Article
Interview with Paul Baronnat
Interview with Michael Winter
Interview with René Lesieux

Every once in a while, someone does something that really surprises everyone. The exciting recent developments in oboe design at Buffet Crampon are such an event. The new Buffet model of 1992 is very special, and before I launch into the interview itself I'd like to take a moment to describe this oboe.

Buffet has been developing a new oboe since 1988. The instruments I've played in the past were nice, but they weren't there yet. I figured you've got to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince, right? At any rate, a new prototype was completed in just the past few months, and it is a terrific instrument. Where does the sound of the Buffet oboe fit into the scheme of things? The Buffet oboe is quite different from a Marigaux or Laubin, both of which are simply darker than the Buffet in tonal concept. There are definitely some similarities-as well as many differences-between the Buffet and the Rigoutat, in that both have sounds which occupy a middle ground in the spectrum of bright to dark. Buffet has a number of similarities to a Lorée-most noticeably projection and brilliance-though the Buffet is darker than the Lorée. The Buffet oboe is also impressively even throughout the registers, and the scale is impeccable. The legendary Dupin worked for Buffet for a year helping to design this oboe, and the Buffet oboes certainly reflect his influence. In some circles, to say an oboe is like a Dupin is to say it can walk on water. The Buffet isn't as good as a Dupin-it's better. In my opinion, it's more flexible, it's better in tune and it's more responsive. It's slightly warmer than a Lorée, but not uncomfortably different. If Buffet is able to make instruments on the level of the oboes I played this spring, an unusually fascinating stage will be set. Bravo to all the people at Buffet-especially oboe designer René Lesieux-whose combined talents have made this oboe possible. It's great to see this kind of quality in a new oboe. Imagine the many fine qualities of a Lorée, but a slightly richer sound endowed with lots of flexibility and a super great scale. Well, let's see what happens! Now, some words about my visit to the Buffet Crampon factory-which is about an hour outside Parisduring the fall of 1991.

The most intriguing aspect of my visit to the Buffet Crampon factory in Mantes-la-Ville, France, was Buffet's production capabilities. In the professional oboe world, Marigaux and Lorée have the biggest productions, each making over one thousand instruments a year. But seeing something like the Buffet set-up-where they make twenty-two thousand clarinets a year-is just mind-boggling. I saw one huge computerized milling machine that drilled all the holes, and did the undercutting on forty instruments at once. No one was even standing there! It has to be seen to be believed. With the right oboe, Buffet could change the oboe world, since they have the capabilities to make more oboes than all the competition combined. For this reason, it's going to be fascinating to see how the Buffet oboe develops over the next few years.

Before speculating about the future, I'd like to go backwards for just one moment and mention a few words about the history of Buffet. Buffet Crampon has one of the oldest and most distinguished histories in French musical instrument manufacture. The company began in Paris during the year 1825. Louis-Auguste Buffet teamed up with the clarinet professor at the Paris Conservatoire, Hyacinthe Eleonor Klose, and together they launched the first Boehm system clarinets in 1839which they had adapted from Theobald Boehm's new innovations for the flute. Although best known for their clarinets, Buffet Crampon also made oboes, bassoons, and saxophones. For example, during the year 1889, Buffet Crampon won exhibition awards in France for forty-two different instruments. Buffet Crampon of today merged with the British-based Boosey & Hawkes group of companies in 1981. This conglomerate includes Schreiber bassoons and clarinets, Besson brasses, and other European and British string instrument, bow, and case making companies.

Think about it for a moment. Fifteen years ago, there wasn't too much of a choice for quality oboes. We complained-andmade-do because we didn't have many alternatives. But now, between numerous improvements as well as the exciting new models of the established makers, plus the outstanding newcomers into the oboe market such as Buffet and Fossati, there's a little smorgasbord of world class oboes being made. I can't think of a more exciting time to be an oboe player; we are going to be challenged continually to redefine our musical personalities as well as what we are looking for in an oboe via an appropriate choice of instrument. This is a luxury we simply didn't have in the past. There was so little real choice before, and now there is so much-what a wonderful challenge for everyone.

