Author: Gregory Smith
Date: 2002-06-04 23:01
I remember reading the tributes to RM in the international clarinet magazine shortly after his death. The reminiscences from his own accomplished students, former colleagues, and luminaries from the classical musical world alike were stunningly eloquent and couldn't have been more complimentary. Perhaps one would appreciate this by personally reading these personal tributes in the magazine.
Marcellus was the clarinetist's clarinetist in an orchestra at the time consisting of musician's musicians - an orchestra perhaps unequalled to this or any other day. As a pupil of his I observed that he had the greatest understanding and was the finest teacher of the craft of playing the clarinet while always imparting a sense of conscientiousness and perspective about musical style. His in-studio demonstrations were even more incredible than the Marcellus sound and style that was able to be picked up by electronic microphones.
I personally produced a 1 hr. audio/video tribute about the life and music of Robert Marcellus that was presented at the ICA convention in Texas (1997) shortly after his death at age 67. I am honored to be presenting this tribute once again at the invitation of Stephan Harg - the director of the 2002 ICA convention during the Stockholm Clarinetfest this July.
There are many beautiful examples of his relatively short-lived orchestral playing career ('53 - '73) on LP and CD. There are also many solo and chamber performances existing on live tape (both audio and video) that demonstrate his supreme mastery of this repertoire including:
Debussy Rhapsodie, Copland Concerto, Brahms Trio, Schubert Shepherd on the Rock, Schubert Octet, Beethoven and Mozart Piano Wind Quintets, Mozart Wind Serenades, Bartok Contrasts, Messiaen Quartet for the End of Time, Webern Chamber Concerto Op. 1, and several others - mostly all in private collections.
There are few that one meets in one's musical lifetime that exude instantly and genuinely the impression of being in the prescence of greatness. Robert Marcellus was by every credible account that I know of one of those people.
Gregory Smith
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