Gervase de Peyer as I knew him

Clarinettist who had Aaron Copland, Paul Hindemith and Francis Poulenc queuing up to have their works performed by him. The Times An intimate portrait of the famous classical clarinettist Gervase de Peyer by his wife and partner of forty years. A musicians’ musician, Gervase was admired by his peers for extending the range of the clarinet as a solo instrument, inspiring many acclaimed classical composers to write with his tone in mind, and for the musical brilliance and flair that spurred his international career, including as principal clarinet of the London Symphony Orchestra and a founding member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Through accounts of Gervase’s collaborations with Aaron Copland, Arthur Benjamin, Antal Dorati, Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Boulez, Berthold Goldschmidt, Joseph Horowitz, Thea Musgrave, Daniel Barenboim, Jacqueline du Pré and others, this memoir illumines a fascinating time in classical music.