 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Alphie
Date: 2003-08-18 22:45
I just had the pleasure of partisipating at the Crusell festival in Linköping Sweden. I performed two quartets and gave a lecture about his life and the musical environment at the time where he worked.
During the preparation for the lecture I discovered this wonderful musician and man who besides his composing and carriere as a clarinetist, did so many beautiful things for the musicians for whom he was the leader, like starting a foundation for the security of the musicians widows and children.
His three concertos and three quartets are the most joyful and positive music without being superficial that I know of written for clarinet. It's a pure pleasure to listen to. I recommend a recording by Per Billman on Naxos with Uppsala Chamber Soloists.
Is Crusell a welknown name in the US and other places? Do people play his music?
Alphie
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Author: Brenda
Date: 2003-08-19 02:28
We know of him here in Canada, and our clarinet choir has one of his pieces in our library.
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Author: ken
Date: 2003-08-20 16:46
I stumbled across this site on Crusell ... suppose this is the info/location for next years' Festival.
http://kpi.uusikaupunki.fi/crusell/
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2003-08-20 18:56
How is the weather in Trädgårdsföreningen this year?
I had the pleasure of providing mellanmål for the mosquitos in 1994!
Such a lovely place, to hear such terrific music.
Centaur records, CRC 2495 recorder Steven Hartman with the New York Scandia (of course) symphony for Concerti Op. 1/3&11.
It's great stuff, no doubt.
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Author: Alphie
Date: 2003-08-20 19:32
http://kpi.uusikaupunki.fi/crusell
This link goes to another festival at Nystad, Finland where Crusell was born. This festival concentrates on woodwinds and is apparently very good and very popular in Scandinavia. I might go there next year.
Even though I'm Swedish I (shame on me) only discovered Crusell seriously over the last two years. What I found was a selection of very fine pieces that are really rated first class clarinet music.
I find sometimes with his contemporarie's clarinet music like Weber, Spohr a.o. that the music is too "clarinety", holaholahola for the wrong purposes, like if they're trying to show off the instrument and not the music. With Crusell, himself being an excellent clarinetist and musician uses the "clarinety" bits much more musically delicat. His music is joyful, charming, somewhat challenging and extremely well written for the instrument. It shuld be much more than today a part of every clarinetists repertoire.
I think Pamela Weston has written a book "Finnish Virtuoso" about Crusell. She has also given him a chapter in "Clarinet Virtuosi of the past" page 67-76.
Alphie
Synonymous Botch, I haven't been to Gothemburg lately but in some parts of Scandinavia you can't tell the difference between a mosquito and a Fokker F28
Post Edited (2003-08-20 19:54)
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Author: Brandon
Date: 2003-08-21 05:33
To Alphie:
What is the correct way of pronouncing Crusell's name? I have heard in prominent music shops that it is prounounced Cru-sell with the s having a true S sound. Another friend of mine says it is prounced like Crucial. With the s having more of a sh sound. Being that he was not English, I am inclined to believe is it pronounced as the latter.
BTW, right now I am working through the first mvt. of 3. Truly marvelous, and difficult music!
Brandon
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Author: Alphie
Date: 2003-08-21 08:38
The correct pronouncing is with a true S sound and with an upbeat with "-sell" on the downbeat: Cru-sell.
Alphie
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Author: Mark Pinner
Date: 2003-08-22 22:49
The Per Billman recordings are available on Naxos catalogue number 8.554144 Per Billman Uppsala Chamber Orchestra directed by Gerard Korsten. It has concertos 1,2 and 3.
The liner notes state that Billman "has been principal clarinet at the Royal Opera House, a position which he assumed exactly 190 years after Bernhard Crusell." Definitely some lineage there.
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