 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: seabreeze
Date: 2013-12-14 14:30
Yet another excellent performer on the Oehler clarinet--Thorsten Johanns, principal clarinet with the WDR Symphony in Cologne--offers an ebullient reading of the Mozart Clarinet Concerto on YouTube. Johanns is rhythmically vigorous and draws out the fine structure of the work in fresh, revealing ways. Does anybody know if that is a glass Zinner mouthpiece he is playing or a clear acrylic one? Few clarinetists give evidence that they enjoy playing the instrument as much as Johanns does. He seems to me to be an original voice on the German clarinet (he is not using the basset clarinet in this performance).
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2013-12-14 15:26
Thanks for bringing this to our attention. Not only a wonderful performance from Johanns but a lot of VERY thoughtful interpreting from Maestro Aadland. A truly wonderful collaboration.
He's using that adjustable barrel we've talked about on this board (can't remember brand). As for the mouthpiece, it could be the standard Wurlitzer plexiglass. They claim the proprietary material yields superior sound but I was never fond of them.
Oh and check out that audience count. Last few times a friend of mine saw the Atlanta Symphony only 150 people were in the audience at any performance.
...............Paul Aviles
Post Edited (2013-12-14 15:37)
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Author: rtaylor
Date: 2013-12-16 15:00
Paul,
The adjustable barrel is from Paulus and Schuler in Bonn. I use them with great results.
Love the performance by the way. The tempi especially are well chosen. I get tired listening when this concerto is played so fast that it seems frantic.
Robert
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Author: Katrina
Date: 2013-12-16 17:21
Only had time today for the first movement. Wow. I love the interplay between the soloist and the first violins...I love the way the interpretation gives relative equivalence to the orchestra and the soloist. I love how "lightly" even the "heavier" moments are played. Outstanding, IMO...
Time to share this with my students!
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Author: seabreeze
Date: 2013-12-16 17:45
For my money, Thorsten Johanns' performance is a killer and a keeper. I prefer it to most of the "classic" performances by far more famous clarinetists of past and present. It also shows how beautiful the concerto can sound on a regular modern instrument without the low-note extensions. Students lacking the means to buy a basset clarinet need not feel ashamed to play Mozart on the regular clarinet when it can sound this good (if not historically authentic). Mozart's music is all about life, and this performance is alive in all of its particulars. By the way, Johanns also has a fine performance of the Copland Concerto on YouTube.
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