Klarinet Archive - Posting 000099.txt from 1996/04

From: Laurence Liberson <hardreed@-----.COM>
Subj: Mozart Concerto--Marcellus
Date: Fri, 5 Apr 1996 09:05:25 -0500

There have been a number of posts concerning this great old recording
coinciding with Robert Marcellus' very recent passing, such as " I like this
recording mostly because the orchestra is so wonderful that even if the clarinet
part isn't the most exciting playing (It is tasteful, and nicely
phrased but rather one-dimensional, IMO), the piece is a joy to listen
to," and "For some this recording may be too ethereal -- it lacks the
"fire" of other performances."

Of course, "different strokes for different folks," right?

There was a wonderful profile of Alfred Brendel in "The New Yorker"
(4/1/96), in which a close friend of his was quoted as saying that
"There are two kinds of musician. The virtuosi love playing. That's
what virtuosity is: you use the music for some kind of
self-exhibitionism. When Shura Cherkassy was asked why he played so
fast, he answered, 'Because I can.' The musicians I
admire--Schnabel, Toscanni, the Busch Quartet--have a vision of the
music they play, not the playing of it. That is the world to which
Brendel belongs. He is totally dedicated to the people he's playing.
He takes great trouble with the score in order to get at what he
regards as the truth. He studies the composers, he understands them,
he enters their skins and tries to enter into the frame of mind in
which these notes follow in this particular structure and that
beginning leads to this end."

A musician who does something "new," adds "fire," or conveys
"excitement" may or may not be correct in doing so. Part of that
assessment of "rightness" is up to the performer and part to the
listener, as these prior comments have indicated.

But please--let's not forget the composer, OK?

If it is true that this very, very late and most mature work of
Mozart was composed with an air of comtemplation and retrospection,
then you probably will find no better performance of this work than
Robert Marcellus'. It is not fiery--it is serene. It is not
risky--it is reflective. It is not "on the edge"--it is honest to
the music that he felt from the score.

Marcellus took this most demanding Mozart Concerto and makes it
sound effortless, which is a large part of the magic of this
performance. His musical approach and style coupled with his
impeccable control of all facets of the instrument makes this such a
joy to listen to, many years -- and many players! -- since I first
heard it a long, long time ago!

To me (my own humble opinion!), Marcellus served Mozart as well as it
could be done...and that's what makes his performance exciting.

Larry Liberson
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
hardreed@-----.com