Klarinet Archive - Posting 000345.txt from 1997/01

From: Gary Young <gyoung@-----.COM>
Subj: Nielsen Concerto (formerly "Hello!")
Date: Wed, 22 Jan 1997 08:07:58 -0500

The standard source for answers to questions of the form "Are there any
recordings of clarinet piece X?" is Richard Gilbert's Clarinetist's
Discography III with update, available from Richard Gilbert Productions, PO
Box 112, Harrington Park, NY 07640-0112. Call (201) 768-0971 for current
prices. (Is there any way this information can be put somewhere
retrievable?) Gilbert lists 29 recordings of the Nielsen.

Of course, you asked a different question -- if there are any recordings
anyone can recommend. I recommend the original 1947 recording by the great
Louis Cahuzac, available on Clarinet Classics CD CC0002. It has flaws, but
they are "flaws" like those in Casals' recordings of the Bach suites. I
think anyone working on the Nielsen should listen to this, though not
imitate it thoughtlessly. A good contemporary recording, to my taste at
least, is by John Bruce Yeh on Centaur CD CRC 2024.

See the article by Charles Stier, "Editions and Misprints: Nielsen Concerto
for Clarinet, Op. 57," in the February/March issue of The Clarinet (pages
36-37).

I have a question of my own about the Nielsen: Has anyone performed the
concerto in piano reduction, and if so, what did you do with the drum part?
Were you satisfied? Eleven bars after rehearsal 3 there is a footnote,
presumably by the person who made the reduction (Nielsen? Does anyone
know?), stating: "NB. Die kleine Trommel kann durch Trommeln mit ein paar
Bleistiften oder ahnlichen auf dem Klavier markiert werden." I can't
imagine that "ein paar Bleistiften" could have the proper startling and
inciting effect.

----------
From: Gene Wie[SMTP:gwie@-----.EDU]
Sent: Tuesday, January 21, 1997 8:13 PM
Subject: Hello!

Hi I'm Gene, and I'm new on this list. =)

And I actually have a question:

Is anyone here working on or played Carl Nielsen's clarinet concerto?
I'm working (struggling =) on it at the moment, and I'd really like
to hear any comments on style and interpretation anyone has to offer.
So far, the only recording of the piece I've found is by Stanley
Drucker. Are there any other recordings some of you can recommend?
Thanks!

Gene Wie
gwie@-----.edu