Klarinet Archive - Posting 000610.txt from 2002/06

From: "Lawrence Whitney" <phoenix_811@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] Re: "Buzzy" Sound (Stoltzman and superstars)
Date: Tue, 18 Jun 2002 23:09:29 -0400

You might also look into the Introduction and Variations on a Swedish Air by
Crusell. You can get another 2CD set with Thea King playing it along with
the two Mendelssohn Concert Pieces, the Spohr Variations on a Theme from
Alruna, the Bruch Double Concerto for Clarinet and viola and a few other
pieces that I can't remember but are also very good.

Larry Whitney

-----Original Message-----
From: James Hobby [mailto:jhobby@-----.net]
Subject: [kl] Re: "Buzzy" Sound (Stoltzman and superstars)

>From: Jeremy A Schiffer <schiffer@-----.edu>

>Heck, for me it has nothing to do with gender equality. The first time I
>heard Sabine Meyer on the radio, I was spellbound. Her playing knocked me
>off me feet, figuratively speaking.

>As for Stoltzman, I can't stand to listen to him. I think he has a
>horrible sound and his technique is more gimmick than anything else. I'll
>take Benny Goodman

I'll second the vote for Meyer. I first heard her on the local NPR playing
the Danzi Fantasia on the Don Giovani theme. Driving along, the clarinet
starts. I thought, oh, that's a nice sound. Then she took off on the first
variation and I had to pull off the road to give the playing my attention,
and write down the player and work -- and to see if she made it through the
first long phrase without an oxygen tank! (The Danzi Concertante for flute
& clarinet with Galway on the same CD is also great.)

Stoltzman, I can do without very well. I have never liked his sound. I
have a personal aversion to vibrato in classical clarinet performance. I
won't buy his recordings. He played in Nashville with the NSO a couple of
years ago. A friend who teaches middle school band took his clarinet
section to the concert, and said he regreted it; hoping that they wouldn't
try to copy Stoltzman's sound.

Speaking of recordings, I found a nice 2CD set by the list's own Tony Pay
with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment at Tower last week. He plays
the Weber concerti & concertino on disk one and three concerti by Bernhard
Henrik Crusell on the second disk, which was the main reason for the
purchase. Somewhere along the line, I missed Crusell when I was playing.
Very interesting, and very nicely played, Tony!

Jim Hobby

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