Klarinet Archive - Posting 000170.txt from 2003/04

From: "Michael Bryant" <michael@-----.uk>
Subj: Re: [kl] The wrong Rossini -- revisited!
Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2003 00:31:47 -0400

The wrong Kozeluh! When Emma Johnson recorded the Concertos by
Crusell Op 1, Krommer Op 36 and Leopold Kozeluh in 1991 it was
discovered at the recording session that the orchestral librarian had
obtained the parts and score of another Concerto by Kozeluh in the
same key of E flat. The librarian called me urgently to try to sort it out.
Emma actually found her copy of the Hungarian edition on a visit to
Prague (1988), - Editio Musica Budapest GM 264 (1975) edited
by the clarinettist Gyorgy Balassa. Jiri Kratochvil in Prague has
edited another Concerto by Jan Evangelista Antonin (?) Kozeluh
in a pre-Supraphon edition in 1964 (also Supraphon, Musica Viva
Historica 14 (1981) and S 3888 (1989)). So there were two Kozeluhs!
The forenames of Kozeluh on Kratochvil's manuscript are evidently
not given or doubtful. Leopold's dates are 1747-1818 and Jan or
Johann's dates are 1738-1814. They were cousins and shared the
same birthplace. To make matters worse Leopold was baptized
Jan Antonin and changed his name to Leopold in about 1773 to
distinguish himself from the other Jan Antonin. Emma recorded
the better one, with parts from Budapest. Another cautionary tale?

MB

Tony Pay wrote on Friday, April 04, 2003 8:44 PM
Subject: [kl] The wrong Rossini -- revisited!

> The day before yesterday afternoon, around half past three, I got a
> phone call. It was from Julian Bliss, the young English clarinet
> player, who is by way of being a pal of mine.
>
> "Tony," he said, "I'm in a bit of a difficulty. I'm at the rehearsal of
> a concert, and I have to play the Rossini 'Introduction Theme and
> Variations'. Only -- the orchestra has the *other* piece! And we can't
> find out where to get the parts of *my* piece. And, they're rehearsing
> other things at the moment, but we have to stop at five."
>
> (Some of you may remember that I found myself in the same situation some
> thirty-two years ago, in the Festival Hall with the RPO, because I
> posted about it a couple of weeks ago.)
>
> So, I said, "It's Sikorski, and I think that's Boosey and Hawkes." But
> apparently Boosey and Hawkes hadn't know anything about it when the
> orchestra management phoned them.
>
> Anyhow, to cut a long story short, we found it in Norwich, via two
> independent routes: the orchestra via Sikorski in Hamburg, and me via
> the BBC music library and then a wonderfully helpful chap at Boosey and
> Hawkes hire library; and they faxed the parts, though not the score, to
> the orchestra at the London Guildhall. Jurij Bashmet had to conduct
> from the piano score, and they managed somehow.
>
> I don't know who was the luckier. I didn't get to play the piece, it
> being in the pre-fax era; but on the other hand they rescheduled it for
> a couple of months later, and I did it properly then.
>
> Julian got to play it, thanks to modern technology, but not under ideal
> circumstances by any means. "It was a bit of a nightmare!" he said.
> But he's a professional, in the best sense, so he didn't let anyone
> down, and did the job, and helped the orchestra stay with him too.
>
> The moral of the story?
>
> Beware the Rossini 'INTRODUCTION, Theme and Variations'!
>
> Tony
> --
> _________ Tony Pay
> |ony:-) 79 Southmoor Rd Tony@-----.uk
> | |ay Oxford OX2 6RE http://classicalplus.gmn.com/artists
> tel/fax 01865 553339
>
> ... Old age is better than the alternative.