Karl Leister
Karl Leister is one of the leading clarinetists of his generation, spreading his career across several fronts as a member of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra for more than three decades; as a soloist strongly identified with Mozart, Weber, Spohr, and countless other composers; and as a chamber player who performed with many of the leading pianists, string players, and singers on the international scene. Leister has made more than 100 recordings for a variety of labels, including Teldec, Sony Classical, EMI, Deutsche Grammophon, BIS, Camerata, Orfeo, and others. He has also served as a teacher and founded the chamber ensemble Berlin Soloists.
Leister was born in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, on June 15, 1937. His first musical instruction came from his father, also a clarinetist, who was a member of the RIAS-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin. Young Karl studied at the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin from 1953-1956. From 1957-1959 he served as clarinetist in the orchestra of the Komische Oper Berlin. In 1959 Leister became a member of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, where he would remain, mostly as the principal clarinetist, until 1993. It is acknowledged that conductor Herbert von Karajan had exerted considerable influence on Leister's style and career.
Early on in his Berlin years Leister branched out into solo appearances and chamber music and also made a number of recordings. In 1986 he founded the chamber ensemble Berlin Soloists, a group whose members came from the Berlin Philharmonic and Berlin Radio Symphony orchestras, as well as from the faculties at the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg and the Hochschule für Musik Köln.
Throughout the 1980s and '90s Leister turned out numerous recordings for many labels in varied repertory. 1993 saw the Teldec release of Prokofiev's Overture on Hebrew Themes and Quintet and the Hindemith Octet performed by the Berlin Soloists, while the following year brought Mozart nocturnes and divertimenti, with Fischer-Dieskau and other artists on Orfeo. These were but two in a continuous flow of recordings with various artists, orchestras, and chamber ensembles.
Leister accepted a professorship at the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin in 1994 and departed that post in 2002. He remained active in the new century as a soloist and chamber musician. Among his later recordings is the the 2002 Camerata CD entitled Karl Leister Plays Romantic Clarinet Sonatas, which includes works by Mendelssohn, Reger, Rossini, Nielsen, and Danzi.
© TiVo
-
Weber: Clarinet Clarinet Concerto No. 1 in F Minor & Clarinet Concertino in E-Flat Major (Live)
Karl Leister, Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR, Hans Müller-Kray
Klassik - Erschienen bei SWR Mediaservices GmbH am 01.05.2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Opera Arrangements for Two Clarinets and Basset Horn (Arr. for Two Clarinets and Basset Horn)
Karl Leister, Laura Magistrelli, Luigi Magistrelli
Kammermusik - Erschienen bei Camerata Tokyo am 05.06.2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Reger's Clarinet Quintet - Mozart's Allegro
Karl Leister, Philharmonia Quartet Berlin
Kammermusik - Erschienen bei Camerata Tokyo am 16.03.1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Complete Clarinet Sonatas
Kammermusik - Erschienen bei Camerata Tokyo am 23.11.1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Spohr: Clarinet Concertos Nos. 2 & 3
Karl Leister, Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos
Klassik - Erschienen bei Orfeo am 01.01.2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Karl Leister Plays Classic Sonatas
Klassik - Erschienen bei Camerata Tokyo am 16.06.2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Clarinet Chamber Music
Klassik - Erschienen bei Brilliant Classics am 01.01.2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Clarinet Concerto & Clarinet Quintet
Karl Leister, Koji Toyoda, Gumma Symphony Orchestra
Klassik - Erschienen bei Camerata Tokyo am 27.07.2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Crusell: Clarinet Concertos Nos. 1-3
Karl Leister, Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Osmo Vänskä
Klassik - Erschienen bei BIS am 01.01.1986
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Leister Plays Adagio. After-Hours Classic, Vol. 5
Karl Leister, The Vienna String Quartet
Kammermusik - Erschienen bei Camerata Tokyo am 26.09.1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Clarinet Concertos
Karl Leister, Koji Toyoda, Gumma Symphony Orchestra
Klassik - Erschienen bei Camerata Tokyo am 16.11.1989
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Clarinet Concertos
Karl Leister, Koji Toyoda, Gumma Symphony Orchestra
Klassik - Erschienen bei Camerata Tokyo am 26.10.1986
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Karl Leister: Soireestücke
Kammermusik - Erschienen bei Camerata Tokyo am 20.07.2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Opera Fantasy
Kammermusik - Erschienen bei Camerata Tokyo am 05.07.2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Karl Leister: Solo
Klassik - Erschienen bei Camerata Tokyo am 26.05.2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo