing with it, I guess I could saythis: with a Vandoren mouthpiece, you can use air, breath, like the bow of a violin. What I’m trying to achieve are almost unlimitednuances. For me, a reed has a personality of its own. It’s like in a marriage, a daily readjustment with oneself, we have our habits,our funny little ways. An anecdote: one day I found a reed that I immediately adored, I can’t explain why. It was perfect for theHindemith Sonata for alto. I kept playing my concerts with other reeds, but I always took this reed for that piece which I musthave played about ten times, even though the reed was weakening a little. There are special sound colors which, once you’ve foundthem, you love recreating. I wrote a classical concerto in 2004 called “7 Tableaux”, inspired by the works of a painter, a bit likeMussorgsky. It was a commission for television, so I didn’t want to do something too modern, too complex. The saxophone is aninstrument that’s very free; it has so many angles, you can go towards classical, jazz, contemporary… and it’s a young instrument,without too much tradition, not too set in its ways. That’s also a bonus!

E N C O U R A G I N G N E W S

In many countries, schoolshave orchestras at junior,middle and upper school

levels. France is somewhat of anexception. “For the first time,certain OAE* projects are cur-rently uniting public and privateschool teachers, music teachersand directors of music schools,representatives of the privatebusiness sector, and parents ofstudents under the watchful eyeof the Ministry of Education” **.The CSFI (Chambre Syndicalede la Facture Instrumentale –The instrument-maker’s guild)has been regrouping manufactu-rers of instruments and accesso-ries (like Vandoren), importers,editors, retailers… This organi-sation was behind the setting up of the first classes, in co-ope-ration with the association DRAPOS (Développement, Rayon-nement des Pratiques Orches-trales Scolaires – Developmentand promotion of orchestralplaying in schools). The basicprinciple is collective apprenti-

ceship, playing in an orchestrafrom the beginning of learningan instrument, and usually in aschool context. Sometimesgroups form of students of thesame grade, sometimes of kidswho have volunteered, feel moti-vated, or have been chosenwithin the school, there are noset rules. While the first orches-tras were brass bands, soon vio-lin ensembles developed andnow, more “mixed” formations.Music performs miracles. Plus,it’s a field where the exceptionproves to be the rule. Childrenhave taken up all sorts of instru-ments, even ones like the oboeor the trombone that they didn’tknow; they have also enthusias-tically embraced a repertoire oflight classical or jazzy pieces.Often school results have impro-ved, often aggressiveness hasbeen transformed into collectivemusic-making energy. Some stu-dents, keen to continue to ahigher level, go on to enrol in amusic school. The musicians

who collaborate in these schoolschemes are either full - or part-time teachers. But they can alsobe independent musicians.Sometimes two musicians, per-formers of several instruments,will share work with the children,though in some projects, eachinstrumental desk may have itsown teacher. The CSFI will havetheir own stand on display at thenext Salon des Maires de Francein November 2007, for it isimportant that local representa-tives be made aware of the socialand pedagogical value of musicin schools, beyond simplyplaying an instrument. MadameAlbanel, Minister of Culture,came to inaugurate this year’s“Fête de la Musique” in Paris, inthe rue de Rome, in the presen-ce of the Orchestra of the CergySchool (see photo). In 2004,this class from the Collège desExplorateurs du Z.E.P. in Cergy,was awarded the Prix del’Innovation Educative de laLigue de l’Enseignement (Prize

for innovative educationalmethods from the teachingboard). Their performance wasalso televised. A source of greatgratification to these youngmusicians and an encourage-ment to others to create similarensembles. More than a hundredorchestras of this type are alrea-dy in existence in France, otherprojects are being developed,this is only the beginning…

* OAE = Orchestres à l’école(Orchestras in schools)

** An extract from “ProfessionMusique N°6, 2006, the magazine of the CSFI.

CSFI62, rue Blanche,75009 PARISwww.csfimusique.comemail:csfi@wanadoo.fr

There are more than a hundred orchestras of this type in existence in France,

projects are being developed,

this is only the beginning…

P O R T R A I T

BORN IN KANAGAWA (JAPAN) IN 1970, HE BEGAN STU-DYING PIANO AT THE AGE OF 3 AND SAXOPHONE AT THE AGE

OF 12. IN 1992, HE GRADUATED FROM THE TOKYO

NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF FINE ARTS AND MUSIC WHERE

