Klarinet Archive - Posting 000167.txt from 2007/02

From: "dnleeson" <dnleeson@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Reginald Kell (per Tony's comments)
Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:31:44 -0500

Reginald Kell had the misfortune of being such a very superior
clarinetist and musician, that he created a considerable shock to
the American players when he arrived in the U.S. In effect, he
scared many of them half to death.

Like a light switch turned on, the consensus (even from players
who really never heard him live) was that "he played with that
ugly and uncontrolled English vibrato."

Vibrato, shmibrato, it was a clarinetists' panic attack. And, in
my opinion, his playing was not so much characterized by vibrato
as it was by his brilliant handling of rubato playing. Mozart
wrote a description of how he played rubato and Kell must have
had it imprinted on his soul, because he did it exactly the same
way. It was breathtaking.

Mozart wrote that when he played rubato, the left hand kept
strict time while the right hand changed the motion. It would
slow down and then speed ahead to catch up at the end of the
rubato material. In Kell's case, the orchestra would drive ahead
and he would weave his own path to the same end point, arriving
at exactly the right place and the right time even though he had
made a significant tempo departure earlier in the phrase.

I never heard anything like it. It was an entirely new way to
play solo music, at least from my limited perspective.

And it ruined Kell because the American musical establishment
made life miserable for him. Instead of greeting him like a
water-walking genius, they just dumped on his "English vibrato"
as if it was a communist plot to destabilize America.

I bought his 78 rpm recording of K. 581, slowed down my record
player with weights, and wore out the disks playing along with
him, so many times did I replay it. I even imitated his rubato,
in fact, I had to so as to play along with him, but I could never
do it as elegantly as he did.

He lived in Monterey or Carmel and I was invited to a party down
there where he was to be present. I was afraid to approach him
or even speak to him for fear that I'd open mouth and insert
foot. Not once during the entire evening did he speak of
anything musical. I later learned that his pain was so severe
that he had lost touch with music, and chose not to speak of it.

After his death, John Denman of Tucson eventually got his
clarinets. I vaguely recall John telling me that he went to
Kell's widow and she found the clarinets under the bed where they
had been for some time. I don't know what John with them.

I think I have heard most of the great clarinetists of the last
half century starting with Bellison and even Thurston (once). I
felt (and feel today) that there was no one who could play as
musically as Kell, and in such a distinguished fashion. There
were guys who had faster hands, to be sure, but Kell was to
clarinet playing as Cary Grant was to the suave American male
(even though both were British).

And I'm so sorry that his career was cut short by feelings of
jealousy on the part of many American players who kept shooting
at his "English vibrato" even after he was dead. There were one
or two players with whom I stopped associating because of what I
peceived were their incorrigable remarks about his playing.

Tony is a very lucky man to have had the privilege of studying
with that man.

Dan Leeson
DNLeeson@-----.net

-----Original Message-----
From: tony.pay@-----.com]On Behalf Of
Tony
Pay
Sent: Wednesday, February 21, 2007 11:45 AM
To: klarinet@-----.org
Subject: Re: [kl] re facial hair & embouchure

On 2/21/07, Ted <tedcasher@-----.net> wrote:

> Off topic---I just got the boxed set of the complete recorded
works of
> Reginald Kell. I studied with him in the Fifties---an
unforgettable
> experience! What a wonderful set of CDs!

Although Kell was my boyhood hero, introducing me to the Mozart
concerto via his 78rpm recording, I never heard many of these
until
recently. I thought I would write a considered review at some
point,
because they're worthy of detailed comment, and are easily
available
at not so great expense. Perhaps others would like to invest in
them
in the meanwhile, and consider their own reactions, blow by blow.

I was particularly amazed to hear the Stravinsky....

Tony

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