 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Keith P
Date: 2008-03-16 20:24
Hello all, I have been looking for recordings of the Boston Symphony when Harold Wright was there, but I have been confused as to which recordings are him. The main problem I face is that either I can't find the recordings that I know should be out there (I have heard snippets around the web) like the Schubert Unfinished solo, or I am unsure whether it is Cioffi, Wright, or Hudgins sitting principal chair, and the 30 second sample clips rarely have a clarinet excerpt contained within them.
SO, in a nutshell what I was wondering is do any of you know of recordings of the Boston Symphony when Harold Wright was there? I know that I am looking for Seiji Ozawa conducting, but his tenure goes way past Harold Wrights departure. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks!
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Author: Ed
Date: 2008-03-16 23:03
Wright was in Boston from '71 through his untimely death in '93. I believe that most things recorded during that time have him playing principal.
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Author: LarryBocaner ★2017
Date: 2008-03-17 00:16
William Steinberg was the Music Director of the BSO during Harold's first two seasons -- Ozawa arrived in 1973. I think their recording of Holst's "Planets" has Harold (his friends called him "Buddy") playing clarinet.
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Author: weberfan
Date: 2008-03-17 02:20
you'll notice that on one of the Boston Records albums (see Synonymous Botch's post) that Ozawa conducts the BSO in the Mozart concerto, featuring Wright. The year is 1978.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2008-03-17 02:43
The Clarinet magazine, volume 21 number 1 had a memoriam tribute to Harold Wright.
At the conclusion of the article is a selected discography of Wright's recordings as principal of the BSO as well as his recordings with the Boston Symphony Chamber Players...GBK
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Author: Keith P
Date: 2008-03-17 03:16
Yeah, I own all of his CDs as featured soloist and such. I am looking for him with the orchestra though playing standard literature, such as Pines of Rome and the Schubert Unfinished (I have a recording of Beethoven 5 and his work in there is of course Phenomenal). And yes, my teacher was good friends with Bud Wright; he is my favorite clarinetist without a doubt. I will ask him about recordings tomorrow, but I was wondering if there were any commercial recordings that I could buy that weren't out of print and such, like the Beethoven 5 recording.
Thanks for the help all =).
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Author: Keith P
Date: 2008-03-17 03:19
Ah, here is a youtube clip of him playing movement 1 of Mozarts Symphony 40 under Leonard Bernstein; it is to my understanding this is from a box set that is around $100, which I'd rather spend on stocking up on reeds at this point in time =)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FLRcNJYSZE
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Author: grifffinity
Date: 2008-03-17 11:37
Harold Wright participated in the Marlboro Festival and I have heard a recording (commercial CD) years ago of him in Beethoven 6 and I think Beethoven 1. Larry Combs was sitting second chair for one symphony and Richard Stoltzman was sitting second chair on the other. There is also a VHS from the early 80's of him with BSO doing Brahms 1 - but that is out of print as far as I know.
If you ever get up to Boston, the NEC library has many non-commercial recordings made at NEC of Wright.
Also, search for names of other BSO players of that era, like Doriot Dwyer, Sherman Walt, Alfred Genovese - many times you can find Wright as a member of a chamber ensemble which wouldn't come up on an ordinary search of Harold Wright.
Post Edited (2008-03-17 11:41)
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Author: classicalguss
Date: 2008-03-17 23:27
You can also hear Mr Wright on 2 recordings on DG with Raphael Kubelik. He's on the complete Ma Vlast and Concerto for Orchestra.
There are many recordings out of print on LP, too. The Pines, Schubert 8th (with Jochum---incredible), Mahler 1st, Tchaikovsky 5th, and many more. Also, on the Boston Symphony Centennial set, he solos with Sherman Walt in the Strauss Duet Concertino, my very favorite version of that work. Inspired me to perform it with orchestra a few years ago.
Go by the dates in searching for BSO recordings (1971-92). He's always the principal and you be able to tell very easily. No one ever really sounded (or sounds) like him.
Best Wishes,
Roy
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Author: dgclarinet
Date: 2008-03-18 13:07
A couple of my favorite Harold Wright/Boston Symphony recordings are the Ravel set that Ozawa recorded for DG. Think what you want to about Ozawa and his conducting, but nothing beats Harold Wright in these recordings. They were recorded around '74-'75, and to me are Harold Wright at his orchestral best. When I was in college I totally wore out these LPs. (DG has the disks out at premium prices now too...check arkivmusic.com)
I also love the Philips set of Sibelius symphonies conducted by Colin Davis.
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Author: D Dow
Date: 2008-03-18 16:06
The Moart and Bramhs quintet recordings from 1993 on Philips are truly excellent..I studied with him for 4 years and can say he really helped my playing greatly...so greatly that it launched my orchestral career. He was a super but very tough teacher. I too love the Ravel set but it seems the Daphnis is not available anymore..the clarinet in Ma Mere L'Oye is terrific too.
I played on his set up and it really was super..he used 4 and 5 reeds but they were adjusted and balanced of course. I think he used a Moennigg barrell on his R13s..which he slowly broke in.
As to timbre I find his sound had a germanic focus which was very hard for students to replicate no matter what..as to his playing it was also very natural and unforced and in person his sound was very beautiful and rich with no airy quality whatsover.
Mr. Wright was a great admirer of all styles of clarinet playing and felt the best route was to integrate the French and German styles of thought into one..however he felt the American school at times could be dull and boring.
He did Mahler 3 prior to his untimely death...it was from all accounts a masterful presentation of the clarinet part..but I always felt he played superbly no matter the music.
David Dow
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