Klarinet Archive - Posting 000334.txt from 1999/10

From: Note Staff Unlimited <notestaff@-----.de>
Subj: Re: [kl] Funny Nielsen recording
Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 15:08:09 -0400

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Hi Mark,

Thanks for the info below. It puts a different light on it!

David
David Glenn
notestaff@-----.de
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

charette@-----.org schrieb:

> Rick Custer of our Klarinet list sent me a message a few minutes ago,
> reminding me (and us) that this very discussion has taken place
> before. Rick also attached a thoughtful posting by Connie Josias from
> that time. Here's that posting:
>
> Date: Thu, 12 Dec 1996 3:34:02 -0800
> From: Josias Associates josassoc@-----.COM>
> Subject: Re: Goodman and classical music
>
> I appreciate David Hattner's sensitivity and insight regarding
> Goodman's performance of classical selections. I particularly concur
> with his conclusions about the debt to Goodman that clarinetists share
> because of his contribution to classical clarinet literature through
> his commissions. About two years ago, I wrote two messages to this
> list (which I have attached to this posting) about his most
> controversial recording, the Nielsen Concerto, as performed by the CSO
> conducted by Morton Gould. Goodman had consented reluctantly to record
> the concerto, and only after considerable hounding by his close
> personal friend, Gould. There is little doubt in my mind that Goodman
> or Gould had any illusions about how their recording stacked up to
> other contemporary recordings of the Concerto. Still, notwithstanding
> the flaws in the final product, there was wisdom in Gould's
> persistence in pushing Goodman to record the Concerto. And this wisdom
> was borne out by a report from one of the list members during that
> flurry of messages about Goodman and the Nielsen Concerto. The report,
> which I'll attempt to reconstruct and paraphrase from memory, went
> something like this:
>
> Our clarinet-playing correspondent was attending a party or other kind
> of informal gathering of music lovers in Europe -- Spain, I think --
> when the conversation turned to the Goodman/Gould recording of the
> Nielsen Concerto. "Simply marvelous," seemed to be the consensus. Our
> reporter, nonplussed at the lack of discrimination in their choice of
> recording, asked the group, "Aren't you aware of the superior
> recordings of that work by other artists?" Someone attempted to
> explain diplomatically that no one in that audience played clarinet or
> was aware of comparative merits of recordings by clarinetists other
> that Goodman. Most important, they bought Goodman's recording of the
> Nielsen Concerto not because of Nielsen's work, with which they were
> unfamiliar, but because Goodman was the artist and they wanted to hear
> him. Ultimately, they liked what they heard, were not disposed to buy
> another recording of the concerto by another artist, but were now
> probably open to hear live concert performances by other artists. The
> reporter, who may still be on the list and may see this reference to
> his/her message, concluded (as I recall) with an admission of being
> chastened by the knowledge that the world at large doesn't always
> react to clarinet performances as clarinet specialists do, and that
> perhaps, in a larger sense, there was virtue in Goodman's performing
> the Nielsen Concerto.
>
> Connie
> Conrad Josias
> La Canada, California
> >From josassoc@-----.com
>
> Thu Dec 12 11:35:47 1996
> Date: Wed, 25 Jan 1995 17:39:32 -0800 (PST)
> From: Josias Associates josassoc@-----.com>
>
> Nielsen Concerto
>
> On Wed, 25 Jan 1995, Steve Prescott wrote:
>
> >I have a recording of Benny Goodman playing the Nielsen Concerto. I
> >disagree with some of his interpretation. I also agree with some. This
> >does not mean Mr. Goodman is a bad player.
> >Steve Prescott
> >Instrument Rep. Tech./Clarinetist
> >Indiana State Univ.
> >mipresc@-----.edu
>
> In spite of his many commissions of famous classical works for the
> clarinet, and possibly because of his preeminence in jazz, Benny
> Goodman was believed by many to be a pretender when it came to
> performing classical music. Yet, when it came to performances of works
> written for him --works such as Bartok's "Contrasts," Copland's
> "Concerto for Clarinet," Gould's "Derivations," and Poulenc's "Sonata
> for Clarinet and Piano," his performances were usually found
> acceptable. Contrary to some popular thought, he was not hell-bent on
> performing all the classical concerto literature. I received a personal
> insight into that part of Goodman during a conversation with Morton
> Gould, whom I know personally. Gould was a close friend and advisor of
> Goodman's and was also the conductor used by Goodman on some of his
> recordings, one of which was the Nielsen Concerto. Gould told me that,
> when he proposed to Goodman that he record the Nielsen Concerto,
> Goodman flatly rejected the idea, partly because preparing it was a
> lot of work, and possibly because he might have felt that the work was
> best left to classical specialists like Drucker, who (if my time frame
> is correct) already had a fine recording out on the market. Gould
> finally overcame Goodman's objections, and the project proceeded to
> completion. Gould conceded that, although the performance might have
> had some flaws, in the final analysis, both he and Goodman were glad
> they made the recording, which became a kind of last hurrah for their
> joint team, and did display Goodman doing many things capably.
>
> Connie
> Conrad Josias
> La Canada, California
>
> >From josassoc@-----.com
> Thu Dec 12 11:36:21 1996
> Date: Wed, 1 Feb 1995 13:59:12 -0800 (PST)
>
> Subject: Re: Goodman and the Nielsen Concerto
>
> On Wed, 1 Feb 1995, Christopher G Zello wrote:
>
> >I had heard a far fetched story which came to mind after reading a
> >recent posting. Is there any truth to the following: Frank Cohen was
> >in a music shop or some such many years ago. In walked Benny Goodman.
> >Here was this young Frank and Goodman was kind of ripping on him and
> >somehow he discovered that Frank was working of the Nielsen --
> >getting ready to play (maybe even record) it. Goodman kind of laughed
> >and then went out and decided himself to record the Nielsen (partly
> >to not be shown up by FC). Obviously a lot of details were taken out
> >and a lot of facts omitted.
> >Christopher Zello
> >czello@-----.edu
>
> Chris, There may be more to the story than I know about, but I must
> agree with you that it does sound farfetched. What I can tell you first
> hand is that Morton Gould, who was a close personal friend of Goodman's
> and was the conductor of the orchestra that accompanied Goodman on the
> Nielsen Concerto, told me that Goodman was initially extremely averse
> to Gould's repeated suggestions that he perform the concerto. He also
> told me that Goodman rebuffed him several times (some of the reasons
> having been mentioned in my last posting on this subject) before he
> acquiesced. It's possible that there could have been some external
> "last straw" -- something or someone like FC who pulled Goodman's
> chain. But, from what I know about Goodman, he had an extremely high
> regard for the clarinetists in the major orchestras (as well as certain
> newcomers) and didn't regard them as his rivals. But more important,
> with his existing accomplishments in the classical field (commissions,
> recorded performances, etc.), he was secure enough in the knowledge of
> what he had done to make it hard to believe that he would succumb to
> such a knee-jerk jealous reaction. I believe that what eventually
> happened is that Gould prevailed on Goodman that, while he was still
> on the scene, he would be remiss by not performing such an important
> work.
> Connie
> Conrad Josias
> La Canada, California
>
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