HE NOW TEACHES. HE ALSO GIVES A CLASS IN IMPROVISA-TION AT THE SENZOKU COLLEGE OF MUSIC. ADMITTED TO

THE PARIS CNSM IN 1995, HE OBTAINED PREMIERS

PRIX IN SAXOPHONE (1997), CHAMBER MUSIC (1998)AND IMPROVISATION (1999). A LAUREATE OF THE

WOODWIND, PERCUSSION COMPETITION IN JAPAN (1990)AND OF THE J.M. LONDEIX INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

IN BORDEAUX IN 1996, HIS ECLECTICISM AND ORIGINAL

APPROACH TO MUSIC HAVE AWAKENED GREAT INTEREST IN

EUROPE AND JAPAN. IN 2006, HE TAUGHT AT THE

ACADÉMIE HABANERA IN POITIERS.

“

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M AT E R I A L U S E D :A28 AND T20 MOUTHPIECES, TRADITIONAL REEDS N° 3, AND S15 MOUTHPIECE 3,5 REEDS.

”Masataka HIRANO

S T A Y I N G I N T O U C H

Orchestrasin schools

P O R T R A I T S

from

DIONET, MANASSE, CHARPENTIER, THREE SIDES TO THE MUSICIAN’S PASSION FOR MATERIALS

“yesterday…

Henri DionetHenri Dionet passed

away on October 27,2006. He was born

in 1911. After studying at theLille Conservatoire withFerdinand Capelle, hegraduated in 1930 with aPremier Prix from the ParisConservatoire where he hadstudied with Auguste Périer.Principal clarinetist at theParis Opera from 1945 to1973, he taught at theVersailles Conservatoire from1951 to 1982. The followingtext comes from an interviewhe gave to Roland Pierry atVandoren in the early 90s.The complete interview can befound in the magazine “TheClarinet”, vol. 34, n° 3, June2007. (back issues can beordered at www.clarinet.org)

After having tried and testeddifferent makes of reed, Irealized (in all honesty) thatVandoren’s were the onesthat satisfied me the most.The sound quality wassuperior. And I’m not sayingthat because I was a friend

of Robert Van Doren. Yourpublic doesn’t know whoyour reed manufacturer is.

Which mouthpiece did youplay?I tried other mouthpieces,but I always came back toVandoren. Before the war,an estimated 90% of clari-netists were playing the5RV.There has to be a rea-son for that. Manufac-turers made other mouth-pieces using concertartists to try out their production innovations.Vandoren also evolved,proposing other modelslike the 11.1, the B44, orthe B45 which I alsoplayed. One thing never toforget is: choose reeds tosuit your mouthpiece. Usethis method and youalways find your own sono-rity more or less. Forexample, with a B45, Iwould use slightly softerreeds because the B45has a certain roundness of

tone that I like. Only whenyou marry your mouth-piece to your reed do youget maximum comfort,allowing you to play a softhigh C# as easily as anopen G. That’s what I havealways looked for and triedto encourage my students to obtain.I had colleagues on thelook-out for reeds andmouthpieces all their lives.Fair enough, you canalways do better, but youhave to remember thatgoing for something “bet-ter” can be your own worstenemy. It’s a vicious circle.

What’s the ideal solution?If you have several reeds,you can rotate them.Maybe one that doesn’tseem to work so well todaywill seem excellent a weeklater. You hear them say allthe time: “it feels great”.But you’re the one who hasto feel great, not the reed.Physical stamina influences

14

the way you play. When thesame musician doesn’t getthe same result from thesame mouthpiece, thesame reed… maybe that’sbecause he’s in a differentframe of mind.

Do you have any suggestionsfor handling new reeds?If a new reed sounds good,consistent and fitting toyour taste, play it for a fewminutes and let it rest. Ifyou keep playing it forages, chances are you’lltire it. Subsequently, cutting the reed to makeit more dynamic, doesn’talways give the desiredresult.

