Klarinet Archive - Posting 001060.txt from 1998/10

From: "MARY A. VINQUIST" <kenshaw@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] Weber Concerto # 2 Recordings
Date: Sun, 25 Oct 1998 09:55:16 -0500

It takes a lot of experience and listening to great performers to develop=

the combination of singing line and technical virtuosity, all done with
good taste, necessary for a great performance of the Weber # 2. Out of t=
he
30 or so recordings I have, there are only a few where the player has
audible trouble with the notes. However, even fewer have the soloist's
swagger -- the singing, "operatic" line combined with a sense of "leaning=

into the corners," taking impossible chances and overcoming them with eas=
e,
while never overstepping the limits of good taste -- that is essential in=

this sort of virtuoso concerto.

One that does, in spades, and my favorite recording, is the old one by
Gervase de Peyer (also with a stunning performance of the Spohr Concerto =
#
1). This was made when GdP was young and paying his dues in the practice=

room, and it projects an irresistible joy. It has been reissued on CD, b=
ut
I'm not sure if it's curently available.

Of the more recent recordings on modern instruments, the ones that work
best for me are by Sabine Meyer and Jon Manasse, both of which have a tru=
e
soloist's projection combined with perfect technical ease and brilliance.=

I like Tony Pay's old instrument performance, though it cuts against my
modern notions of brilliance. In return, it has a sense of original scal=
e
and proportion that the other performances cannot match.

Charles Neidich's old instrument performance is technically amazing. =

Certainly he does exactly what he sets out to do, but at least for me he
does far too much simply because he *can* do it, and not because the musi=
c
requires it, or even permits it. A prime example is his tonguing of the
sextuplets at the end of the finale. Even he can't get them perfectly
even, and for me they go against the character of the music. It calls
attention to him rather than Weber. All right, he should have done it on=

at least one take and kept it to play at parties, but leaving it in the
final version is just bad taste.

Just MHO. Who else wants to take up the cudgels?

Ken Shaw

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