 Courtesy
of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra |
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra Brass Section has long been renowned for its mighty sound and spectacular power. The origins of the legendary CSO brass can be traced back to the early days of the orchestra - driven, in part by a Germanic repertory favored by early music directors, in which the CSO excelled. As each of the Orchestra's subsequent music directors put his own stamp on the CSO's style of playing, the Chicago Symphony always maintained its essential strong, robust and brilliant sound.
Over the years, the fabled "Chicago sound" was defined by it's distinctive style of brass playing, particularly in the 1950's under the baton of Fritz Reiner. Led by principal Trumpet Adolph "Bud" Herseth (1948-2001) and anchored by tubist Arnold Jacobs (1944-1988). The section's sound - characterized by precision, brilliance, and the fullness of its tonal color throughout the entire section and in all dynamic ranges - developed an identity distinct from other orchestral brass sections.
In February, 1966 music
director Jean Martinon appointed twenty six year old Dale Clevenger
as Principal Horn.
Dale Clevenger is a versatile musician in many areas, including
chamber music, jazz, commercial recordings, and solos.
The brass tradition grew under music director
Georg Solti, the
splendor
of this unmistakable sound helped to define the Chicago Symphony
Orchestra as a world-class institution.
Arnold Jacobs commented that
Clevenger was "One of the best in the business." The next generation of members of the CSO brass section came in as Daniel Barenboim became
music director. One of the anchors of the section is Dale Clevenger,
still principal horn.
During his tenure of over forty years, Clevenger has played, and studied with the world's finest conductors learning from the masters and launching another career - conducting. For fourteen seasons he conducted the Elmhurst Symphony and has conducted The Chicago Symphony's training orchestra, The Civic Orchestra of Chicago along with orchestras around the world.
Portions from CSO Program December 9 & 20, 2007