Louis Cahuzac used to jokethat reeds should be treated“with contempt”…Which is true when youthink about it. We’ve all

experienced that. Today, areed doesn’t work so well,the following day, it’s bet-ter… Three days later,we’re saying: “But it’sgreat”. Because nowyou’re accustomed to it.You have to take intoaccount the way you feel,how tired you are…etc.There are so many factorsinvolved.Cahuzac’s sound hadroundness, but not withoutfine timbre. Exaggeratingcertain things can lead,you see, to dullness ofsound. Sound will not pro-ject without timbre. Andwatch out for trends. WhenI was at the Conservatoire,you had to have a clearsound… Now clarity isfine. But sound shouldnever become “transpa-rent”, or lose body. Youhave to keep the harmonic

spectrum as wide open aspossible. At the time,some people used to sayCahuzac’s sound was big. Imyself loved that… andCahuzac used to swear byVandoren.

What kinds of external fac-tors can influence a reed?Cane itself is a piece ofwood, alive and thereforesensitive to its environ-ment: heat, cold, humidi-ty, dryness… Add to thatthe physical ups anddowns of the instrumen-talist, and even a verygood reed can appear tobe poor. Which is notnecessarily the case.Students used to say tome: “You always havegood reeds” to which Iwould reply: “Yes, thesame as yours.” Goodresults depend on the

amalgamation of an ins-trument that’s well bro-ken in, with a mouthpieceand a reed suited to eachparticular place, eachparticular time… it’s real-ly quite subtle.

Henri Dionet, in the company of Henri Druart and Jacques Lancelot at a meal given by the Garde Republicaine for its former members.

How did you start out ?Thanks to my parents whointroduced me to the loveof music, I started withsaxophone. I did not likethe clarinet ! When I was10, I never found it playedwell, with a shrill sound…But in 1976 I becameacquainted with DavidWeber, who had a studionear Carnegie Hall, he didnot take beginners, butwhen he listened to my C-major scale, he accept-ed. I was immensely cap-tivated by the way heplayed. He also introducedme to the recordings of thecentury : Hamelin, Cahuzac,Leister… So I fell in lovewith the clarinet ! DavidWeber was serious andrigorous ; he also maderecommendations to studywith other professors :I was at the Aspen MusicSchool, I had lessons withLancelot in France(Academy of Nice in1981), etc. I tried to blenddifferent styles.

How to choose materials ?Two things are important:how it sounds, and how itfeels. You must be comfor-table and natural. I travel,so I must play in different

halls and climates. InColorado for instance, youhave altitude, the summeris dry. Here in Paris thechoice of reeds is diffe-rent. Each situation requiresa slightly nuanced approa-ch to the set-up. Thanks toVandoren to have createddifferent ranges of equip-ment ! I still use the M3013 mouthpiece; I use alltypes of Vandoren reeds(Rue Lepic, V.12, andClassic) depending on theperformance circumstan-ce. The strength of reedcan range from 3.5-5 alsodepending on the concertvenue and climate. I donot keep more than 12reeds at the same time.And I anticipate my needswhen trying reeds, so Ihave reeds that are at dif-ferent points of the brea-king process. You musthave a strong concept ofwhat you want in mind,and let that be your guidefor selecting equipment.I try my best to be true towhat I believe in music.The clarinet must repre-sent the sound I have inmy heart. I get so muchfrom listening to other ins-trumentalists and singers !It establishes your targets

and inspires you. My wifeis a cellist, and also comesfrom a musical family. I feel lucky to live with sucha variety of performingexperiences: orchestras,ballet, chamber music,concertos, recordings, filmsand musicals, …

The future of clarinet ?The clarinet world hasalways been rich in artisticpersonalities. And theworld of composers willalso continue to evolve, toexperiment new tech-niques. Audiences likemusic that speaks to theheart and soul. With thehelp of Vandoren and itsU.S. distributor DanSr, Icommissioned a clarinetconcerto from LowellLiebermann to enrich therepertory. The Premiere istentatively set for the2009-2010 season.

