Robert Marcellus
Phil Caron
Robert Marcellus and the Cleveland Orchestra conducted by Szell. A
wonderful performance all around.
I've searched a bit for other recordings of Marcellus as soloist or chamber
player. All I've found is the Webern Op. 22 for Clarinet, Tenor Sax, Piano
& Violin, part of Boulez complete Webern on Sony. There's also a Schubert
Octet recording.
Marcellus was prominent for quite a while during the lp era. Were there no
other recordings featuring him?
- Phil Caron
jrs...@aol.com
On Jan 28, 6:03 pm, "Phil Caron" <vladi...@vermontel.net> wrote:
> I've been enjoying the recording of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto with soloist
> Robert Marcellus and the Cleveland Orchestra conducted by Szell. A
> wonderful performance all around.
>
> I've searched a bit for other recordings of Marcellus as soloist or chamber
> player. All I've found is the Webern Op. 22 for Clarinet, Tenor Sax, Piano
> & Violin, part of Boulez complete Webern on Sony. There's also a Schubert
> Octet recording.
>
Are you referring to the Szell-orchestrated performance of the
Schubert Octet that the Cleveland Orchestra issued in the Szell
commemorative box?
> Marcellus was prominent for quite a while during the lp era. Were there no
> other recordings featuring him?
He wasn't really prominent as a soloist. He was prominent because of
his orchestral playing and his teaching (for many years after his
retirement he was considered one of the preeminent clarinet professors
in the U.S. and he churned out a large number of excellent pupils). He
also did some conducting.
There is a Sony recording (inherited from Epic, I assume) of Ravel's
Introduction and Allegro for Harp, Flute, Clarinet and String Quartet.
--Jeff
cleveland orch fan
On Jan 29, 12:13 am, jrsn...@aol.com wrote:
> There is a Sony recording (inherited from Epic, I assume) of Ravel's
> Introduction and Allegro for Harp, Flute, Clarinet and String Quartet.
The recording was conducted by Boulez and recorded in the early
1970's with Alice Chalifoux as the harp soloist. It sat in the can for
many years before it was ever issued.
There are broadcast recordings of Mozart's Gran Partita and the
Schubert Octet conducted by Szell, in which Marcellus plays, but I
don't think they have ever been commercially (legally) issued.
jrs...@aol.com
On Jan 29, 9:20 am, "cleveland orch fan" <Peter.Bar...@gmail.com>
wrote:
The Octet was commercially and legally issued by the orchestra itself,
but I don't know if any copies remain at their store. It's not the
Octet in its original form, it's "orchestrated". However, Marcellus
clearly has a major part there.
There is another Octet recording (which appeared on a Sony Cd) with
members of the Cleveland Orchestra, and it is actually the original
chamber scoring, but that is a later recording and does not feature
Marcellus.
--Jeff
John Wiser
> On Jan 29, 9:20 am, "cleveland orch fan"
> wrote:[snipped]
> The Octet was commercially and legally issued by the orchestra itself,
> but I don't know if any copies remain at their store. It's not the
> Octet in its original form, it's "orchestrated". However, Marcellus
> clearly has a major part there.
>
> There is another Octet recording (which appeared on a Sony Cd) with
> members of the Cleveland Orchestra, and it is actually the original
> chamber scoring, but that is a later recording and does not feature
> Marcellus.
And it is, I'm sorry to report, comparative ditchwater in respect to interpretive character. You can't just let any old set
of orchestral players, no matter how biddable and responsive they are in their day jobs, cut loose on stuff like this.
cordially
--
John Wiser
cee...@frontiernet.net
jic...@frontiernet.net
visit http://jicotea.pbwiki.com and
http://bargainbooks.pbwiki.com for my book lists,
http://ceeclef.pbwiki.com for printed music,
books on music and recordings.
jrs...@aol.com
On Jan 29, 11:02 am, "John Wiser" <ceec...@frontiernet.net> wrote:
> <jrsn...@aol.com> wrote [among other things]
>
> > On Jan 29, 9:20 am, "cleveland orch fan"
> > wrote:[snipped]
> > The Octet was commercially and legally issued by the orchestra itself,
> > but I don't know if any copies remain at their store. It's not the
> > Octet in its original form, it's "orchestrated". However, Marcellus
> > clearly has a major part there.