Readers should be aware that this article consists of three entirely separate interviews in the following sequence: Paul Baronnat, Michael Winter and René Lesieux. To avoid confusion, please note that Mr. Baronnat was present during the Winter interview, and made a few extra comments during that interview. For helping me to arrange my visit to the Buffet factory in Mantes-la-Ville, as well as for practical assistance and information, I am grateful to Jack Faas and Ken Yohe of Boosey & Hawkes/Buffet Crampon. For assistance and advice on translations I am, as always, very thankful to my friend, Wayne Marshall.

NP: Tell me a bit about your own background.

PB: I've been a semi-professional singer for many years. Working at Buffet, it's been impossible to continue professionally, but I used to sing with the Chorus of the Orchestre de Paris. I have been fortunate to have worked for many of the great conductors of the world, and it was a real thrill for me. One of my strengths, I think, is that I understand the mentality of musicians. I was at the office of RCA in Paris for ten years before I came to Buffet. I was the labor manager for classical music. Here at Buffet, there are certain people I really enjoy working with. One is René Lesieux, who is the head of our oboe project. René was born at Buffet... he has worked here for thirty-five years.

NP: How did you get interested in working here?

PB: Well, after ten years at RCA, I had done everything I could do there. It was time for a change!

NP: Why musical instruments?

PB: Well, because my life is music! Music has always driven my life. I don't think I could change now, I don't think I could work outside the music field. I enjoy the artists too much.

NP: That reminds me of a funny story about when I started my business. People told me I would hate it because oboe players are crazy. I looked these people straight in the face and said, "I know. I am one!" I would say that about 10% of my customers are really, really nuts. But I love them-they're wonderful!

NP: Can you tell me a bit about Monsieur Dupin's relationship to the Buffet oboe?

PB: Three or four years ago, Dupin came here to work with us. That was his idea. He had been in Switzerland, and he wanted to work for us, or Selmer, or Lorée. Well, nobody in France wanted to hire him. Then, a year and a half ago, he came back to us again, since he knew we were working hard on our oboes. Daniel Arrignon was our oboe tester at that time, and there were some problems between him and Buffet. So, finally Dupin joined us and, for a year, we worked very closely with Dupin. But, we think that Dupin never really wanted to give all his knowledge. It was a good opportunity for him, but he didn't tell us everything he knew. For us, though, it was also an opportunity. But after a year, we got to the point where we needed him to tell us morehis secrets-and he wouldn't. So, Dupin left Buffet. It was also very difficult to work with him, because he is a difficult person. Nevertheless, he gave us a lot of good ideas, and they were precious for us.

NP: So the work he did do for you was good, and you were glad to have had him here?

PB: Yes.

NP: Would you say that the Buffet oboe today reflects his influence?

PB: Yes. It is not a Dupin oboe, but es hi s influence is there. Now, things are changing a bit with Jean-Louis Capezzali, our new tuner. He wants to make some bore changes, and other small changes.

NP: Incidentally, how many employees do you have at Buffet?

PB: Two hundred here at Buffet Crampton. All together, with our sister companies, we employ one thousand workers. This includes companies in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, plus our affiliates all over the world-Japan, the U.S., Canada, Australia, etc.

NP: How does the size of Buffet compare with the size of Selmer-which is right down the street?

PB: Buffet is smaller. Selmer has six hundred workers. Buffet's annual sales are about one hundred million francs. Selmer's sales are about one hundred sixty million. But we have far fewer employees than they do. If you divide the sales by the number of employees, we are doing a lot better than they are right now. Incidentally, saxophones are the bulk of the Selmer production; they make about fifteen or seventeen thousand saxophones a year.

NP: Do you tell people how many clarinets you make in a year, or is that a secret?

PB: No, that is not a secret! For 1992, we will make about twenty-two thousand clarinets. The Schreiber factory in Germany, which is also part of our group of companies, will make about twenty-five thousand clarinets. They make a student model clarinet, and they also make a very small production of German system professional clarinets.

NP: How long has Buffet been in Mantes?

PB: Since 1950.

NP: Many years ago you made an oboe with Pierlot. Do you know when those instruments were made?