Jon ManasseJon Manasse, soloist

and chamber artistis currently principal

clarinetist of the American BalletTheater Orchestra andMostly Mozart FestivalOrchestra. He has servedas the principalclarinetist for manyorchestras, including theNew York ChamberSymphony and theMetropolitan OperaOrchestra. A graduate of Juilliard, he has wonnumerous competitionsand has a largediscography. Since 1995,he has been AssociateProfessor of Clarinet atthe Eastman School ofMusic; in September2007 Jon Manasse joins the faculty of The Juilliard School.

… to today.”17

P O R T R A I T S

Florent Charpentier

Born in 1982 FlorentCharpentier is

currently doing the postgraduate

program at the Paris CNSM (studying with

Pascal Moraguès andMichel Arrignon).

He obtained a Premier Prix with honors from the CNR

in Nancy (Olivier Dartevelle) and another in 2006

from the Lyons CNSM(Jacques Di Donato).

He has often performed with orchestra, like with the

World Youth Orchestra(Mozart Clarinet Concerto,

Tel Aviv, 2003). Florent Charpentier plays

a B40 Lyre mouthpiece and V.12 3,5 reeds.

Tell us about your experience in Canada.At the 2007 ClarinetFest in Vancouver, I discovered other ways of playing the cla-rinet, notably though the intermediary of the (many) American clarinetists pre-sent; and also other repertoires that are perhaps not so well known in France. Asfor me, I wanted to play a basically chronological program to show I was capableof playing more classical pieces (Schumann, Françaix) before freeing up in moreoriginal pieces with larger physical and psychological demands, like “The LittleHarlequin” of Stockhausen. Establishing a different relationship to your instru-ment allows you afterwards to explore other horizons. The clarinet becomes almostan accessory once your body itself is expressing something, your face, the way youmove in space… it’s probably thanks to improvised music with Jacques Di Donatothat I dared to do it. I worked with a dancer, on everything to do with movementthough space, steps, posture, and then with an actress, on more theatricalaspects, facial expressions and so forth. It had to be a little disconcerting for the audience.

Was it hard still paying attention to sonority and breathing technique?You are actually paying less attention to beauty of sound than to synchronizingyour steps with the melodic line. Especially since the rhythmic line that you’redoing with the feet has to work like accompaniment. There are all these contraryrhythms, binary and ternary. Physically speaking, it’s a very hard piece to playbecause you’re running all over and breathing flat out. Jumping up and down,waggling my butt and hopping around with the clarinet in the air, were all part ofthe challenge… I had a lot of fun.

Are you going to play “The Little Harlequin” of Stockhausen elsewhere?I would love to. But even more especially find other pieces in the same style.Mauricio Kagel writes lots of pieces involving musical theatre and movement, thatinterests me. I’m planning now to do two contemporary pieces, one by KrystofMaratka and another by a Canadian composer. I also improvise in the group“Arlequin Variations” and play klezmer music.

What about your connection with Vandoren?All my teachers played Vandoren. It even took me a while to know that other labelsexisted! Along with my V.12, I play the B40 Lyre, it’s a mouthpiece that reallysuits me. I like the B40 for its velvet sound, richness and roundness, and the B40Lyre gives great facility to playing in the top register.

“Audiences like music that speaks to the heartand soul”

16

19

here has that Frenchclarinet

virtuoso beenhiding until now for me not tohave met him earlier?”. Thiswas more or less what PaulHindemith had to say in 1955(he himself had studied theclarinet). The following year,Louis Cahuzac, at the age of

76, recorded the HindemithConcerto, conducted by thecomposer with the LondonPhilharmonia, in a masterlyperformance that is still a reference today.Who was Louis Cahuzac? One of the best clarinetists of the 20th century. Born inQuarante, near Béziers in theHérault, he passed away in

Luchon in 1960. Much sought after by composers, he collaborated with Debussy,Ravel, Stravinsky, Honegger,Milhaud, Rivier, Mihalovici,etc. It can never be repeatedenough just how importanthis career in France reallywas. A lengthy career too,over sixty years long. Heplayed with great sensitivity.The purity of his sonoritydefied description and hisirreproachable sense of stylewas known and lovedthroughout the world. Parallelto his magnificent career as a concert artist, he had anunforgettable career as animmense pedagogue. Verymeticulous, he never lostsight of the important role he had for his students, ofhow he could instill in them a searching for the mostinspired way of all. He wouldparticularly emphasize theimportance of the clarinet’scharacteristic timbre.Eminent professor talkingone day to a young, veryvirtuoso, clarinetist: “Listenmy dear friend, we’re worldsapart. You’re interested inplaying twenty notes a secondwhile I, on the contrary, aminterested in playing one notewell every twenty seconds.

