Nielsen Clarinet Concerto
Samuel Ritterman
for his senior recital, and I really liked it.
Thanks
Sam Ritterman
Richard S. Sandmeyer
"Samuel Ritterman" <s.rit...@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
I haven't heard all of the recordings of this by a long shot. I have
these four and they are the only ones I've listened to enough to comment
on:
Drucker/Bernstein/New York Philharmonic on Sony
Goodman/Gould/Chicago Symphony Orchestra on RCA Navigator
Eriksson/Wöldike/Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra on Danacord
Stevennson/Blomstedt/Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra on EMI
Of these, the Drucker/Bernstein is probably the safest choice and the
easiest to find, if you're in the US. Last I knew it was available in the
Bernstein "Royal Edition" paired with Nielsen's Flute Concerto and
Hindemith's Violin Concerto. I don't recall seeing it reissued in the
Bernstein Century series. It was also included in a 4-CD set with all of
the Nielsen Symphonies (2-5 with Bernstein conducting, 1 and 6 with
Ormandy), the Flute Concerto, and misc. short works on Sony.
The Goodman/Gould is probably the least successful of the four listed.
Some people like it, but I don't think Goodman really sounds at home with
Nielsen's idiom. The RCA Classical Navigator series is not distributed in
the US, but you can probably order it from MDT in the UK or possibly from
Canada.
The Eriksson/Wöldike has the disadvantage of being in mono (although
fairly good mono). It is only available AFAIK in a 3-CD set (with the
other Nielsen Concerti, some misc. songs, misc. short works). This set is
a must for the serious Nielsen collector, but probably not a
recommendation for someone seeking a first version. It was available at
Berkshire for a while, it may still be.
The Stevennson/Blomstedt would probably be the next best (after the
Drucker/Bernstein) recommendation for someone's first version. It comes
in an EMI "twofer" with the Nielsen Flute Concerto, Violin Concerto, and
several short works (Helios Overture, Faroe Island Journey, Saga Dream,
etc.)
Rich Sandmeyer
richsand at iximd dot com
JRsnfld
> for his senior recital, and I really liked it.
I haven't heard any recording that competes with Hakan Rosengren's (with
Essa-Pekka Salonen/Swedish Radio Symphony) on Sony. This guy has great
technique and an exciting, fresh feel for the music. The piece rarely sounds
like this much fun, or this easy. (By the way, this is no fluke: Rosengren's
disc of Crusell concerti is equally wonderful.)
Another very good recording is with John Bruce Yeh, another technnically
ferocious player, on Centaur, but the orchestra is not as full as the Swedish
Radio, nor is Yeh quite as playful as Rosengren, in this case.
Drucker also has the "chops" for this music, of course--he's not a bad choice
but I don't find his sound or his approach as polished as Rosengren's in the
Nielsen
Goodman is a disaster, if I recall correctly.
There was a rather good recording on Bis, as part of Myung-Whun Chung's cycle
of symphonies. Maybe someone else remembers it more specifically.
--Jeff
Tony Movshon
> > Any recommendations for the Nielsen Clarinet Concerto? My friend played it
> > for his senior recital, and I really liked it.
>
> I haven't heard any recording that competes with Hakan Rosengren's (with
> Essa-Pekka Salonen/Swedish Radio Symphony) on Sony. This guy has great
> technique and an exciting, fresh feel for the music. The piece rarely sounds
> like this much fun, or this easy.
This one is my recommendation, also.
--
Tony Movshon
mov...@nyu.edu
Hat NYC 62
> Essa-Pekka Salonen/Swedish Radio Symphony) on Sony. This guy has great
> technique and an exciting, fresh feel for the music. The piece rarely sounds
> like this much fun, or this easy.
This one is my recommendation, also. >>
Me too. Very nicely done.
David Hattner, NYC
Martha & Russ Oppenheim
"Richard S. Sandmeyer" wrote:
>
{snip}
> The Goodman/Gould is probably the least successful of the four listed.
> Some people like it, but I don't think Goodman really sounds at home with
> Nielsen's idiom. The RCA Classical Navigator series is not distributed in
> the US, but you can probably order it from MDT in the UK or possibly from
> Canada.
