Klarinet Archive - Posting 000308.txt from 1994/02

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.EDU>
Subj: BBC Music Magazine: Feb., 1994
Date: Mon, 21 Feb 1994 13:35:08 -0500

The Feb., 1994 issue of the English publication, "Music," The complete
monthly guide to classical music, has an article entitled "Fresh Winds"
which is a brief discussion of four new recordings of some of Mozart's
clarinet music. See page 77.

Reviewed are:

1) Wolfgang Meyer's performance on basset clarinet of the Mozart clarinet
quintet and the Kegelstatt trio.

2) Charles Neidich's performance of the same two works plus an arrangement
of the violin sonata, K. 378. Neidich performs on both basset clarinet
and clarinet.

3) Josef Balogh (performing on clarinet and basset horn) and Bela
Kovacs (performing on clarinet) performing the clarinet quintet
and the quintet for clarinet, basset horn, and string trio.

4) Joan Enric Lluna (on basset clarinet) playing both the concerto and
the quintet.

The reviewer prefers the Meyer performance the most and Lluna's
performance the least. I do not know Lluna's playing and she is
advertised as a Spanish clarinetist.

The review itself contains text which is incomprehsible by man or
beast. Note the following quote, text which is designed to be
as unclear and unspecific as it is possible to be:

"... The playing is cultured, if occasionally clinical, and
although lacking the spiritual rapprochement of [another named
clarinetist's performance], the disc offers marginally better
value for money ..."

Where does one buy spiritual rapprochement? Is it covered in
the Rose studies? Is it possible to achieve this spiritual
rapprochement without vibrato (or with it, for that matter)?

Isn't it tacky to speak of spiritual rapprochement and value
for money in the same breath? When one is on such a high
spiritual plane as to have achieved spiritual rapprochement,
money is of no value. Only art. YUK!

Isn't it wonderful that so many recordings are being done on
the basset clarinet, a work that was unknown 25 or so years
ago?
====================================
Dan Leeson, Los Altos, California
(leeson@-----.edu)
====================================