” It was a great honor for meto work closely with this greatclarinet maestro in the years1955-58. To benefit from his precious advice and have the pleasure of beingconducted by him with theOrchestre de Radio-Lille. It was on the invitation of the Regional Council of the Hérault, the Municipalityof Quarante and Mr. Ferrand,the school principal, thatI participated in themusical inauguration of the “Louis Cahuzac” HighSchool on May 5th, 2007, in a clarinet/piano recital and also with the ensemble “La clé des anches”,conducted by Michel Paris.Performing the completeworks of Louis Cahuzac in the Roman Abbey ofSainte-Marie (10th century)before the entire Cahuzacfamily and a large audiencewas one of the great emotional experiences of my life.”

Guy DangainCLARINETIST, PRESIDENT OF THE MUSICAL FEDERATION OF PICARDY, ADMINISTRATOR OF THE MUSICAL CONFEDERATION OF FRANCE.

Xiao-ShanHuangCLARINETIST, VANDOREN ADVISOR

P O S T C A R D S

Jean-Louis René David Gouldand Laurent SultanCLARINETISTS, VANDOREN ADVISORS

18

n recent years, theclarinet and the

saxophone have becomeextraordinarily popular inChina. In big cities, thephenomenon began slightlyearlier: for example, Hong

King Li, who began onclarinet, has now created thesaxophone class at theShanghai Conservatory. Thereare now 9 superiorConservatories, 2 of whichare in Beijing (one moreparticularly devoted to

Chinese traditional music).The others are in Shanghai,Xi’an, Tianjin (near Beijing),Guandong (Canton), Sichuan,Hunan… My clarinet teacher,Madame Tao Chun Xiao is theteacher at the superiorConservatory in Beijing. M. Xi

ClarinetFest 2007, Vancouver.

he International ClarinetCongress took place this yearin Canada, in the magnificentnatural surroundings of thecity of Vancouver. Invite ahundred artists, mostly fromthe United States andCanada, with a fewclarinetists from Brazil,Mexico, Spain, Portugal, andyou have a festival…withnumerous concerts proposedeach day. Every evening, afirst half of essentially

“classical” repertoire wouldbe followed at 22h30 by a 45-minute concert of hotterstyles: jazz, fusion, Latin,improvised music… Anaudience of true connoisseurswas to make more than oneinteresting discovery. Thisyear Vandoren invited FlorentCharpentier, laureate of theCNSM in Lyons, to make anappearance. Florent wasastonishing, especially inStockhausen’s Harlekin whichgot him a standing ovation.Vandoren advisors were ableto chat with local musicians.The number of enrolments formusical education is on therise, but most schools still

hire unspecialized teachers.Many retail chains increasinglyorganized music classes intheir own shops. Manyexhibitors of clarinets andaccessories were present,Vandoren amongst them. Thelabel has a solid reputation ofquality, know-how andinnovation, as our advisors onthe stand were able to confirm.Flow Pack, the new conditionedreed packaging, sparked off alot of curiosity. Many NorthAmerican clarinetists, oftenfrom States with very differentclimates, showed great interest in a packagingallowing for the conservation of “factory freshness”… W

T

ILouis Cahuzac(1880-1960)

