Karl Leister is a classical clarinet player from Wilhelmshaven, Germany. At a very young age, he learned to play the clarinet from his father, also a clarinetist, and later studied at the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin.
In 1959, Leister joined the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Herbert von Karajan; this eminently productive musical association was to last for thirty years. During this time, he became internationally recognized as a major soloist and chamber musician.
He was also one of the founding members of the “Bläser der Berliner Philharmoniker“/Berlin Soloists, which made a number of masterful recordings – including Brahms‘ “Clarinet Quintet in B Minor, Opus 115″.
Here is Mr. Leister in the Brahms Sonata for clarinet and piano:
