# Widely considered one of the greatest clarinetists on the planet: Video

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2017/09/22/widely-considered-one-greatest-clarinetists-planet-video/
- Published: 2017-09-22T12:36:29+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**22.09. – Happy Birthday !!! Only a select few artists have the ability to convey
their message to the back row, to galvanize an audience with a visceral power that
connects on a universal level. David Krakauer is such an artist. Widely considered
one of the greatest clarinetists on the planet, he has been praised internationally
as a key innovator in modern klezmer as well as a major voice in classical music.**

Known simply as “Krakauer” to his fervent following, he is nothing less than an 
American original who has embarked on a tremendous journey transforming the music
of his Eastern European Jewish heritage into something uniquely contemporary. That
journey has lead Krakauer to an astounding diversity of projects and collaborations
ranging from solo appearances with orchestras to major festival concerts with his
own improvisation based bands.

He has shared the stage with a wide array of artists such as the Klezmatics, Fred
Wesley, Itzhak Perlman, Socalled, Eiko and Koma, Leonard Slatkin and Iva Bitova 
while being sought after by such composers as Danny Elfman, Osvaldo Golijov, David
Del Tredici, John Zorn, George Tsontakis, Mohammed Fairouz and Wlad Marhulets to
interpret their works. In addition, he has performed with renowned string quartets
including the Kronos, Tokyo and the Emerson and as soloist with orchestras such 
as the Orchestre de Lyon, the Orquestra Sinfonica de Madrid, the Phoenix Symphony,
the Brooklyn Philharmonic, the Dresdener Philharmonie and the Detroit Symphony, 
among many others.

Writer Mark Stryker hinted at the visceral nature of Krakauer’s performance in his
Detroit Free Press review: “Krakauer played with astounding virtuosity and charisma.
A furiously improvised cadenza leapt between low and high registers in a way that
suggested John Coltrane, building to an excited peak. After the concerto he also
offered an encore, improvising by himself with an air of ritual, before playing 
a swift klezmer dance with the orchestra.”

Having been showered with accolades for his groundbreaking work in classical, klezmer
and jazz, Krakauer now finds himself at an artistic crossroads and is ready to make
a daring leap into a new phase in his career. His next project, The Big Picture,
may be his most adventurous to date. With an all-star crew of fellow musical renegades,
Krakauer is re-imagining familiar themes by such renowned film music composers as
John Williams, Marvin Hamlisch, Randy Newman, Wojciech Kilar and Vangelis, as well
as interpreting melodic gems by the likes of Sidney Bechet, Sergei Prokofiev, Mel
Brooks, Ralph Burns, John Kander & Fred Ebb and Jerry Bock that have appeared in
popular films. Having already contributed to films by directors Ang Lee and Sally
Potter, Krakauer now takes on the challenge of bringing a modernist vision to tunes
that resonate on a deeply emotional level with generations of moviegoers.

“For me, it’s like putting on a new suit of clothes,” says Krakauer of The Big Picture.“
And this project is also a way for me to connect the dots of all the music I’ve 
been playing throughout my career. So I’m very excited about this new step we’re
taking.”

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