PB: No, I don't know exactly. But five or six years ago we stopped making oboes. We also reduced our saxophone production at that time. The costs were too high, and we were experiencing financial difficulties. Then, after three years, when our financial health improved, we decided to start making oboes again. Daniel Arrignon was our oboe tuner at that time.

NP: When you started making oboes again, whose idea was it?

PB: René Lesieux's and mine. We decided together.

NP: So when you started again, it was a new oboe-a new design.

PB: Yes, absolutely. This is where Dupin came in. The bore and the sound of the new Buffet oboe are very different from what they were. After all, the sound conception of a man like Pierlot is not the same as it is today.

NP: Yes. We would call that the old French sound.

PB: Yes! I never really liked it, but that was it, that was the old-fashioned sound. A somewhat thin double reed sound.

NP: What is the size of your oboe production right now?

PB: It's about twenty-five a month of the professional models and, for 1993, we want to make fifty oboes a month.

NP: Incidentally, do you make a French bassoon?

PB: Yes, we do! But it's only for France. We have problems now because nearly all the conductors in France are from other countries, and they insist on the German bassoon-the fagott. This is a little crazy when you think that in Berlin or Vienna, if a clarinet player is told to play on a Boehm system (i.e. French) clarinet, they refuse. But in France, you have to play on the German bassoon!

NP: Does that mean it's the end of the French bassoon?

PB: Some bassoonists have asked us if we will stop our production of French bassoons. But I say never! It's the French school, and it's impossible for us to stop production. We will make about eighty French bassoons this year. Of course, that doesn't compare to the number of German bassoons made in the world. Schreiber alone makes a thousand bassoons a year. They have six or eight models, as well.

NP: Can you tell me a bit about the new designs you have been working on recently at Buffet?

PB: Well, we have several instruments right now which are new, and we really want them to be successful. We have a new model saxophone, the harmony clarinet, plus the oboe. We have two wonderful tuners working with us on the harmony clarinets, and these instruments have improved a lot. We had lost a part of that market to Selmer and Leblanc. Three years ago, for example, we were making a total of sixty bass clarinets a year. Our confirmed production schedule for 1992 is one thousand bass clarinets.

NP: Are you saying that the right testers made the difference in terms of the success of these instruments?

PB: Yes, because our instruments weren't so great! But these two testers did a great job, and the instrument is so much better now. These two men were with Leblanc before they joined us. When it's a question of Leblanc or us, I prefer us! Monsieur Capezzali, our new oboe tester, came to us from Rigoutat. He approached us on his own. He was interested partly because we do so many master classes and exhibits throughout the world. We are real go-getters.

NP: Now, in terms of oboe markets in the world, which countries are the strongest markets for you?

PB: Japan and the United States. Ironically, the most difficult country is France. That's because most of the oboe manufacturers are in France, and it's very competitive.

NP: Why do you think the U.S. market will be easier for you than Europe?

PB: Because the players are quite conservative here in Europe, and they are happy with their old instruments. For example, two years ago we introduced a new model clarinet, the 'Elite' clarinet. France has been the very last country to accept it. Now, the French are just beginning to play this clarinet.

NP: I was speaking with Philippe Rigoutat the other day, and we were talking about the future of oboe manufacture. He said that the world has enough oboe makers, and enough oboes. He does not want to increase his production because he thinks it would be difficult to find new markets. But here you are, coming in with a new oboe and, if Philippe were here, he would say this is going to be very difficult.

PB: But I like challenges! Let's say there is a cake. Right now we don't have a piece of it. But I like cake! Understand?

NP: Got it. So you think you can succeed.

PB: Yes. But you are right. There are so man oboe makers-Fossati, Marigaux, Rigoutat, Lorée, Howarth, Yamaha, and Buffet. It's too many. think that in five years or so-assuming we are all still alive in this world-some of these manufacturers will not be doing well. Yamaha is a big strong company, so they will be there. Boosey & Hawkes is a large company. Lorée is a strong company. I just don't know about the others. On this Philippe Rigoutat is right. With roughly the same amount of players, but with more and more oboe makers who want a part of the market, it becomes a question of money, liquidity, and the financial strength of a company.

NP: Of course that's part of it. It's great to have money, no doubt about it! But the other part is that you have to have a great instrument. You have to have both. Yamaha, for example, has all the money in the world, but I personally don't know of a single professional oboist in the U.S. who plays a Yamaha oboe.

