 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: graham
Date: 2005-04-29 12:10
Thurston recorded the Brahms Quintet twice (at least). First in the mid 1920s with acoustic recording techniques, and second in 1941 as an electrical recording. Neither has been available in modern media until this year. The first was issued as 78s, but was soon superseded in the catalogue following the inception of electrical recording, and was never reissued. It remains very rare. The 1941 version was rejected by Thurston, so never got beyond the masters.
Now, Testament Records has newly issued the 1941 version, coupled with the Bliss Quintet and the Brahms 2nd Sonata, all featuring Thurston. The interesting question is why they chose the version Thurston had rejected and not the earlier published version (which, it happens, enjoyed critical acclaim).
Those interested in historical performance will want this recording. The account is very dynamic, with upfront sound, and a real sense of purpose. It may occasionally gloss over refinements of phrasing etc., but it reaps benefits in the areas of structural integrity and integration. The first movement is particularly persuasive.
But the reasons for Thurston's disagreement with issueing it are audible nonetheless. The tone is wonderful for much of the time, but it gets very raw and harsh in places, a trait emphasised by the over close recording perspective. We have to appreciate that this was recorded in the depths of a war in which the sole or main source of clarinet reeds was inside enemy occupied territory. Compared with the other (1930s) recordings on the disc, the reed sounds like a good reed that has been pressed too long into service. Thurston also struggles with intonation throughout. It was never one of his strong suits (the 1010 he used cannot have helped) but he is perhaps at his worst here, in that respect. And then, there are the mistakes. We would care less about that now than he would have then. The session allowed only one take, and he suffered from an error rate that probably dissuaded him from agreeing to issue it. This, the CD note tells us, was a great disappointment to the leader of the quartet, Griller, who wanted the set issued. Griller and his quartet sound electrifyingly brilliant almost throughout (though the tone is caught rather harshly).
Another aspect is the extreme "competition" this recording faced. The ealier Thurston recording was the earliest complete recording of the work, and only Draper's 1917 "bleeding chunks" recording pre-dates it at all. There were no comparisons to make. But by 1941 Kell/Busch had issued their justifiably legendary account, and Draper/Lener's 1928 electrical recording will have remained in many peoples' memories. The standard was very high, potentially putting Thurston off inviting comparisons. Also, he may have had a softer spot for his earlier recording.
That earlier recording is rare, though the British Sound Archive has a set, and they will transfer it to CD for a fee. When they did this for me they unfortunately mistook the speed as 78 rpm, so it plays too slow and exactly a semi tone flat! The sound is occluded even for an acoustic recording. The Spencer Dyke Quintet was far behind the later Grillers in quality or understanding of the work, though there are some nice touches. The account is much less compelling in the first two movements, but, I feel, more compelling in the last two. On a technical level, there are fewer errors, the intonation (though not perfect) is a good deal better. The tone is very consistent and absolutely stunning (Note: Thurston played Martels at this earlier point in his career, not 1010s:- what if he had stayed with them??). At times this earlier recording gives a freer environment for Thurston's own nuances, so it might have been a more personal rather than collective account in his view.
An opportunity seems therefore to have been missed in not giving us both accounts on one CD. But of course that would have made it harder to market except to people like us.
The CD note of the Testament issue is strange. The author clearly has no knowledge whatever of the earlier recording. He erroneously tells us that Thurston's first recording was the Bliss in 1935. He discusses at great and misguided length the opening tempo of the first movement without refering back to the different opening tempo in the 1920s recording, and makes an entire theory out of Thurston playing it up to speed while all other players of the period (such as Kell and Draper) played it as a slow introduction. Comparison of the various accounts does not bear out this observation.
All in all, very well worth buying.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: graham
Date: 2005-04-29 15:10
Martels play at about 442. Thurston's old pair is still being played in the New Queens Hall Orchestra which does a handful of gigs a year and plays at modern pitch.
Kell played later clarinets made by Hawkes (c. 1920), which had broadly the same tuning characteristics.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
