 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2009-10-29 21:58
I found a great 1962 live performance on YouTube of Charles Munch and the Boston Symphony playing the Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique, with plenty of views of the wind principals: Doriot Anthony Dwyer, flute, John Holmes (no, another one), oboe, Louis Speyer, English horn, Gino Cioffi, clarinet and Sherman Walt (I think), bassoon. I don't recognize the Eb player. Perhaps someone can fill us in. You'll also see Roger Voisin, the world's loudest trumpet player, and Leslie "Tiny" Martin, the 400 pound double bass payer.
It's chopped up into five equal parts with breaks in the middle of movements, and part 4 stalls halfway through. Still, it's an amazing performance -- better, in my opinion, than the studio recording, and Munch whips up an incredible fury at the end, when he holds the final note forever.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_s0wMe7bfMQ&feature=PlayList&p=C34147F0908E494A&index=0&playnext=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzCTUT8XdTs&feature=PlayList&p=C34147F0908E494A&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPs7cxrTUBQ&feature=PlayList&p=C34147F0908E494A&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3iGuquRkBs&feature=PlayList&p=C34147F0908E494A&index=3 note -- stalls about a minute into the march to the scaffold -- when the scene in the country movement ends, switch to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNSeBwy4qGw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imPA6BfIeNQ&feature=PlayList&p=C34147F0908E494A&index=4
I've found many more very good live recordings on YouTube by searching for vaimusic and also for conductorrr.
Ken Shaw
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ed
Date: 2009-10-30 01:30
I believe that in those days Pasquale Cardillo was on Eb. Thanks for posting this.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Sylvain
Date: 2009-10-30 03:19
I love how the winds are surrounded by the strings. Very nice, thanks for posting this.
--
Sylvain Bouix <sbouix@gmail.com>
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: LarryBocaner ★2017
Date: 2009-10-30 03:41
Oboe player is Ralph Gomberg. What a wonderful performance -- I think this was the golden age of the Boston Symphony! I had the honor of playing the Eb clarinet in a performance of the Fantastique with Munch at Tanglewood in '56 -- it was a life-changing experience.
Roger Voisin ( a wonderful gentleman) was far from being the World's loudest trumpet player, but his characteristic vibrato may have made him the most recognizable! Other notables include Rosario Mazzeo playing assistant 2nd clarinet, concertmaster Richard Burgin, harpist Bernard Zighera, 2nd clarinet Manny Valerio, Jimmy Stagliano playing principal horn, Vic Firth, tympani.
Post Edited (2009-10-30 03:59)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2009-10-30 11:44
Larry -
Are you sure about the principal oboist? In the split shot closeups of the oboe and English horn in the Scene in the Country movement, the oboist doesn't look like Ralph Gomberg, and a link on the IDRS site says it's Holmes, who was principal before Gomberg.
Ken Shaw
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Chris P
Date: 2009-10-30 11:58
I remember a while back someone mentioned Gino Cioffi didn't use the Ab/Eb key for the high D in this - on large bore Selmers you don't need to as D is fine without it.
Watch from 0:15 onwards in his solo (he starts the ascent at around 0:55):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3iGuquRkBs&feature=PlayList&p=C34147F0908E494A&index=3
Just realised he didn't need to open it for the high E either.
Vic Firth on timps! I never knew that!
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2009-10-30 12:12)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: LarryBocaner ★2017
Date: 2009-10-30 13:09
Definitely Ralph Gomberg! Perhaps Holmes was playing the off-stage oboe solos.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: srattle
Date: 2009-10-30 14:09
Chris P:
It's true that he doesn't use the Eb key for those notes. . .but they are definitely a little flat, and I think also a little less resonant. Maybe it would have been better with them.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2009-10-30 15:43
Cioffi's tuning could be suspect. His recording of the Brahms Sonata # 2 is painful.
Ken Shaw
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2009-10-30 21:36
Interesting, notice how the face of our orchestra's have changed since 1962? How many women do you see in the BSO at that time, or any of the major orchestra's then? I agree, that does look like Gomberg on oboe.
Tiny Martin takes up a little room on stage. I played with him at Pierre Montaux's conducting school, The Domain School for Conductors in Hancock Maine, back in 1960 when I was a student playing in the orchestra for the conductors. He came up to play for a few weeks.
Did anyone else hear of the story of when Gino Cioffi came to the USA to play in the Met orchestra? The story I heard as a student was that he played with the reed on top, double lip of course, and one of the other players said, Hey Gino, you'll sound better if you turn the mouthpiece the other way. I wonder if that was true or just a story that went around.
When I studied with Eric Simon in the late 50s, Simon used to conduct the Boston Winds in concerts at times and when he did a Violin concerto for violin and winds, I can't remember, Berg, Stravinsky? Anyway he asked me to turn pages for the soloist, Joe Silverstein at Carnagie Recital Hall, I was petrified but thrilled as well. I tried talking to Coiffi but his english left something to be desired. Simon told me he had trouble getting him to understand him many times. He conducted them on several occasions in NY as well as Boston. ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Adrian
Date: 2009-10-31 22:37
That's Ralph Gomberg playing principal oboe, Sherm Walt (without his moustache) principal bassoon, and Patsy Cardillo playing e flat.
What a great orchestra, and a woodwind section for the ages.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
