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Author: Dr. Eric Anderson
Date: 2002-08-26 14:49
I saw a Marcellus performance in the 60s of the Clarinet Concerto and loved his playing. My big thing personally is chamber music, and I go to great pains to attend Chamber Music concerts. Would anyone know of a recording of Mr. Marcellus recording available of things in smaller group settings?
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2002-08-26 15:43
I suppose everyone has looked for Marcellus chamber music recordings. As far as I know (and I've looked pretty hard), there are only two: the Ravel Introduction and Allegro for harp and ensemble (available on an inexpensive Sony reissue) and a modern piece for largish ensemble by Lesemann (on a long-deleted LP).
There's an aircheck of the Schubert Octet, with the Cleveland Orchestra principals but the entire string section. You get to hear a lot of Marcellus, but I find it less effective without the flexibility, and opportunity to play softly, that comes with the original instrumentation.
In an interview published in Clarinet several years ago, Marcellus said he had listened to concert recordings of himself and thought some of them were very good, including a Debussy Premiere Rhapsody. However, no one will admit to having a copy, and Marcellus was reluctant to have his non-commercial recordings given out. For example, he gave two superlative master classes at the Clarinet Congress at Oberlin, at which he played a lot, but wouldn't give permission for even participants to get copies.
David Hattner, who was a Marcellus student, has collected every LP of the Cleveland Orchestra in which Marcellus plays, including a number of Cleveland Pops issues, very few of which have been reissued on CD.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: HAT
Date: 2002-08-26 16:23
Yeah, there are a few live chamber concerts Marcellus played in that were taped. I don't have any of them. The inagural concerts of the Chamber Music Society at Lincoln Center and some stuff from CIM. Rumors of some really old stuff before he even went to Cleveland as well.
For the record, he hated that Debussy broadcast (he wasn't all that fond of the Mozart Concerto recording either). He was not in great health at the time of the Debussy (he had had all of his upper teeth removed due to diabetic complications less than a year before he played that). When a student would ask about it he would say "never mind that, go listen to some student performances with orchestra in the library, some of them are probably better." It was rebroadcast when I was at NU and he told everyone not to listen to it. Of course we all did and it's actually not bad.
I am still missing a few lps but I have the bulk of them. A lot of great playing from the entire orchestra.
David Hattner, NYC
www.northbranchrecords.com
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Author: rmk
Date: 2002-08-26 20:52
I have that Debussy recording (with Boulez conducting) and I like it quite a bit. The orchestral playing is truly spectacular. It's too bad he never recorded it commercially.
I agree with Ken Shaw about the Schubert recording, which is rather strange with a full string section. Perhaps this is one of Szell's rare miscalculations.
I also have a Shepherd on the Rock (with Benita Valente) which unfortunately is not very good at all. I don't know the circumstances of the recording, but Marcellus sounds very uncomfortable (the only time I've not heard him play wonderfully).
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Author: elmo lewis
Date: 2002-08-28 01:30
A copy of the Debussy Rhapsody recording was donated to the Indiana University record library in the late 70's. IU students check it out.
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