 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Becky
Date: 1999-08-31 00:49
Hi peoples!
I'm going to broaden my horizons a little and listen to other clarinetists besides Stoltzman. Can anyone recommend good recordings of Sabine Meyer and Bob Marcellus? I heard they're good. Also, can anyone suggest some more clarinetists I should listen to?
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Author: LJClarinetGuy
Date: 1999-08-31 01:34
A friend of mine has a Marcellus recording of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto. It's beautiful (to me at least). I loved his even tone and projection throught all the registers, and it is the kind of sound that I drive myself to produce (I just haven't gotten close though) Hope this help, I don't remember the label though, but the Clarinet Concerto was on a CD with I think an Oboe and Bassoon Concerto.
_-~Joey~-_
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Author: Daniel
Date: 1999-08-31 02:55
Anything by Sabine Meyer is great.
Some other names to look for:
Garvase de Peyer
Larry Combs
Karl Leister
Dieter Klöcker
Charles Neidich (don't really care for him but it's good to be exposed to various stuff)
Paul Meyer
Kjell Inge-Stevennson
Jost Michaels
David Glazer
F. Gerrard Errante
Ricardo Morales (surely he has a solo CD out somewhere, i've just never seen it)
Stanely Drucker
Jon Manasse (did i get his name right this time Mark? :-)
There's lots of others that i simply can't think of at the moment.
I've never found recordings of Marcellus or Harold Wright except for the Mozart from Marcellus, and a few recordings advertised in "The Clarinet" of Harold Wright.
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Author: Greg
Date: 1999-08-31 03:27
Becky wrote:
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Hi peoples!
I'm going to broaden my horizons a little and listen to other clarinetists besides Stoltzman. Can anyone recommend good recordings of Sabine Meyer and Bob Marcellus? I heard they're good. Also, can anyone suggest some more clarinetists I should listen to?
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Now that Sony Essential Classics makes the Cleveland Orchestra under the direction of George Szell and Louis Lane (the assistant conductor for a few years) available for a very good price on CD, there are any number of examples of Marcellus as an orchestral clarinetist as well as playing the Mozart concerto.
The catalogue is probably on the web at sony.com I imagine.
The essential "Essentials" as might be said are for every clarinetist interested in orchestral playing (as opposed to solo or chamber music playing). They are hallmarks of not only supreme orchestral clarinetistry but also of orchestral virtuosity as shown by the Cleveland Orchestra from the 1950's to the early 1970's under Szell's directorship.
Some examples might include:
Any Brahms, Beethoven, Schumann, Dvorak, or Mendelssohn Symphony. There is so much other repertorie that they recorded together.....all of it superb to the point of perfection!
One has to distinguish between the playing of someone like a Stoltzman who is a very popular soloist and Marcellus whom many consider the clarinetists' clarinetist as far as orchestral playing goes. To be used to listening to a soloist in the style of a Stoltzman and then jump to Marcellus in the orchestra are two different worlds.
Of course Marcellus' recording of the Mozart is sheer perfection for many but the awe inspiring thing to me is that one does not even need to qualify his recording as having come from the perspective of an "orchestral" clarinetist. It stands alone as an example of a great soloist. This is also evident in the many solo appearances that he made with the orchestra in different repertoire.
The Cleveland Orchestra also issued 2 different CD sets under their own auspicies or label - available if you call them I think - that include many live performances of Marcellus' playing including on 1 set a truly asounding version of the Schubert Octet for winds and strings with augmented string section. One of the Sony series CD's is of Louis Lane conducting the Ravel Introduction and Allegro with expanded strings again.
Gregory Smith
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Author: Marci
Date: 1999-08-31 13:45
Daniel wrote: I've never found recordings of Marcellus or Harold Wright except for the Mozart from Marcellus, and a few recordings advertised in "The Clarinet" of Harold Wright.
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In case you are interested in getting some recordings of Harold Wright, the record label is Boston Records, and they have a website that has the recordings listed. It's <www.bostonrecords.com>. I would highly recommend listening to his playing, as he is regarded very highly by most clarinetists. Plus, his recordings are good reference materials too! Also, the recording of the Mozart done by Marcellus is on that Sony Essential Classics label that Greg Smith mentioned, and it's catalouge number is SBK 62 424. I hope this helps you! Best of luck!
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Author: steve
Date: 1999-09-01 13:50
when I still lived in cleveland in the late 60's I remember an absolutely gorgeous hirt auf dem felsen with marcellus, victor babin, and possibly benita valente, done at the CMA chamber recital hall. it was broadcast on wclv later...any recordings circulating that you know of?
steve
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 1999-09-01 14:33
steve wrote:
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when I still lived in cleveland in the late 60's I remember an absolutely gorgeous hirt auf dem felsen with marcellus, victor babin, and possibly benita valente, done at the CMA chamber recital hall. it was broadcast on wclv later...any recordings circulating that you know of?
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That's not fair! I haven't heard that combo. It must have been absolutely fantastic. I've heard so many butcherings of der hirt auf dem felsen ...
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Author: Greg
Date: 1999-09-01 17:14
Actually, the performances that I have heard are with Marcellus, Benita Valente, and Erich Leinsdorf, piano. They were given as part of a subscription concert at Severance Hall in 1969 - Leinsdorf liked to program a piece of chamber music on a full orchestra concert and did it many times in Cleveland, here in Chicago and elsewhere.