PB: We are Number One in clarinets, and for the Buffet team, it's a real challenge. Being Number One in anything is the most difficult position to be in! Four years ago I said we had to improve the harmony clarinet in order to consolidate our position in the clarinet world. Now we are working on our oboes and saxophones.

NP: Let me ask you a question about the clarinet. You are already in the best position in the world. How hard do you have to work to keep that position? I'm asking this because in France there's an attitude that if something works, leave it alone and don't try to improve it-if it ain't broke, don't fix it. This is not a typical American business attitude, but you do find it a lot in France. Here at Buffet your attitude seems to be more American, which is that if it works, let's make it even better!

PB: Well, Buffet is always improving. Our new 'Elite' clarinet is a good example. Being Number One, we must continually show that we are the best-always doing research, always working on new ideas and better models. In the clarinet world, it seems like every day we are attacked by Yamaha, Selmer, and Leblanc. We have to keep the top players of the world on a Buffet! It's very difficult, because everyone wants a piece of our cake. But I really like our position in oboe. We have absolutely nothing to lose because we are just starting. So, I don't have to worry! After all, zero is zero.

NP: Do you think your oboe has similarities to any other oboes in the world?

PB: It's a bit like Dupin. Maybe not so far from

Lorée. Of course, the French manufacturers have ail improved their oboes, and the world is moving more and more towards one type of sound, I am afraid. The differences between the sounds of the Orchestra de Paris and the Boston Symphony are smaller and smaller. I think this is partly because the conductors are the same.

NP: For the oboe project, what do you see as the biggest challenge for the future?

PB: The big challenge is to get into the oboe market. It's very exciting, really.

NP: It's all so interesting because for the oboe you are starting at zero. There is only one place to go, and that is up. But for the clarinet, on the other hand, you are on the top. What a contrast!

PB: Let us begin, and then we will have to meet you again!

NP: What is your strategy to make and market a great oboe?

MW: It all starts with the question of why make an oboe? We are terrifically strong in the clarinet world-everyone knows Buffet clarinets. Now we've developed our bass clarinet, and the whole range of the harmony clarinet. All of that is more or less completed. We realize, of course, that we are known for woodwind instruments. But we had stopped making oboes, and didn't have an oboe. So, in order to produce a wider range of woodwind instruments, really, we decided to develop the oboe.

NP: When did you begin at Buffet?

MW: In early 1986. That was when we had stopped making oboes, and we began again in 1988. The strategy with the oboe is to work closely with the players, since they are the people who are going to play the instruments.

NP: You have had so much success with your other instruments-Buffet certainly knows how to do it right. And now you are starting at the beginning with a new instrument. What have you learned from your success that you can apply to
the oboe?

MW: With the clarinet, we worked so closely with clarinet players all over the world and, therefore, we were able to give them the instrument they were looking for.

NP: It took a long time, though! Buffet clarinets have been around for about one hundred and seventy years, right?

MW: Exactly.

NP: But here you are with a new oboe, and boom, it's on the market!

MW: Well, today you have to go a lot faster, since everyone else moves at such high speeds, too. We don't have one hundred and seventy years right now! The development time for our oboe was two years, which is very fast.

NP: Looking towards the future, where would you like to be in the oboe world in five to ten years?

MW: With the oboe, we want to be among the leaders. I think I may say that we are Number One in clarinets. There's a reason that we are Number One. From the figures we see now, we should be Number One in professional harmony clarinets in a year.

NP: And who do you see as your competition?

PB: The competition is Rigoutat, Lorée, and Marigaux. Our strategy has been to work with the players in many countries and with highly specialized dealers, since the oboe is such a special instrument. We have brilliant technicians and design people here. They travel, they talk to the players-bringing ideas back to production.

NP: What are your plans for a peculiar market like the United States?

MW: Why peculiar?

