 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: peking moon
Date: 2004-10-15 04:29
In a past lesson with Tom Martin (BSO) he stated that Kell's interpretation of Premiere Rhapsodie was for him a turning point; where he viewed the work with new eyes.
So - I've searched for this recording of Kell's - nothing yet. None of my peers nor my other teacher in Boston have heard of Kell's recording.
Has anyone here heard this recording? If so - where and is one available on CD/LP?
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Author: graham
Date: 2004-10-15 07:42
It's a new one on me. Did he hear Kell live?
Re similar repertoire Kell recorded the Ravel Intro and Allegro. Very nice playing.
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Author: Phat Cat
Date: 2004-10-15 12:56
Here is a reference to the Kell/Debussy recording:
http://www.woodwind.org/Databases/Discography/Decca/DL_9744
As far as I have found, it has not been re-issued on CD and is not currently available in vinyl.
I listened to this LP countless times as a student and it is probably still in a box in the basement. Should you find a copy and give it a listen, beware that you may be shocked at his concept of clarinet sound. First, he employs a moderate vibrato. Second, his tone is quite "airy" and is not the "dark", “compact” sound currently in vogue.
Kell’s style was influential in the 50’s and early 60’s as an alternative to the “bright” French sound. But by the late 60's when I was studying the Debussy, I was excoriated by my teachers for trying to emulate him, instead of striving for a "fat" sound. This was coincident with the emergence of the “American” sound from Marcellus et al.
Maybe we'll experience a Kell revival with his tone relabeled "phat".
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Author: mystery science dieter
Date: 2004-10-15 14:07
"Moderate vibrato?" He sounds a LOT like a soprano sax on the Debussy recording.
Not that there is anything necessarily wrong with that. But the vibrato doesn't vary much in speed or amplitude based on where he is trying to go musically. . that is my complaint. . .it just wobbles along.
He does play the piece with sensitivity. Kell was obviously a pretty good musician. Not a bad clarinet player for his era. He was different from everyone else, but not necessarily better.
There were for a while some clarinet players who were influenced by his sound concept. That is basically over now. I guess you could point to Emma Johnson as the last of the breed.
If you listen to Benny Goodman's later classical recordings (Weber and Nielsen Concertos, Mozart Concerto), that is basically a Kell type sound and vibrato (spready and wobbly). That playing is the reason some people say Goodman wasn't a good classical musician. If you listen to Benny's early stuff (including the Barbarolli Debussy) you'll understand why he was so well respected. Why Goodman felt the need to study with Kell and change his equipment, embochure, and style of playing I will never understand.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2004-10-15 14:33
I grew up on Kell's Debussy, and I love many things about it -- his amazingly clean technique, his control of tone and intonation, his wonderful phrasing, and the way each phrase grows out of what came before and merges into what followes.
That said, it's not the only performance to listen to. Debussy was meticulous in his markings, and where it says "le double plus vite," Kell doesn't go anywhere near twice as fast. Also, according to Charles Neidich, Debussy conceived the piece for clarinet and orchestra. The clarinet/piano version was prepared at the last minute and contains many errors. For more, see http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=101441&t=101441.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Phat Cat
Date: 2004-10-15 16:58
Granted, not moderate according to the rigid confines of current classical clarinet politcal correctness, but moderate in the wider context of musical performance such as opera singing, violin playing or jazz soloists, including most clarinetists.
Re: Goodman studying with Kell, maybe he preferred the sound. Many people did back then. Quite possibly a future generation will look back at our time and scratch their heads in wonderment over why everyone strived for such a uniform "dark" sound. And, heaven forbid, they may even replace Marcellus with Acker Bill in the canon.
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Author: D Dow
Date: 2004-10-15 17:47
As a clarinetist I certainly rank Kell among the greatest ever, but for very different reasons. He had an incredible technique and fluidity of tone that enabled the realization of every dynamic nuance ever imagined...and of course his arrival in the US would naturally have set off a chain reaction of all different types. Although I am not in the group that admires his sound, there is something free about the tone and technique that is certainly capable of impressing even the most jaded clarinet player, he also at times tends to ride a bid above the pitch and this is a source of annoyance for me...
As to the interpretations, he is always solid, and there is where one is at odds with what is the standard now and what is considered different. I am definitely an American school player in my concept...so at times I am at odds with Kell's thin sound in certain registers...however, I doubt I could play as imaginatively as he does or even attempt the tempi he chooses for some passages without a year of practice.
I have heard the Debussy and still prefer the Gaston Hamelin version way over Kell, and only for the simple reason Hamelin tends to steer a more moderate approach to tone in all passages...he also plays the high F # in the langouring section much cleaner and with a deeper voiced tone...
However, that being said the way Kell approaches the staccato is very good too...so I have to say they are both very authoritive performances for very different reasons...
Harold Wright also recorded this and in some ways his approach is far more conservative in terms of dynanamics...but his sound has a depth and ring I prefer...of course I studied this piece with him and he always said the tone must have some semblance of focus for it to project and blend as well...
As to others, I found Sabine Meyer to be a bit cool and in fact to technical...rather like drinking a beer just because someone offered one, not because you were in the mood for it!
As to other fine recordings the Drucker with Bernstein is also very individual and has alot of gusto...I think Drucker is so underrated and given his long career I think he is one heck of a great musician...
the Bernstein Drucker on CBS is my favorite...but alot can be learnt from the glory of Kell's warmth and expressive phrasing...very important to be open minded about one's technique!
David Dow
Post Edited (2004-10-15 17:50)
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Author: peking moon
Date: 2004-10-15 17:48
Tom Martin was definately not talking about Kell's tone - I have heard other recordings of Kell and thats why I was surprised that he mentioned the Debussy. Mr. Martin was most definately speaking in stylistic terms - that was the purpose of our lesson. Personally, I've never agreed much with Kell stylistically and that is the reason why I was surprised. Mr. Martin talked about a recording - it must have been an old LP. Garage sale time!
My other teacher was a student and personal friend of Harold Wright - and she did not care for his Debussy recording with the Boston Civic (If that is the one you are referencing) I own almost every commercial recording of his - except the Stravinsky octet with Dwyer (who is another obsession!) Getting back to Wrights Debussy, I was disappointed in that recording - but considering the level of orchestra he was performing with, it did sound as if he was stiffled. Her objection lies more in how these recordings would not have been approved by Wright himself - the Live Recitals I-IV. But this is for another thread.
Getting back to the disappointments of Wrights Debussy - for me the unearthly quality of his playing - the ability to take time without taking time - that singing spinning tone hanging in the air...which I have never heard from another player...was lacking. This quality is most noticable for me in his last Fantasy Pieces recording and the Brahms Quintet from 92/93. Also the quality of the recording most definately was not intended for commercial release and does not help the cause.
I've heard several recordings of the Debussy- Campbell, Drucker, but I clearly remember a Shiffrin recording a friend of mine has - I heard it once, but was stuck by the clarity of his technique. Of course hearing Mr. Martin play passages less than 2 feet away is awe inspiring to a different degree entirely.
This work is so ellusive.
Post Edited (2004-10-15 18:15)
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2004-10-15 17:59
Kell’s Debussy was issued twice on LP by Decca. The first was on DL 9570, along with the Hindemith Sonata and the Stravinsky 3 pieces. The second was DL 9744, along with the Weber Grand Duo and the Schumann Fantasy Pieces.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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