Klarinet Archive - Posting 000374.txt from 1997/10

From: "Andrew Scholberg" <ascholbe@-----.com>
Subj: Re: Ranking Mozart, Weber, Brahms
Date: Fri, 10 Oct 1997 21:14:29 -0400

How unfortunate that so many clarinet players take the Mozart concerto f=
or
granted. A pianist once told me that he regarded the Mozart clarinet
concerto as the greatest concerto ever written for *any* instrument.=20

Indeed, Galway's attempt to transcribe this concerto for flute is a token
of his deep feeling and admiration for it. I heard his transcription on t=
he
radio once, and my assessment is that it was not something I desire to he=
ar
a second time, although he's certainly a fine musician and I don't blame
him for trying. (Mozart's two flute concertos lack the depth of the
clarinet concerto.)

Why do some clarinet players disparage or belittle the Mozart concerto? A
few years ago I played Brahms's first symphony in a community orchestra.
The former director of that orchestra, a curmudgeon, frowned on the
selection and became indignant, declaring, "That symphony should not be
played by shoe clerks!" Bruno Walter didn't dare to conduct Mozart's 40th
symphony until he had reached the maturity of 54 years of age. Perhaps
clarinet players should wait until they've suffered for a few decades
before presuming to perform the Mozart concerto.=20

The middle movement is remarkable when played by a master. I'll never
forget a performance by Joe Longo in about 1975 in Minneapolis. His
remarkable sound and smooth playing commanded the immediate attention of
the audience, and he played the music with utmost tenderness, sensitivity=
,
and respect. When he came to the pianissimo passage in the middle movemen=
t,
he applied a subtle vibrato: You could have heard a pin drop in that
concert hall. He held the entire audience breathless =96 in the palm of h=
is
hand. A true master. I've heard recordings by Leister, Marcellus, and a f=
ew
other world class players, but Joe Longo's interpretation is the best I'v=
e
heard. I'm not aware that he has ever recorded it.

No young person should be blamed for falling under the spell of Weber. Hi=
s
music has such panache that it's irresistible. It's pointless to argue
whether Weber's concertos are "greater" than the Mozart concerto. If the
criterion is panache or sizzle, Mozart will lose out. Each composer has a
different style. If one could ask Weber to compare his works to Mozart, I
believe he would remove his hat in deference at the mention of Mozart's
name.=20

Bruno Walter said that as a young conductor he was obsessed with the "big
shout" of Wagner, but Walter says that when Mahler took him under his win=
g,
he "revealed the secrets of Mozart to me."

>From personal experience I want to confirm Dan Leeson's observations abou=
t
Weber and Brahms. When I was a teenager Weber really hit the spot, and th=
e
Brahms clarinet sonatas didn't do a thing for me. Weber's exuberant,
extroverted music excited me. Even now I still get a kick out of his
unabashed, operatic style. The Brahms sonatas came across to me as dull
because I wasn't yet ready for his introspective, reflective, personal
style. Now, later in life, Brahms speaks to my soul. His music has depth,
feeling, and beauty. (Young people, you'll just have to take my word for
it.) =20

Mozart, Weber, and Brahms are three composers among many more that I love.
Young people shouldn't be disparaged or "corrected" for preferring one
composer over another. Instead, they should be *commended* for listening =
to
worthwhile music instead of the disgusting racket blaring from the popula=
r
radio stations.=20

Andy Scholberg
ascholbe@-----.com

   
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