NP: Because most professional oboists play Lorée. In France, many professionals play Rigoutat, for example. It's very difficult in these situations to come in with a new oboe and even expect people to try it! A case in point: I can be doing some repairs for a principal oboe player in one of the great orchestras of the U.S.-a truly great player, whose playing is ravishingly beautiful. While the person is waitingwith nothing to do-I might have a little army of new Marigaux or Fossati oboes lined up, which I am just finishing tuning and servicing that day. I am always stunned that there are players who would not even play a scale on an oboe that doesn't say Lorée-not even a scale. The oboes are sitting right there, and the player has absolutely nothing to do. It makes me wish the world were a more open-minded place. So, how are you going to convince someone to try your oboe?

MW: We have to convince them of the quality of the instrument, and the quality of our sound. If we listen to them, we can develop the sound they want.

NP: My feeling about the American oboe! market is that one way to break the ice is with a less expensive oboe. That's exactly what Fossati did, and he has done really well. Fox did the same thing. It's a start if you're having trouble getting started! My experience is that if you can't convince the stars to try your oboe, you might be able to convince their students.

MW: No. We disagree. It has to come from the top players. Besides, it's not easy to make an oboe-it's very, very expensive to make an oboe. In our case, we can't even talk about cost, because, with a relatively small production like ours, they cost more than we sell them for right now! Just imagine two or three years of development!

NP: The million franc oboe?

MW: Well, it's a lot of money! We've never calculated it because then I'll have more grey hair than I already have! But we want to make a very good oboe. Then we will start with the professionals. If they are convinced that our oboe is as good-if not better-than what they have today, then they won't really care about the price. It's their tool. It's like our costs for machinery. We are looking for a very good sound and very good quality. We don't want to compromise about the price.

PB: Of course, I don't understand the policy of Fossati, making all those less expensive oboes. It's crazy.

MW: Don't forget that Buffet has a name. Everybody knows Buffet. Fossati started from nothing. With our bass clarinet, we started with the professionals. As soon as they bought them, everyone else did.

PB: Remember that our name is well known throughout the world. It's important to develop new products when you have an international reputation like ours. But it's not easy.

NP: Of course, if you can make an oboe on the same level as your clarinet, the world will be your oyster.

MW: Exactly. We love challenges!

NP: So I gather.

MW: This is not a static company. We all love it. It's really moving, and we all love challenges. The oboe is another one, so we'll tackle it!

PB: Nora says she talked with Philippe Rigoutat and he says there are already enough oboe makers. What do you say to that?

MW: Well, now there's another one called Buffet, and we'll take our piece of the cake!

NP: This is hilarious, since that's exactly what Paul said. You both went to the same school!

MW: We just want to have a good oboe, recognized by the professionals as the best. The rest comes automatically.

NP: Before we get into the details about your new oboe, I'd like to ask some candid questions about your oboe project. Michael Winter said that the only way into the oboe market is to have the best professional model oboe, recognized by professionals as the best. All the rest will follow automatically, he says. That has been your experience with clarinets, though you have been making clarinets for 137 years, so automatically wasn't actually automatically. Also, being Number One, being on top of the heap as you are with clarinets is a lot different from being one of several people in the top spot. With the oboe, there are already wonderful companies making wonderful instrumentsRigoutat, Lorée, Marigaux, Fossati, Howarth, etc. It's like you have Porsche, Saab, BMW, and Cadillac out there already. They are all different and they are all great. It seems to me that being Number One is irrelevant. I might prefer a Laubin and the next person prefers her Rigoutat. Fine! Not everyone who can afford an expensive car buys the same one. Do you agree or disagree, and do you personally think success will come automatically for your oboe?

RL: You must have a very fine quality oboe in order to be accepted in the ranks of the very best players. After we have succeeded with the very best players, then we will want to have other models as well. This is based on our experience in the past with our different models of the clarinet; we have a variety of different models for players in different countries. Our experience around the world as our oboe becomes accepted will tell us, really, what we need to do with other models. Our most important job right now is to work with the finest players in the world in order to find out what directions we need to go in.

NP: There's one other thing I'd like to bring up before we get started. There's one comment that Paul Barronat made in his interview which I would like to mention to you. Paul said that he thought Fossati was crazy, selling all those less expensive oboes though, as Michael Winter admitted, without the Buffet name, Fossati had to do something to get started. I would like to pause here to say that I admire Fossati tremendously for the courage to do what he has done, going out on his own, starting at zero with no money. How many people have the nerve to do what Fossati did in life? Far from being crazy, he did what he had to do to survive. Now he's
sold out with people screaming for his oboes. All this without two years of research and development, too-his first oboe was a winner, and it's still out there! It's the kind of Rags to Riches story that is really dear to the hearts of Americans-we love that stuff here. But be that as it may...

