 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Aures22
Date: 2005-01-30 05:37
I have been listening to the Bernstein/Drucker Nielson clarinet concerto recording. I like Mr. Drucker's technique, phrasing, tempo, nuance, but I have a problem with his tone. His sound is very different among the chalumeau, clarion, and altissimo register. Very thin and shrill in the higher clarion and altissimo registers and tubby and round in the chalumeau register. Is this his intention or is it the clarinet (R-13?) that he is playing on? Very difficult to listen repeated due to this problem. Karl Leister by contrast play very evenly and his tone is the same throughout the range like on the Philips Mozart clarinet concerto recording.
Post Edited (2005-01-30 22:32)
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Author: JessKateDD
Date: 2005-01-30 06:24
Drucker is renowned for his technique, but many find his sound to be not so wonderful, myself included. However, what is and isn't a good tone is a matter of personal preference - some love his sound, some don't. I think Leister has a marvelous sound, but many critics think his sound is boring and too conservative.
On the other hand, that Nielsen recording was supposedly done in one take! That recording is over 40 years old, and it still blows me away. No studio tricks on that one, just pure genius from Drucker. I once heard Ensemble Wein-Berlin play the Neilsen Quintet - Leister was fabulous - perfect technique and control plus that great German sound. Afterwards, I asked Leister if he would ever record the Concerto. He smiled and said "maybe". Well, he still hasn't. But Cahuzac recorded it in his 70s, so who knows? More likely is that Leister and the other big names out there are not too eager to put a recording up against Drucker's. It's that good.
If you want to hear Leister playing Neilsen, there is a recording on Sony (formerly CBS Masterworks) of the quintet.
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2005-01-30 13:06
Ricardo played the Nielson live at Clarfest back in the early 90's and it was as good and as flawless as Drucker's.
He did it yet again this past summer - same thing.
Too bad it wasn't recorded :(
The first one was though (with piano)
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Author: D Dow
Date: 2005-01-31 16:21
Strange..but the Leister recording is certainly among my least favorite performances for precisely the same reasons you like it....I find it very nice and clean but somewhat lacking in the violence that Drucker imparts. ON top of that I find that tempo wise Drucker takes far more risks than Leister.
All in all I prefer the Drucker and John McCaw verions over the competition.
David Dow
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Author: k_leister
Date: 2005-02-01 00:26
Nielsen concerto really blows me off. It is a pity that Leister has not yet recorded it - in fact, Leister's warm tone and musiicality might give us another stunning interpretation of the piece.
I have not yet had the fortune to listen to Drucker's recording, hopefully I can find a copy in the library tomorrow.
Instead of Leister's and Drucker's, I have got a recording of Peter Rieckhoff whose sonority, technqiue, musicality and musicianship are fantastic. Peter Rieckhoff was the former Professor in the Berlin Musikhochschule (now called UdK), and, in my opinion, one of the greatest clarinettist of our times. His tone and technique, imo, is no second to Leister, and I personally perfer Rieckhoff in certain music for his grogious tone, in contrast to Leister's darkness and warmth which might not be suitabe for all pieces. I am very amazed by the tremendous technique that Prof. Rieckhoff displayed in the recording, especially in those freaky high notes where his intonation, sonority and precision are perfect even on the German system clarinet.
Unfortunately, Prof. Rieckhoff has spent the majority of his time teaching and his recordings are very rare nowadays.
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Author: diz
Date: 2005-02-01 00:28
It's probably the best Nielsen recording available ...
Without music, the world would be grey, very grey.
Post Edited (2005-02-01 00:28)
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2005-02-01 15:24
diz -
Do you mean Drucker's recording or one by Peter Rieckhoff? (I haven't been able to find any recordings by Rieckhoff.)
If you mean Drucker, how do you respond to the negative comments at http://www.woodwind.org/clarinet/Study/Nielsen.html ("technically incredible, emotionally completely cold, it has nothing to do with Nielsen!")?
The recordings recommended by Eric Nelson (Thomsen, Stevensson, Rosengren) strike me as excellent, and, if less amazing technically than Drucker, probably more in tune with the spirit of the music.
In the recent thread on the Nielsen, http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=168884&t=168679, Peter Fuglsang recommended a recording by Arne Møller, which I ordered through CDKlassik, http://www.cdklassisk.dk/product_info.php/products_id/979. It's a live performance, and not immaculate, but very good. Møller has a strong personality that practically jumps out of the speakers. It doesn't displace Stevensson, which is my favorite, but it's well worth having, particularly since it includes two additional Danish concertos, the Copland Concerto, the Nielsen Quintet and the Mozart Quintet.
Ken Shaw
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Author: D Dow
Date: 2005-02-01 18:21
The point I am trying to make is that both Drucker and Leister are great artists for different reasons...however, I find Drucker will take far more risks in terms of nuance, tempo and phrasing over Leister in most classical repetoire.
I also admire the beauty of sound that Leister has as well.
I am in no way deriding the wonderful way the Karl eister plays clarinet...however I also find his playing a bit too smooth and supple at times..
I can also say I look at the recording of Boeykens Nielsen in awe as well..he plays the piece like no one ealse ...John McCaw would certainly be one of the canidates for a great interpreter of this work too!
For many years the Stevenson has been a favorite of mine as well. It was done with Blomstedt in Denmark in the 70s.
However, I do like the wonderful way that Drucker phrases the Nielsen although I am not always responsive with the smooth way he plays the work...but that is only a minor fault compared with the ease and beauty he imparts in this difficult work.
David Dow
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Author: diz
Date: 2005-02-01 21:34
Ken ... how would I respond?
LIke this ... I don't, frankly, give a tincker's cuss what any other moron thinks about a performance, if it has resonance with me than that's all my little world needs, end of rant.
Without music, the world would be grey, very grey.
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Author: D Dow
Date: 2005-02-01 23:05
Every performer has a bad day, and maybe Boeykens had a "bad" one...
I also know I have heard artists like Gigliotti and even Larry Combs play awful in concert as well.
You can't judge a performer on only one performance!!!!
David Dow
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2005-02-02 00:31
Yes - I hear you on that one. Though Combs worst day is better than most and the same for Gigliotti.
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