 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Gary
Date: 2000-12-12 15:59
I am curious as to your opinions regarding your choices for the best recording of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto. I really like Sabine Meyer's rendition, but I've read in another post that Robert Marcellus has an excellent one also. I'd like to purchase a few more but would like opinions from this board. Thanks in advance.
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Author: Anonymous
Date: 2000-12-12 17:50
When I attended Eastern Music Festival a while back, Judith Donaldson lent me a copy of Ricardo Morales playing. The recording was phenomenal, unfortantely, it is not on sale, sorry.
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Author: Julia Meyer
Date: 2000-12-12 19:05
The recording of Robert Marcellus playing is really good...whatever you do, don't get the recordings with Richard Stoltzman playing. Good luck
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Author: Kristen
Date: 2000-12-12 19:50
I like to listen to many different people interpret the same piece of music. Even if
there is a particular player you are not that impressed with, you can always pick up
something new stylistically every time you hear someone play. The reason I bring this up
is that I personally used to dislike Richard Stoltzman's playing. I was almost annoyed by
his "hollow" sound and vibrato. Yet, if you listen with an open mind, you might see how
his interpretation is pleasant to listen to. Personally, I do not immitate his style of vibrato in
my playing, however I have grown to like it. Sometimes you have to put all of the things you
have been taught aside to be an aesthetic listener. Once I did this, I have learned to
appreciate almost every interpretation I have heard. I would be interested to hear why
Julia dislikes Richard Stotlzman.
Another good recording is with David Shiffrin. He plays on an extended clarinet and therefore
produces all of the low D's and C's that were originally written in the piece.
Have Fun!
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Author: Pat
Date: 2000-12-12 20:57
I am very partial to the Robert Marcellous recording. I have the Paul Meyer one which is ok. The only complaint i have against it is that he seems to rush the third movement. The Carl Liester one is pretty good as well. What I don't like about the Stoltzman is that he takes too many liberties with the piece, and doesn't seem to play in the classical style. he has done alot for the clarinet, but making a good recording of the Mozart Clarinet Concerto is something he hasn't done.
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Author: Daniel Bouwmeeszer
Date: 2000-12-12 21:33
I have listened to many recordings of this concerto, and have different opinions...
I would like to say first that what I'm going to say is my opininon, and that some people would not be happy about it.
- Sabine Meyer's version I don't like so much because of the lack of detail in her work, and the sound is of a basset clarinet. I prefer the sound of an A clarinet.
- Marcellus's version I HATE... it's terribly boring...it's flat... YUK ! Too much technique, not enough music..
- Victor Timetz 's version is o.k. but has some defaults. It's too fast in the first movement, the second movement is o.k. but tends to accelerate too much. The third movement is very good. For those who don't know, Victor Timetz is from Ukraine and plays this with members of the Kiev Opera.
- John McCaw, is pretty good, he has british influences since he was the principal clarinetist of the New Philormania Orchestra. His sound is very british and has some defaults, but his interpretation is interesting. JOghn McCaw plays Boosey & Hawkes 1010 clarinets (wich are british made and have very large bore and very nice tone).
- Gervase de Peyer's version is interesting also, but I hate his sound. He's pretty weird, a mixture of french and british influence.... De Peyer was reputated to be a technician... yes indeed, his version of the Mozart is not inconsistent. De Peyer play Paul Eaton clarinets which are similar to the 1010's
- I heard Anthony Pay play the Mozart in Geneva at Victoria Hall. I did like this mainly for historicall reasons... He was playing with the orchestra of the age of enlightement, and he was playing an antique Bassett Horn. The interpretation, I liked a lot, the sound of the instrument.. HUm... not really.. I prefer the sound of a modern intrument... especially when you can avoid squeaks... Anthony has british influence as he studied in the royal academy London with John Davies. My mum had the same teacher, and I'm having the same teacher also so I'm obliged to accept him.. :-)
- I heard Paul Meyer play the same piece in the same place in Geneva. Paul Meyer is a very brilliant french clarinetist, but has some weird manners. Weird manners such as playing pianissimos you can't hear.... He has the fury of hard reeds as he plays 5RV lyre with 4.5 Vandoren reeds... He's not really bothered about his intrument (he plays a standard factory buffet RC)... Anyway, I am rather negative about his version of the Mozart, because he's trying to be too perfect.... Perfection is boring.... He's trying to make his sound too beautifull and then looses his energy in trying to make music..... But, this version is still of excellent quality is worth listening.