>
> > There is another Octet recording (which appeared on a Sony Cd) with
> > members of the Cleveland Orchestra, and it is actually the original
> > chamber scoring, but that is a later recording and does not feature
> > Marcellus.And it is, I'm sorry to report, comparative ditchwater in respect to interpretive character. You can't just let any old set
> of orchestral players, no matter how biddable and responsive they are in their day jobs, cut loose on stuff like this.
Sadly, it is not a particularly good recording, but it isn't "any old
set of orchestral players". Whatever the problem, it isn't that these
players were incapable of a great performance.
--Jeff
sechumlib
Just a semi-OT note that Marcellus was, perhaps, one of the great
"menschen" of the world as well as one of the great clarinetists. He
had to give up playing in the orchestra because of diabetic
retinopathy, and a doctor's warning that he would go blind if he didn't
quit. So he did quit, and went blind anyway after a few years. He
deserved better.
In the meantime, however, he became a pretty successful conductor of
such orchestras as the Cleveland Philharmonic (in which I played viola
under him) and the Interlochen Arts Academy Orchestra. As well as
teaching (both before and after losing his sight). I can't speak with
experience, but I bet he was a great teacher.
Life was hard for him, and he responded by contributing endlessly to
the arts and humanity.
Phil Caron
news:1170047602.6...@j27g2000cwj.googlegroups.com...
>
>
> On Jan 28, 6:03 pm, "Phil Caron" <vladi...@vermontel.net> wrote:
>> I've been enjoying the recording of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto with
>> soloist
>> Robert Marcellus and the Cleveland Orchestra conducted by Szell. A
>> wonderful performance all around.
>>
>> I've searched a bit for other recordings of Marcellus as soloist or
>> chamber
>> player. All I've found is the Webern Op. 22 for Clarinet, Tenor Sax,
>> Piano
>> & Violin, part of Boulez complete Webern on Sony. There's also a
>> Schubert
>> Octet recording.
>>
>
> Are you referring to the Szell-orchestrated performance of the
> Schubert Octet that the Cleveland Orchestra issued in the Szell
> commemorative box?
>
>> Marcellus was prominent for quite a while during the lp era. Were there
>> no
>> other recordings featuring him?
>
> He wasn't really prominent as a soloist. He was prominent because of
> his orchestral playing and his teaching (for many years after his
> retirement he was considered one of the preeminent clarinet professors
> in the U.S. and he churned out a large number of excellent pupils). He
> also did some conducting.
>
under Boulez, but I find no evidence of any recording.
> There is a Sony recording (inherited from Epic, I assume) of Ravel's
> Introduction and Allegro for Harp, Flute, Clarinet and String Quartet.
>
Thank you for that heads-up, Jeff.
- Phil Caron
Dontait...@aol.com
On Jan 29, 4:00?pm, sechumlib <sechum...@liberal.net> wrote:
> Just a semi-OT note that Marcellus was, perhaps, one of the great
> "menschen" of the world as well as one of the great clarinetists. He
> had to give up playing in the orchestra because of diabetic
> retinopathy, and a doctor's warning that he would go blind if he didn't
> quit. So he did quit, and went blind anyway after a few years. He
> deserved better.
>
> In the meantime, however, he became a pretty successful conductor of
> such orchestras as the Cleveland Philharmonic (in which I played viola
> under him) and the Interlochen Arts Academy Orchestra. As well as
> teaching (both before and after losing his sight). I can't speak with
> experience, but I bet he was a great teacher.
>
> Life was hard for him, and he responded by contributing endlessly to
> the arts and humanity.
I have always thought that Robert Marcellus's playing on the
recordings I know is very special. I'm not particularly fond of the
clarinet, so I must say that anyone who makes me sit up and think that
might be special, too.