The audience goes wild at the end - and for good reason. The performances are sensational and are the most beautiful and Schubertian of any that I have heard.
Marcellus told me a funny story about what happened at the end of the dress rehearsal for these performances. Leinsdorf said as they were walking offstage that "All dotted 8ths followed by a 16th note groupings are going to be played as triplets, right?"
Of course Marcellus was shocked because nothing was said about it in rehearsal so he was hearing about this for the first time! The school of thought that he (and most of the rest of the musical community) came from just didn't endorse that kind of casual approach to rehearsals, music or interpretation in general. So even though Leinsdorf was the conductor of the concert that week, Marcellus and Valente both insisted and overruled him on the spot - a very unusual thing to pull off with any conductor!
Greg Smith
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Author: steve
Date: 1999-09-01 20:06
you're right, greg...that was leinsdorf on piano in the schubert in severance...30 years is a long time to remember details...babin did play the beethoven piano quintet with the ww at severance on a sub series just after the strike...it was followed by beethoven 9, szell conducting?....
I do remember a leinsdorf/cleveland performance of a wind ensemble arrangement of Kurt Weil's threepenny opera with leinsdorf conducting without a podium, maybe 1970 or 71....there was some inspired sax playing from peterson and a beautiful "polly's song" solo from mr marcellus...
I remember hearing mr marcellus play the 1re rhapsodie, with, I think, boulez conducting...maybe 71-72....are recordings of that around?? I rember the audience went nuts, like a brown's game...
cleveland was a trip then...hear marcellus at severance on thursday, go to oberlin to hear mcdonald do bartok contrasts on saturday, take a lesson from squire at bw on tuesday...I was in high school....what a time....
s
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Author: Greg
Date: 1999-09-02 01:09
steve wrote:
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you're right, greg...that was leinsdorf on piano in the schubert in severance...30 years is a long time to remember details...babin did play the beethoven piano quintet with the ww at severance on a sub series just after the strike...it was followed by beethoven 9, szell conducting?....
I do remember a leinsdorf/cleveland performance of a wind ensemble arrangement of Kurt Weil's threepenny opera with leinsdorf conducting without a podium, maybe 1970 or 71....there was some inspired sax playing from peterson and a beautiful "polly's song" solo from mr marcellus...
I remember hearing mr marcellus play the 1re rhapsodie, with, I think, boulez conducting...maybe 71-72....are recordings of that around?? I rember the audience went nuts, like a brown's game...
cleveland was a trip then...hear marcellus at severance on thursday, go to oberlin to hear mcdonald do bartok contrasts on saturday, take a lesson from squire at bw on tuesday...I was in high school....what a time....
s
Yes, I have heard the Beethoven - and a Babin composition from the same concert (given at CIM) for the same instumentation except for 4 hands piano with Babbins' pianist wife joining the quintet. Concerto de Camera II I believe it was entitled.
The Weil is from that time and it is really astounding playing by both of the gentleman you mention. When we did it in Chicago the same way, Leinsdorf not only went without a podium, he asked us to wear felt hats, dark glasses and whatever else we could think of to add a little atmosphere (bold pinstriped suits, etc). The audience loved it!
When I mentioned the Cleveland Orchestra performance to Leinsdorf that I had heard from 20 years earlier, he said "Oh yes. It was just before a strike was to occur, the orchestra was in dire financial straits, and I told the audience after we had walked out on stage to rapturous applause that if they didn't support their musicians, there would probably soon be no Cleveland Orchestra to applaud!"
The Debussy was done at Severance in 1969-70 (and in a series that they played at Oberlin I believe) with Boulez conducting. What a marvelous example of Marcellus' interpretive powers as a soloist (as if the recording of the Mozart concerto isn't enough). I've heard tapes of the live performances the 2 times he did the Mozart with Cleveland from 1961(with Szell) and 1973 (with Maazel conducting) and you can hardly believe that it is a live performance because the playing sounds just as close to perfection as on the commercial recording! As far as that goes, it's the same for all live taped performances that I've heard - later released from commercial recording sessions on to LP and now CD.
Greg Smith
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 1999-09-02 01:33
For those who are/will be in the Cleveland area:
I sneaked into Severance Hall a couple of weeks back. The contruction is almost over, and the lobby & hall look absolutely gorgeous! Now that I've got a reason to head to Cleveland occasionally, I'll take in the orchestra :^)
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Author: steve
Date: 1999-09-02 14:47
greg said
"When I mentioned the Cleveland Orchestra performance to Leinsdorf that I had heard from 20 years earlier, he said "Oh yes. It was just before a strike was to occur, the orchestra was in dire financial straits, and I told the audience after we had walked out on stage to rapturous applause that if they didn't support their musicians, there would probably soon be no Cleveland Orchestra to applaud!"
...Leinsdorf said "there will only be upright piano, no strings, no podium...please support your wonderful cleveland orchestra...." I seem to remember a Brahms 4 on that program, with more wonderful clarinet artistry...being young is wasted on young people...:)
mark...when you get the severance, please report to us about the acoustics....I attended concerts weekly in the 60's and early 70's, and the acoustics became my benchmark for all other halls...never equaled...I hope they preserved the remodeling...
(terminating nostalgia mode....)
s.
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