Here is one of MANY good questions people have asked Pacific Symphony! Ask YOURS at www.pacificsymphony.org/asktheorchestra
Interview with Pacific Symphony’s featured soloist Benjamin Lulich
Our Principal Clarinetist Ben Lulich is playing the solo in Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto in A Major, K. 622, during Sundays at Soka, when Pacific Symphony, led by Music Director Carl St.Clair also performs Mozart’s Symphony No. 39—at Soka Performing Arts Center, Sunday, April 21, at 8 p.m.
We took a moment to interview him about the piece and his life as a musician.
Pacific Symphony: How long have you been a member of Pacific Symphony?
Benjamin Lulich: This is my sixth season as Principal Clarinetist of Pacific Symphony. It is a great joy to share the stage with so many wonderful, gifted colleagues, and being featured as a soloist on this concert is a great honor.
PS: Please tell us more about the piece you are the soloist for, Mozart’s Concerto in A Major.
BL: Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto was written at the very end of Mozart’s life, his final concerto. It is performed frequently, and has even been used in films (“Out of Africa” and “The King’s Speech” among others). Mozart wrote this concerto so well, that you don’t need to do anything fancy with it to communicate to the audience. It is simply heavenly music; it is a joy to play it and a joy to listen to it.
PS: How did you come to choose a career as a musician?
BL: Choosing a life in music was not a difficult choice for me. I started playing clarinet when I was 11 years old, and as I learned the instrument, I enjoyed music more and more. By the time in was in eighth grade, I knew I wanted to be a musician, to perform in a symphony orchestra. All the hours practicing, all the music history and theory classes, were part of the formula to reach that goal. The work was hard, but the choice was easy.
PS: You’ve played for recordings and film scores such as “Water for Elephants” and “The Tourist,” will you please tell us more about that experience? Has there ever been an instance where you’ve stumbled across a recording you’ve made and if so, how did you react?
BL: I enjoy performing for film scores and record albums. It is enlightening to see some of the “behind-the-scenes” process that takes place before a film is presented to the audience. There was one time I was in Barnes and Noble and the music that was being played sounded familiar. I got my iPhone out, and used the app Shazam to see what the music was. It turned out to be a song from a Barbra Streisand album I had played!
PS: Is there any advice you can give to young musicians hoping to continue with a future in music?
BL: Work hard, learn everything you can about music, always be ready to play your best.
Who wants to sees this movie, precious?
www.reriteofspring.org
A cover Of Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring by German Death Metal Band Golem.
Do you have an interpretation of The Rite of Spring, whether it be music, art, dance or otherwise? Submit it to The ReRite of Spring Project.
People think The Rite of Spring was a pagan Russian ritual, but Giorgio A. Tsoukalos, the foremost authority on “Ancient Astronaut Theory” knows that it was actually ALIENS!
Do you have a different take on The Rite of Spring? Submit yours here:
www.reriteofspring.org
The ReRite of Spring Project
www.reriteofspring.org
BE A PART OF HISTORY!
Attention Musicians, Artists, Dancers/Choreographers & the Creatively-Inclined! Create your own Rite of Spring-inspired works (remixes, artworks, videos, memes, anything you can dream up).
The artists who conceived The Rite of Spring broke all the rules and defied convention. Now, Pacific Symphony invites you to do the same.
Have your work presented at Pacific Symphony events!
Download free orchestral recordings of The Rite of Spring to remix!
Learn more about The Rite of Spring!
Be inspired by what others have done!
