 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2019-08-12 01:48
I'm the Audio Archivist of Harold Wright's Estate for his Family. Today Sunday August 11th is the 26th Anniversary of harold Wright's passing.
I've recently put many recordings of Wright that have never been released before. Also today I finished working on Ralph McLane's Schubert Octet with the Budapest Quartet at the Library of Congress 1947.
My page with the recordings are at www.YouTube.com/blummy24x7
Sponsor of The Clarinet Board for over 20 years.
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
Post Edited (2019-08-12 01:49)
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Author: Ed
Date: 2019-08-12 02:35
He was not only one of the greatest clarinetists of all time, but more importantly, he was a master musician who transcended the instrument.
I would love to see a boxed set released with solos, chamber works and excerpts.
Post Edited (2019-08-12 03:25)
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Author: GBK
Date: 2019-08-12 03:52
I'm a fan of Harold Wright, but this BSO recording with G. Rozhdestvensky conducting the Kodaly Dances of Galanta does him no favors.
The interpretation is so slow and ponderous it's almost mind numbing. Just the opening, up until the end of the clarinet solo is almost 4 minutes long. Far slower and less engaging than many other performances. Harold Wright's solo is played fine but the lazy tempo is not in character of the piece
Compare that to the lively performance of Jurowski and the LPO, or Solti and the LPO. The openings alone are a full minute quicker and both clearly capture the gypsy/Hungarian spirit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPJZNrNtHpM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C775ImQM1YY
Quite frankly, this particular Harold Wright recording, though possibly historically interesting, should have probably remained buried.
...GBK
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2019-08-13 13:40
Way to go! THis is fantastic.
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
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Author: Ken Lagace
Date: 2019-08-13 15:32
>>Quite frankly, this particular Harold Wright recording, though possibly historically interesting, should have probably remained buried.
Why? If we only listen to the best of everything, we can eliminate 90% of all recordings. I would like to hear Wright's playing anytime.
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Author: DAVE
Date: 2019-08-14 03:44
Re: the slow Harold Wright recording: it reminds me of the unnervingly fast tempo that Larry Combs was forced to play the Copland Concerto that was released many years ago. He plays beautifully, but the opening tempo is maddening! I asked him about it once and he told me that the conductor insisted on it and he had no choice.
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Author: donald
Date: 2019-08-14 04:18
I have a bootleg recording of Combs playing the Copeland (with a clarinet player conducting) that is very nice, only the strings were quite... Errrrrr... Challenged. You can't win them all!!!!!!
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2019-08-15 03:24
Post Edited (2019-08-15 03:39)
please delete, double posted somehow
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
Post Edited (2019-08-15 03:40)
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2019-08-15 03:37
Well we are getting sidetracked a bit. But I feel the need to respond based on Aaron. I was lucky enough to talk to Aaron Copland when I played under him for 1 concert, but sadly we didn't do his Concerto. When I asked him about it he said a lot of players take it too fast without a jazz feel, which was written for Benny Goodman as most of us know. He wanted this piece to have a 1940's Big Band New York City jazz feel. So you heard this directly from the composers mouth. He said Benny and himself grew up in NYC around the same era. I'm surely not against the piece being played fast.
In fact Copland sold a couple of pieces to the rock group Emerson, Lake, and Palmar, who did a rock version of the piece. Maybe some of you recall this piece. 2 of the members of the rock group are now dead. I'm sure the music is still available. This was surely an interesting version and the group was pretty talented.
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
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Author: donald
Date: 2019-08-15 03:49
He was talking about the tempo of the OPENING, not the Jazz influenced material later on... And we have a recording conducted by Copeland himself to remind us what tempo he prefered.
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Author: brycon
Date: 2019-08-15 05:29
...and a recording of Benny Goodman playing it without swinging; and the music is South American, not jazz; and... forget, Jake: it's Chinatown.
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