“

Long now teaches in Canton.Mr. Zhao Zeng Mao shouldalso be cited, the teacher inShanghai… Now there aremany teachers in China! The first thing one noticesabout the teaching of theseinstruments in China is theincredible motivation tolearn. The first NationalCompetition in China wascreated in 1994 by Mr. Xi WeiLong, and in recent years,more and more European andAmerican artists have beencoming to perform concerts in festivals and give master-classes. For example: GuyDeplus, Guy Dangain, J.F. Verdier, Philippe Cuper,Paul Meyer, the saxophonistFabrice Moretti… Ensemblesalso visit: the tour of ClaudeDelangle with the CNSMEnsemble was a big success,

so was Mr. Tie Bai who camewith a clarinet quartet.The second factor,specifically Chinese, is ofcourse the ever-increasingnumber of students. Thereare already more than 20,000 saxophonists, and a Saxophone Association, in Shanghai alone… In bigcities and small towns alike,there are now musicalassociations, music schools,instrumental classes inuniversities. The level ofplaying is of course variable.For the moment, there arevery few saxophone quartets,even less clarinet quartets.Scores and CDs for theseinstruments are hardto find, ensemble scores even scarcer. And similarproblems exist withspecialized retailers.

With very few editors inChina, some teachers makenotebooks, transposingextracts in their ownarrangements. Since there isno teacher of bass clarinet,bass-players are very hard tocome by. As in the UnitedStates, there is a penury ofmusic classes in lower, juniorand high schools and incolleges. When I graduatedfrom Beijing Conservatory atthe age of 18, I was, in 1998,perhaps the first Chinese girlever to come study clarinet inFrance. My parents helped meand I worked to finance mystudies. I first studied at theConservatoire of the 13tharrondissement with J.F.Verdier whom I had met inBeijing. I went on to studywith Guy Dangain at theEcole Normale de Musiqueand then with Richard Vieilleand Franck Amet at the ParisCNR where I obtained aPremier Prix in 2005. I completed my training in March 2006 with ClaireVergnory at the Rueil CNR,taking master-classes atBuffet Crampon andVandoren whom I nowrepresent in China, workingfor the distributor Sodiam. In China, no-one knows whata CNR is (CNR: ConservatoireNational de Région). In

countries with a universitysystem like ours we think in terms of Bac +5, or theequivalent, in order to figureout just what a“Conservatoire Supérieur”means. So finding a job in a conservatoire as a teacheris very difficult, because youhave to have a recognizeddiploma. Hopefully things will evolve. In 2007 there wasa big brass band competitionin Beijing in the open air;each second year it takesplace in a hall. There arefestivals at the BeijingConservatory and clarinetand saxophone competitionsare planned. China is movingand developing. In time, therewill be more good orchestras.More and more students wantto go to study in France: theywant to get to know Frenchmusic. That was the directionI took for myself anyway. I love France, its music, its people. The French and the Chinese have manythings in common.”

Welcome to China!

V A N D O J A M S

TK Blue

New-York

- septe

mbre 200

5

Eric ProstAnimateur de la Vandojam à Lyon

Baptiste HerbinVandojam - Paris - 5 décembre 2006

Olivier Temime et Michael CheretParis - avril 2007

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Marti

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Nantes

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Francis Bourrec

Paris - La cinquantième !

Lee Koni

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Mark Gro

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New-Yo

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2005

David Sandborn et Mark GrossNew-York - août 2006

Antonio Hart

New-York - septemb

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2120

The Vandojam, a monthly jam session hosted by saxophonistMichel Cheret celebrated its 50th edition this year! One of thehigh points being the Vandojam for the Vandoren centennial inDecember 2005 which took place after the awards ceremony atthe Jazz Academy. Initially programmed, in 2003, at the newrestaurant-jazzclub “Autour de Midi” (11, rue Lepic), Vandojams

have now migrated to the Sunside, rue des Lombards in Paris and beentaken up elsewhere in France and abroad.

The 50th Vandojam, May 2nd 2007 at the Sunside, Paris:

On this occasion we had the pleasure of entertaining the Parisian jazz scene overa friendly drink. The press turned up (Jean Michel Proust, François Lacharmeetc…), as did the musicians. There was no particular theme for this Vandojam,once again a full house ; though the tenor saxophone was the star of the night.Michel Cheret hosted with his habitual enthusiasm and talent. Our “godfather”Francis Bourrec, accompanied by the Vandojam band, Mathias Allamane onbass, Philippe Soiret on drums and Vincent Strazzieri on piano, opened thenight. In the course of what followed, we were able to applaud NicolasMontier, Olivier Témime, Eric Prost (our leader of the Lyons Vandojam at the HotClub), Alexandre Grimal in duo with Boris Blanchet, Michel Goldberg, along withmany other saxophonists also present (David Prez, Hervé Méschinet, Olivier Bogé…). A Vandojam also took place on May 2nd in Nantes, led by the saxophonistSylvain Del Campo.