- Steven Kanoff's version is rather special. He plays there with the british chamber ochestra. His Mozart is too slow in the first movement and too fast in the second and too slow in the third.... his sound is very nice and round, perhaps a bit too "fluffy", by times. His music is very detailed and you can really feel he's trying to say something. Steven Kanoff has studied with Mitchell Lurie in CA, and finished of his studies at the royal college and the conservatoire de Genève with Thomas Friedli. Steven plays buffet R13 (modified by René Hagmann) Mitchell Lurie 4 reeds and mitchell Lurie mouthpiece ans ligature. Steven is my teacher, and I asked him about the speed. He said to me that the problem he had is that he had a morning to record and there wasn't any conductor, so they had slight problems... and of course, orchestras are expensive to hire and he couldn't afford to redo it.
- Thomas Friedli's version is also very interesting. Thomas had french influences since he studied with Jacques Lancelot in Paris. He has won Geneva international music competition and now teaches in Geneva Conservatoire. In the Mozart, his sound is very worked... Friedli's speciality is working on sound and breathing, and this piece is an example of it. He plays there with a Swiss German orchestra. Interms of speed it's very good. In terms of music, he makes a great effort to phrase and make nuances. I don't think he does it as well as Kanoff but I prefer it by far to Sabine Meyer's and Marcellus's version. Friedli plays buffet Festival with Charles Bay Mouthpieces.. Friedli, I have worked with and he's very good.
- Finally, my favorite is Jack Brymer's version. He plays with a british influence.. Actually he has sort of invented the british school, he's considered as THE clarinetist by the british. His sound is very round and beautifull, and his phrasing is very special. It's very difficult to describe how he plays, but you really feel there's something when you listen to it. I recommend this version of Mozart to everyone. Jack plays Paul Eaton clarinets
Greetings
DAniel B.
Geneva
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Author: Aussie Nick
Date: 2000-12-12 23:34
I love both the Jack Brymer version and the Robert Marcellus version. I agree with Daniel however that Jack is something special and for this reason I prefer Jacks version.
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Author: Bino
Date: 2000-12-13 05:09
Check out Franklin Cohen with Cleveland...Very dark tone with great musical expression...He takes a couple of liberties (like adding a cadenza in the 1st movement), but all in all it ranks in the top 5 of my favorite clarinet recordings...
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Author: beejay
Date: 2000-12-13 13:03
No one mentioned two of my favorites -- Thea King's and Michel Arrigon's.
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Author: brian
Date: 2000-12-15 00:02
Daniel,
just another opinion about the Marcellus version---I don't think flat or boring is the word to describe it at all, just because he doesn't take lots of liberties or honk out the phrasing or bash you over the head with it. He plays with a beautiful, crystal clear tone, and, I believe, VERY musically, although certainly with more subtlety than someone like Richard Stoltzman. I believe that, as musicians, we have a responsibility to play what the composer wanted, in the appropriate style, not what we feel like adding in to show off or make it flashier. I also would think that if anyone knew how to play Mozart, it would be Robert Marcellus, who played in one of the greatest orchestras in the world from 1953 to 1973 under George Szell, considered by many to be one of the great interpreters of the classical style. Certainly, we all have different ideas of how Mozart wanted the concerto to sound, but I would suggest that Marcellus' background and experience should be taken into consideration before you think that other people would know better than him. Just listen to a great orchestra like Cleveland playing a mozart sympony, or a mozart piano concerto, and then listen carefully to Marcellus, and see if you like it any better.....just another opinion....
brian
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