Realizing that the professional oboe market would take a while, Fossati made a smashing mid-priced oboe. That's how he survived economically. Far from being nuts, he's probably saner than most of us!

RL: When Paul said that Fossati was crazy, he meant, I think, that it is very difficult to make money selling mid-priced oboes. The profit margin in that price range is so very slim. The challenge for Fossati now is to make a very, very high quality professional model. Of course, I respect Fossati a great deal, having gone to work at the age of fourteen myself, too. I always have a lot of respect for the manufacturers. That's because I know how difficult it is to do things. Besides, I have a very good relationship with Fossati.

NP: If you were Fossati, what would you have done?

RL: It's always difficult to answer for someone else. His goal is the same as every manufacturer-to sell the professional models. That's where the profit is. One has to recognize that thus far, Fossati has not completely surpassed the mid-range. It's always through the professional models that one manages to sell the mid-range instruments. This is true for all the woodwinds.

NP: I'd like to change the subject to you for a moment, and ask a bit about your background, and how you came to Buffet.

RL: Well, I grew up and went to school in Mantes-la-Jolie, the town where the Buffet factory is located. I started at Buffet at the age of fourteen, as an apprentice. After three years, I was a journeyman. I worked on clarinets first, then I started working on complicated models of clarinets. I had the chance to work with the French system bassoon, and I had the opportunity to work with the great French bassoonist Maurice Allard. That was really when I learned how important it is to work with the musicians. Afterwards, I started training apprentices. Then I became a team leader, or a foreman.

When Monsieur Barronat arrived at Buffet, I was responsible for new models and the redesign of Buffet's bass clarinet. I also was involved in the design of our new model clarinet, the Elite clarinet. The financial situation at Buffet was very critical at the time Monsieur Barronat joined us in 1986, so we worked really hard to create successful new models. Our most important work was with the clarinet. Then came the redesign of the bass clarinet, and now the redesign of our oboe. We went to work with the conservatories and the music professors to give new life to our efforts. In 1988 we started to work on the oboe project with Monsieur Dupin. Dupin came to work with us for a year. We crossed out everything that had been done for Buffet oboes and started over again, so we built a completely new Buffet oboe. After Dupin left, I had the responsibility to continue the work with the oboe department. That was in November of 1990. We started selling the instruments in January of 1991, although our newest model is quite different from what we were making then!

NP: Not bad!

RL: I was lucky. We got off to a very good start, and started doing exactly what we needed to do.

NP: Can you compare the sound of a Buffet oboe to the sound of a Dupin oboe? What are the differences and the similarities?

RL: The Dupin oboe is a very fine instrument. The scale is excellent and the instrument is very stable. Its problems are that it's hard to play, and it's kind of stiff. Nevertheless, we noticed that the Dupin seemed to suit people very well. We had players who had played Dupin oboes and came to see us, like Jean-Louis Capezali and Guy LaRoche from Lyons. We made a real effort to keep higher standards of intonation than Dupin. We wanted a very well centered instrument, but also more flexible than the Dupin. Thus, we arrived at the oboe we have today.

NP: Could you give us your ideas of a comparison of your oboes with other French oboes? What are your aims?

RL: First of all, there is the physical quality of the instrument, its mechanical conception. I think that with Lorée and Buffet, we have the best two mechanical instruments in the world. And I think everybody recognizes this. So you see, I recognize the quality of Lorée instruments! Another good feature of our instrument is that keys are interchangable between instruments. So our instruments all feel alike. We are no longer at the mercy of the work of some artisan whose production is very personal. Then we have the acoustical qualities of the instrumentits colors, its personality. In this area we never sought to copy anyone, not Lorée, Rigoutat, or Dupin. We wanted a Buffet personality.

NP: And what is the Buffet personality?

RL: We wanted a flexible sound so that the instrument could demonstrate its colors and thereby blend well with other instruments. That's something that many instruments cannot do. A Buffet offers the musician a large palette of color.

