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Re: Marcellus's Mozart

Author: Someone who knows
Date: 2003-12-31 13:32

If you are only listening to the clarinet playing on this recording, you've already missed the whole point.

The piece is a work for clarinet and orchestra, playing equal roles.

One of the many things that distinguish this recording as memorable ( a 'definitive' recording of a work where no manuscript exists?) is the way Szell and Marcellus worked together to integrate the ensemble and solo parts.

This recording being 40 years old now, one could hardly expect it to reflect today's ideas about Mozart performance. The fact that it is referred to at all should tell you something. The fact that many truly great musicians still respect this recording should tell you something more.

In short, perhaps it is not the recording that is lacking something. I can remember 'not getting' many recordings when I was young, only to return to them as a more mature musician and realize how great they are.

The recording is what it is. A snapshot of what a group of fine musicians did on one day of their lives.

My ideas about what this concerto is differ from what my teacher did on this recording. But that doesn't change how great I think this recording is. It faithfully represents how the performers wanted the piece to go, and that's very hard to reproduce on any recording.

It is very easy to try too hard in Mozart, to apply makeup to the Mona Lisa as it were. This recording is what I would call extremely reverent in this regard. But compared to the smear-it-on-with-a-trowel approach sometimes observed today, I'll take this.

And I can tell you that while Mr. Marcellus was proud of this effort, he was not satisfied with it. He could barely even listen to it.

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Marcellus's Mozart new

theclarinetist

2003-12-31 04:56