I met Robert Marcellus once, and he was equally special as a human
being. He was teaching at Northwestern University and living in
Evanston, Illinois. He contacted me at WFMT, said he'd like to sell
some of his records, and wondered if I'd like to look at them. I went
with a friend. I don't remember what we bought. What I do remember was
the warmth and humanity of the man; I think he was one of the
gentlest, most sensitive people I've met. His speaking voice was
beautiful. He told us a bit about "Doctor Szell." And by then he was
completely blind, an afflicition he explained to us and with which he
seemed to be at peace.
A great man and musician.
Don Tait
Phil Caron
news:1170114080.7...@s48g2000cws.googlegroups.com...
- Phil Caron
Curtis Croulet
It's very sad. Maybe someone here has the medical background to explain why
a musician with diabetic retinopathy would risk making it worse by
continuing to play.
--
Curtis Croulet
Temecula, California
33°27'59"N, 117°05'53"W
ron...@usa.net
On Jan 29, 1:46 pm, jrsn...@aol.com wrote:
> On Jan 29, 9:20 am, "cleveland orch fan" <Peter.Bar...@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > On Jan 29, 12:13 am, jrsn...@aol.com wrote:
>
> > There are broadcast recordings of Mozart's Gran Partita and the
> > Schubert Octet conducted by Szell, in which Marcellus plays, but I
> > don't think they have ever been commercially (legally) issued.The Octet was commercially and legally issued by the orchestra itself,
> but I don't know if any copies remain at their store. It's not the
> Octet in its original form, it's "orchestrated". However, Marcellus
> clearly has a major part there.
>
> --Jeff
The Szell performance of the Schubert Octet was not orchestrated.
Szell used multiple strings, but nothing else was changed. Marcellis,
Goslee and Bloom played the original chamber parts as written.
Ron Whitaker
jrs...@aol.com
True. I guess in my dictionary that's called "orchestrated"...ie, an
orchestra of strings takes over for a chamber group of strings. The
distinction is fuzzy there, of course. Perhaps I should have said the
piece was "orchestrized"?
In any case, it is not my favorite Marcellus recording by a long
stretch, though it was interesting to hear.
--Jeff
Eric Nagamine
>> Thanks Don and sechumlib for the insights into Marcellus' personal life.
>
> It's very sad. Maybe someone here has the medical background to explain why
> a musician with diabetic retinopathy would risk making it worse by
> continuing to play.
I believe that as persons with diabetes get older, the blood vessels in
the eye become weaker. The back pressure from a reed instrument would
surely cause damage to the blood vessels and eventual blindness.
--
-----------
Aloha and Mahalo,
Eric Nagamine
http://home.hawaii.rr.com/mahlerb/broadcaststartpage.html
sechumlib
<calypte@_NO_SPAM_verizon.net> said:
> It's very sad. Maybe someone here has the medical background to
> explain why a musician with diabetic retinopathy would risk making it
> worse by continuing to play.
Perhaps it's known as dedication?
Anyway, Marcellus DIDN'T continue, at least not in the orchestra. I
have no idea to what extent he followed his doctor's recommendation,
since I am not Marcellus or his doctor.
Dontait...@aol.com
I know nothing about Marcellus's doctor or to what extent Marcellus
followed his recommendations, but as someone whose brother died
relatively young of the complications of severe diabetes I can say
that it is a catastrophic disease and sometimes the associated medical
problems are virtually insurmountable.
I imagine that Marcellus continued in the orchestra as long as he
believed he could read his part properly and do his best. I'd think
that when he felt he could no longer do that, believing that music and
the orchestra counted more, he took his leave and moved to teaching.
Don Tait
sechumlib
My sympathies on your brother, Don. I've had Type 1 diabetes for 68
years and, so far, have miraculously escaped almost all of the
complications.
I was living in Cleveland when Marcellus retired from the orchestra. As
written up in the local newspapers, he hoped to avoid blindness by
ceasing to play the clarinet. Unfortunately, in the long run it didn't
work.