Klarinet Archive - Posting 000328.txt from 1995/01

From: Dunja Mckenney <DUNJA@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: RE>British clarinetists on
Date: Mon, 23 Jan 1995 22:59:22 -0500

Why, you have certainly expressed an opinion. Of course you mention that
it is only an opinion, and I am sure that others may agree with you, I
think that words that strong are best left to oneself. Obviously the
entire population of the world doen't like lutefisk and pickled eggs.
It's a darn good thing that we don't all feel the same way.....but
please, don't include insults as a part of your opinion. The way I see
it, although I don't have any recordings out or anything like the "three
Queens" do, I wouldn't want insults directed toward me or my playing.
Therefore, I won't direct any toward anyone else either. If I hear a
recording of what I think is inferior playing, then I just get my
instrument out and PRACTICE. And, if I hear a poor recording of, say
a Beethoven piano sonata, then heck!, I won't buy it! And always
remember the golden rule: Part 1) don't say anything about anyone that you
wouldn't want said about yourself and part 2) if you think that you can
play better, then do it. These are just my thoughts......
Dunja at the University of Oregon.

On Mon, 23 Jan
1995, Neil Leupold wrote:

> Reply to: RE>British clarinetists on CD
> TO: RE>BRITISH CLARINETISTS ON CD
>
> Not to stir up the pot or anything, but I can't restrain myself from
expressing
> my totally opposite opinion concerning British clarinetists on CD. Having
> access to such a large inventory of classical recordings, I've had the
> opportunity over the last 3 years to sample the finest and the shoddiest
> clarinet playing put out on CD. To put it in blunt but gentle terms,
> recordings by Thea King, Emma Johnson, and Janet Hilton are, without question,
> the WORST recordings of clarinet playing I have ever heard, hands down. Among
> my circle of friends, these three players are regarded as "The Three Queens",
> but not in a nice way. Each of their tones is flabby and coarse, with
> interpretative clumsiness and technical flaws befitting a high school student.
> It has come to the point where I cease to make a distinction between which one
> of them is playing because they're all so bad. I believe it was Thea King who
> did a recording of the Nielsen concerto, butchering it (I didn't think this
was
> possible on such a wild piece) stylistically, and her tone is just awful. And
> then there's Janet Hilton's rendition of the Weber Concertino. The only way I
> can put this is to say that if Richard Stoltzman is still playing at 90 years
> of age, he might sound like Janet Hilton playing the Weber. She sounds like
an
> old man with the "shakes" - vibrato so completely out of control, you wonder
if
> she has a nerve disorder or something. I know I'm being terribly harsh, but
> when there are players like Karl Leister, Sabine Meyer, and David Shifrin
> creating music meant for the ears of God, recordings by these three British
> players simply sound deplorable. Feel free to rip into my commentary here -
> it's not a statement on any of these players as persons, but just my personal
> point of view. I may become more forgiving as time continues to pass.
>

   
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