Author of Instant help for Playing and Teaching The Clarinet

 Full review posted on Leslie’s fine clarinet site at URL:
http://www.lesliecraven.co.uk/reviews/review_ridenour.html

I recently bought a pair of clarinets from Ridenour Clarinet Products.

These were the “Lyrique” clarinets, manufactured in China to Tom Ridenour’s design specifications, shipped to Tom in America and hand finished by him…I play in the orchestra of Welsh National Opera as principal (Solo) clarinettist and these clarinets have been given a really extensive workout in the months I have had them and subjected to high profile engagements – even B.B.C. television performances. They came through with flying colours.

 I first performed with them in a school’s educational …No one noticed any difference in my sound or intonation except my 2^nd clarinettist noted my intonation was slightly better in places. I normally use Leblanc Opus clarinets, the development of which Tom was involved in (and this most probably accounts for the superior tuning scale of the Opus clarinet).

Recently, I played a B.B.C. televised concert from world renowned Bryn Terfel’s “Faenol” Festival (which is outdoors) in which I had two exposed solos. The first, “E Lucevan le Stelle” from Puccini’s “Tosca” and the second in the beautiful aria from “Samson and Delilah” by Camille Saint – Saens called “Mon coeur s’ouvre à ta voix”. Both solos came across on the broadcast with fine projection, good intonation and excellent evenness of note size and a silky tone with sensitive inflections made easy because of the amazing flexibility of the Lyrique.  I received a considerable number of compliments from colleagues and the General Director of Welsh National Opera (my boss). When I told the Director I was playing hard rubber clarinets he could not believe it.  (Formerly he was employed as General Director at the Metropolitan Opera and is a great friend and admirer of the playing of Ricardo Morales - so he knows a thing or two about the clarinet and how it should sound.)

I explored the possibility of using them simply because I needed a spare pair of clarinets to leave in my locker at the Opera house. I had experienced a lot of problems with cracking barrels and was very concerned my wooden clarinets may crack. I thought the rubber material ideal, being impervious to the dry atmospheric conditions in the Opera house (there were major humidity problems – the air was too dry lots of instruments were cracking) so I contacted Tom and he sent me a pair of the Lyrique clarinets to try.

I had previously bought one of Ridenour’s C clarinets –– which I use exclusively instead of my wooden C –– and found this instrument to be excellent. I was quietly confident that there would be little risk of disappointment in buying these instruments from Tom because he is a man of great integrity and very honest and also the closest thing to being a “genius” in clarinet acoustics.

 There is currently a lot of concern about cheap imports made in China and in my opinion these concerns are justified. In the case of Tom Ridenour’s clarinets manufactured in China I must stress he has been painstaking to ensure that they are excellent value for money...Unfortunately, some unscrupulous entrepreneurs have flooded the market with really excessively cheap instruments (which have been made to a very low manufacturing costing to gain maximum profit) and I am concerned there is a danger that clarinets such as the instruments designed by Tom Ridenour will be “tarred with the same brush”. The reason for this lengthy article is to dispel any fears these clarinets are of inferior quality.

I found the upper register of the Lyrique to be the equal if not superior to my Opus clarinets in terms of quality of sound and intonation….The clarinets were tested using Brad Behn mouthpieces and checked for intonation on an advanced fine tuning programme designed by Alistair Logan, which measures notes in megahertz (not cents as on normal tuners) and is considerably more accurate. They proved to be more in tune than any clarinet I have tried. No clarinet can be said to be perfectly in tune and at best compromises must be made but the Lyrique has the closest twelfth and octave relationship of any clarinet I have tried.

 In summary:

 1. Expressive playing is easy [on the Lyriques] – there is less resistance in the bore (especially on the A clarinet) and this facilitates crossing all registers – no “bump” going over the third break from thumb  C to D. This also enables incredibly light staccato – I am playing them currently in Rossini’s “Cenerentola” and the fast, light, piano staccato is achieved with much greater ease than on wooden clarinets without loss of quality. (N.B. the sound quality is a very slightly more cushioned sound than my Opus clarinets and the size of sound slightly less sonorous in the low register in particular but the upper register “sings” very easily and in some ways I prefer it to the Opus.)

2. Intonation, stability of pitch and evenness are a blessing. All of these things are essential to a professional player and the Lyrique delivers all of these qualities. I played in both hot studios and cold outdoors concerts – the Lyriques dealt with both situations in excellent fashion.

3. Weight: they are very light on the thumb and ideal for ageing professionals (like me) and young players alike, being considerably lighter than Grenadilla clarinets without corresponding loss of quality in sound.

4.  Cost. They are easily affordable for most aspiring clarinettists and particularly for those young players who can only afford to buy one wooden clarinet but need to play in an orchestra and require an A clarinet – a matched pair of Lyrique clarinets costs less (case and 4 barrels included) than one conventional professional model wooden clarinet.

For professional clarinettists the ease of staccato, facile high register and lighter quality of sound available at great ease especially in piano will be a terrific option for those like me having to perform a wide variety of styles of music from Mozart to Rossini, Berg and Macmillan. The Lyrique may not necessarily be my ideal choice for Tchaikovsky operas, but I would choose it for Mozart, Rossini, French music and certainly most chamber works, also for recitals with piano.

 About the Reviewer: Leslie Craven is one of Britain's most respected and accomplished clarinetists. Until 1993, when he moved to Wales to enjoy the relaxed lifestyle, he was one of London's busiest freelance principal clarinetists in every musical genre. He is widely known throughout U.K. and overseas as a soloist, principal clarinetist, pedagogue and author, recording artist, examiner and conductor of orchestras and wind ensembles. He gives master classes in his studio at home and in several other notable establishments.

Leslie lives in Monmouth in the beautiful Wye Valley (see www.wyevalleytourism.co.uk) and enjoys walking in the surrounding hills with his family and Rhodesian Ridgeback dog "Themba". He is often found flyfishing and watching cricket and tending to his Bonsai trees when not performing.