 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Chris Ondaatje
Date: 2000-09-22 02:45
I have played a number of Clarinets; Selmer 10S,Buffet R13,Buffet RC Prestige. They all seem to be quite good and have there own strenghts and weeknesses. I Have been reading some literature about the Selmer "Recital" it seems interesting. I am interested in any thoughts and comparisons from people who have tried it.
Regards Chris.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2000-09-22 03:57
I have seen and heard [but not played] both an earlier Recital and a present Signature by Bill Viseur, fine cl'ist and teacher in Tulsa [and Bartlesville]. His tonal quality is quite dark [to these old ears] and his evaluation of full-range pitch is "its excellent, no need to adjust-favor any notes". Since at times I'm invited back into our local symp, [on bass!] I'll grab my best sop mp and ask for a trial, report more factually. Don
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Author: tbomas
Date: 2000-09-22 06:51
I tried a Selmer Recital and a Signature. The Recital has a lot of taper, small bore and a very very thick body. For me
it is much too heavy. I dont like the sound, it should be dark, but for me its coarse and dull. the Signature was for me the best Boehm Clarinet I ever tried (Wonderful sound,
more resistance than Buffet) (I use German and Buffet).
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Author: Rob
Date: 2000-09-23 17:56
I play on a Recital and I really like it very much. I do find the sound to be "dark" as they say. I much prefer it to any Buffet I have ever tried (thought I've never been much of a Buffet fan" but I must admit it can be thumbuster if your hands and forearms are not up to it. It is a heavy clarinet and it is a tiny bit bigger in outside diameter than my Series 10. I had been accustomed to playing on playing on an old Series 10 full boehm, so even though the Recital weighed a bit more, the extra weight was easy for me to get used to. As far as playing it is concerned, I find it a pleasure. The evenness of response, resistance and tonal color is better than anything else I have experienced. It really brought new joy to playing. The biggest challenge for me was to stop doing the things I had always done to compensate for the shortcomings of the Series 10 and R13 I had played before, but that's the kind of challenge we all hope for.
The Recital does have a drawback, apart from the weight that is. The low F does have some intonation problems for some folks (I have heard this is more true on the A than on the Bb) though I have not had such a problem myself, and the Recital is now sold with an optional F resonance key to correct the intonation. Because of this though, and the extra weight and the fact that it cost a few hundred more than the Series 10G (though still less than the Signature!), it does not seem to be a very popular model and I think that is unfortunate. There is so much about it that I like that I have never regretted my purchase for a minute. Everything I disliked about every R13 and 10G I had ever played or tried was nowhere to be found on the Recital.
I have not tried the Signature, but I intend to sometime this year.
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Author: Bill
Date: 2000-09-25 15:04
I had a Selmer Recital with the low-F resonance device for about 5 years. I thought it was too heavy and the presence of two bridege keys made assembly a pain. As to tone, it was remarkable as an example of a dark "orchestral" clarinet, the sort of clarinet I find, as years pass, I am not that interested in! I bought mine b/c James Campbell played them (though Pamela Weston quotes him as being a Buffet player in "Virtuosi of Today"), and Campbell's playing and his cds are so fantastic. I think the Recital is a great clarinet that never caught on in a big way. But for those, like me, who prefer the greatest possible flexibility coupled with (when desrired) the ability to give your sound a good "edge," the Recital may be a bit TOO dark, perhaps a bit "dull."
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Author: Larry
Date: 2000-09-25 16:11
I wish there had been this much discussion when I posed the same questions a few months back!
I bought a Recital A anyway and enjoy it very much (my B flat is a Signature) for most of the reasons stated
above. The size and weight are not a problem either, although my B flat feels skimpy when I switch to it after
playing the Recital.
There are some tonal issues for me, especially in the altissimo register. These require some experimenting
with alternate fingerings to overcome.
Anyone who's interested in Selmer clarinets should check out their website discussion board (clarinet corner).
In particular, representatives of Selmer France are going to be in New York City this week (September 26 and 27)
and clarinetists are invited to try their instruments (signatures, recitals, etc). I think they'll be in Los Angeles
later on in the month.
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