Klarinet Archive - Posting 000288.txt from 2006/08

From: X-UH-MailScanner-r.n.taylor@-----.uk
Subj: RE: [kl] Copland concerto (was $650 mouthpieces???)
Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2006 10:08:09 -0400


-----Original Message-----
From: Rien Stein [mailto:rstein@-----.nl]

<<
>I'm mostly familiar with this concerto from Benny Goodman's recording, but
Bryan's performance
>made me realise that Goodman seemed to miss much of the humour in the
second movement.
>I have heard other performances, but they're often coldly clinical compared
even to Goodman.
>>

I studied the concerto several times, listened to many performances (on cd),
and really have tried to understand it, but to me it always was a cold work.

But differently from the music written by Bartok and Hindemith, it was just
cold, not "lovely cold" or even "wonderfully cold"!

>>>

Rien, I can't fathom your meaning. Perhaps you could give an example of a
'warm' work... ?

As for Goodman, I was told an anecdote that Copland attended some rehearsals
and told Goodman that he wanted some passages in the second movement played
a little more jazzily. The maestro was greatly affronted that he of all
clarinettists should be asked to jazz something up. Although I personally
like Goodman's recording very much, perhaps he was wary of swinging some
passages in case he got pigeon holed as an inveterate jazzer who couldn't
hack it with 'real' music, whereas Copland may have wanted the opposite.

Noel

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