Vandojams have already taken place in other French cities like Bordeaux, Toulouseor Nantes. At the Lyons Hot-Club, Eric Prost led, for example, on June 20th a

homage to John Scofield and Joe Lovano. Vandojams also draw jazzmen fromall over when programmed in festivals like Vienne, Marciac, La Rochelle…

They have also spread to elsewhere in Europe, like in Llubljana,and to the North American continent (Montreal, with saxopho-

nist Yannick Rieu), New York (with Mark Gross), Chicago,Los Angeles…

vandojazz.com, the place for info on all theVandojams, the artists, with photos, video extracts,

etc.

W E B S I T E S

The Vandoren Sheet Music section opened in 1993 at 56 rue Lepic* for musicians keen to access a wide rangeof sheet music for clarinet and saxophone, along with specialized advice in this field. The Internet sheet musicsite, created in 2005, is a logical extension of the store,replacing catalogues now often out of print. Fitted withadvanced search motors (by composer, arranger, title, category, etc.), soon the site will also feature extracts from

scores. Since January, 2006, CDs in stock at the rue Lepic store have also been added,making many artists available worldwide.

The selection

A selection representing every style: classical, jazz, klezmer, pop/rock, etc., chosen fromhundreds of different editors, large and small, within France and abroad. Established teaching methods, collections of studies and instrumental pieces with piano accompani-ment are available. Along with a wide choice of new music for musicians interested in awidely varied classical repertoire, klezmer music, or folk music from Eastern Europe. Andscores to meet a growing demand for quartet repertoire, and music for clarinet and saxo-phone ensembles.

www.vandorenscores.coman exceptional range of sheet music

vandoren.comThe main site for details about Vandoren productsand a range of information: download Vandorenmagazine, musician bios, current events (concerts inFrance, events with the participation of Vandoren),mouthpiece and reed manufacturing (a tour of thecane-fields and the factory, diaporama), extracts fromVandoren videos on sale (DVD of masterclasses byGuy Deplus and Karl Leister, interview with MarcelMule on VHS cassette), listing of international distri-butors, etc.

vandojazz.fr or vandojazzusa.comThe jazz and Vandojam site, performers’ impressions, shots of an event or an artist, photos, videos…

To orderor ask for advice

* opening hours:The store is open to thepublic from Monday toFriday: mornings from 10amto 12.30/ afternoons from2pm to 4.30 (note thatFriday we close at 4 pm)

by telephone: advice : +33 1 53 41 83 08direct orders : +33 1 53 41 83 03

by fax:+33 1 53 41 83 02

by emailpartitions@vandoren.fr

On the site, security facilitiesfor credit card payment (Visa or Eurocard/Mastercard)

To receive update info:For details about scorereleases, a listing of concertsin France, information aboutyour instrument, send anemail to jmpaul@vandoren.frindicating your instrumentand musical style.

NAV I G AT I O N T I P S

Advanced search if you know an exact termThe “Free search” zone allows you to enter a term (last name of a composer,a keyword from a title, etc.). But pay attention to the original language of theeditor; for space reasons, it has not been always possible to give the French,English and German equivalents of certain titles (for example, for“Christmas” music, you should also look under “Noël”). At any time you canof course click on a composer in the unfolding menu.

Categories is practical for a search of a particular instrumental formationor a style. It gives an overview where everything is classified just like in therue Lepic store, under clarinet or saxophone, classical or jazz, teachingmethods, studies, one or more instruments etc. More importantly, you cansearch for scores without a full title. For example: under “klezmer”, you willfind scores (by, for example, Giora Feidman or other artists) which do notnecessarily have “klezmer” in the title. You can also open the unfoldingmenu in the top left (under Clarinet, Saxophone, Music Theory, CDs) to navi-gate in finer subdivisions.

News enables you to check out recent releases.

ò

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