In Wednesday’s (11/7) Chicago Tribune, John von Rhein writes, “Clark Brody, who was principal clarinet of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under four music directors, from his hiring in 1951 until his retirement in 1978, died Saturday, Nov. 3, at 98. He and his wife Donna lived in Evanston. At the invitation of then music director Rafael Kubelik, Brody joined the CSO in 1951 as first clarinet. He was then fresh out of the CBS Symphony Orchestra, in which he also played principal clarinet from 1941 to 1950. Brody’s elegant phrasing and rich, woody sound were evident in everything he played as an ensemble member, soloist and chamber musician. Yet his musicianship was so flexible that he could readily adapt to whatever musical style was at hand. His reliability as a performer and section leader earned him the respect of his CSO colleagues in addition to that of music directors Kubelik, Fritz Reiner, Jean Martinon and Georg Solti. He stepped down roughly a decade into Solti’s directorship. … During his years in Chicago he also coached the clarinet section of the CSO’s training orchestra, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and taught at Northwestern University as well as in private.”
Posted November 7, 2012