NP: Do you think it has a wider palette of colors than some of the others?

RL: I think so. That's due to the flexibility of the instrument.

NP: If someone played a Buffet oboe with just one tonal color, let's say a not-so-talented player, what would that color be?

RL: The Buffet would have lots of charm because it has a colorful personality. This isn't the case with some other oboes. If you have an instrument that's a bit metallic or stiff, or if you don't have the right reed that day, or if you're not in good shape, the instrument will have no soul. Without sensitivity and soul, the musician can't communicate well. The instrument must provide the opportunity for this communication.

NP: So, in your opinion, the Buffet doesn't really compare to any other instrument.

RL: Well, let's say we have our own personality. It may not please everyone in the world, but it's our personality.

NP: By way of one comparison that comes to mind, you can get wonderful colors out of a Rigoutat oboe-it can do a lot. Their Symphony model oboe is a wonderful oboe.

RL: Yes, you have a lot of color with a Rigoutat, but we feel the Buffet may have even more to offer than the Rigoutat in terms of fine intonation.

NP: So, you feel that the Buffet is exceptionally stable?

RL: Oh yes.

NP: Does the Buffet have anything in common with the Lorée oboe?

RL: Lorée is our principal competitor in the market, so it's up to the musicians to judge. What we have seen and heard here indicates that we are on the right road. For example, yesterday at the New York Philharmonic, one of the players tried our instrument for five minutes and said, "I'll play it tonight." He played the concert on it without any problems, and now he is interested in Buffet. So the reaction is very good. That's why I say the market is going to make the decisions. Of course, I couldn't say that the Lorée is a bad instrument-I would never say that! Lorée is a good instrument but, even so, we feel it's a bit metallic in its tonal concept. You have to have a rather stiff reed to get real color out of it. But I am the first one to say I have a great deal of respect for the workers at Lorée.

NP: What kind of reception is this new model getting?

RL: The response from players has been wonderful.

NP: Exactly when did this model come out?

RL: This model is only two months old.

NP: You've told us what you think the best qualities of this instrument are-its flexibility and its color. Are there any other things you would still like to improve or that you are still working on?

RL: At Buffet, we always strive for quality, and we listen to the musicians, which means that we will always try to improve the instruments. Now we are determined to improve, and we've invested a lot of money and time in this instrument! Our next project is to work on the English horn-that's next year's project. And then the oboe d'amour.

NP: Basically, what you are saying is that you are waiting to see what the players have to say.

RL: Correct.

NP: Buffet is much bigger than the other oboe makers-Lorée, Marigaux, Rigoutat, and Fossati. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this difference in size?

RL: Currently, we are producing twenty-five oboes a month. We plan to reach fifty a month, so that we will have enough production to have a consistent and stable product, and to have a

team which is competent enough and strong enough to compete with the other makers. Lorée makes something like one hundred or one hundred and twenty-five oboes a month, and Marigaux is about the same. We need to have a similar production structure. When you have a small production, you may have only one workman doing certain tasks. When you have bigger production, you can have three or four doing each job. If one of them has an accident, you don't have to shut down!

NP: Most of us in the oboe world are used to working with much smaller companies than Buffet. We know everyone in a company and, hopefully, we are all friends. Is there going to be a difference with Buffet?

RL: At present, I have complete responsibility for the oboes. If you need something, I'm there. Of course, one of the biggest advantages of a large company is that we have the very best equipment. We have a computer to cut the keys. We have computerized lathes. But we also keep oboe and clarinet productions completely separate-the oboe production has its own workshop.

NP: If everything goes very well and your oboe project is a big success, how long will it take for you to become established as an oboe manufacturer? Will you be retired?

RL: No, of course not! I'm very young! I think we'll manage it in the next two years.

NP: Really?

RL: We have an example with the bass clarinet. The market was dominated by Leblanc. Now our image is consolidated with our new model. It took us between three and five years for the bass clarinet.

NP: So maybe it would take about that for the oboe?

RL: The oboe market is smaller, so if we have the right people at the right moment, we can develop even faster. But we need very good people to do this. With the right people, though, I'm sure we can succeed.

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