>
Not being a clarinetist, I can't find too much fault with Goodman's
performance of the Nielsen (although I was struck by how tame his Weber
Concertos sound compared to Neidich's) - but in any case one should
certainly have his CD because of the superb couplings: the 2nd Symphony
with Gould, and the "Helios" Overture with Martinon. If you love
Nielsen, this disc is not to be missed!
audiophilia.com
sound, too.
Budget: Kevin Banks on Naxos - Kevin is principal of Bournemouth; an
excellent alternative to Schill.
If you can find it; Kjell Inge Stevensson (sp) on EMI (?) is also wonderful.
Kind regards,
Anthony Kershaw, Editor/Publisher
@udiophilia.com - The Online Journal for the Serious Audiophile
http://www.audiophilia.com
An electronic publication of Audiophilia, Inc.
Samuel Ritterman <s.rit...@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:Dhio6.3377$mM2.2...@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
Sacqueboutier
>
>
> There was a rather good recording on Bis, as part of Myung-Whun Chung's cycle
> of symphonies. Maybe someone else remembers it more specifically.
Ole Schill is the soloist. It's quite good and in
excellent sound. I rank it along side of Drucker.
The Goodman/Gould is nothing better than a party
disc for a clarinet party. Three or four beers
and listening to this will have everyone rolling
on the floor.
--
AAAAAHHHHH! The atmosphere! AAAAAAAHHHHHH!
Don Patterson
* DCP Music Printing
* Professional Computer Music Typeset
* Music Arrangements
* don...@olg.com
* Trombonist
* "The President's Own"
* United States Marine Band
Sacqueboutier
Agreed. This N 2nd is one of the best. I like even better than
the much-worshiped Martinon Nielsen 4th.
John Carter
"Samuel Ritterman" <s.rit...@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:Dhio6.3377$mM2.2...@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
the violin concertos. Kevin Banks to my mind captures the work to near
perfection. Avoid the Goodman at all costs.
John Carter Barsoom
Paul Kimoto
> In article <20010304025013...@ng-fx1.aol.com>,
> JRsnfld <jrs...@aol.com> wrote:
>> There was a rather good recording on Bis, as part of Myung-Whun Chung's cycle
>> of symphonies. Maybe someone else remembers it more specifically.
>
> with Olle Schill as soloist. Good performance and sound, and comes with a
> similarly good performance of Nielsen's Third Symphony, to boot. Being
> BIS, it's one of the pricier alternatives, but I think it's worth the
> money.
Is the Musical Heritage Society still offering the Bis-supplied Nielsen
and the EMI-supplied Barbirolli Sibelius sets as an introductory offer?
--
Paul Kimoto
This message was originally posted on Usenet in plain text. Any images,
hyperlinks, or the like shown here have been added without my consent,
and may be a violation of international copyright law.
Phil Badger
<s.rit...@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
>Any recommendations for the Nielsen Clarinet Concerto? My friend played it
>for his senior recital, and I really liked it.
It's one of my favorites. Try Schill w/ Chung/Gothenburg (BIS),
Drucker w/ Bernstein/NYPO (Sony), Stevenson w/ Blomstedt/DRSO (EMI
2-fer), or Erikson w/ Woldike/DRSO, which is available in the Danacord
Historic Nielsen box (Berkshire has it for about $20). If you're on a
budget, the Banks w/ Bakels/Bournemouth (Naxos) version is
serviceable.
For a different approach to the piece (i.e. slower, but incredibly
insightful), look out for Jack McCaw w/ Leppard/New Philharmonia
(Unicorn). Definitely rummaging around the used bins for.
--
Phil Badger
phil_...@yahoo.com
vaneyes
>
>On Sun, 04 Mar 2001 03:05:07 GMT, "Samuel Ritterman"
><s.rit...@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
>
>>Any recommendations for the Nielsen Clarinet Concerto? My friend played it
>>for his senior recital, and I really liked it.
>
>It's one of my favorites. Try Schill w/ Chung/Gothenburg (BIS),
>Drucker w/ Bernstein/NYPO (Sony), Stevenson w/ Blomstedt/DRSO (EMI
>2-fer), or Erikson w/ Woldike/DRSO, which is available in the Danacord
>Historic Nielsen box (Berkshire has it for about $20). If you're on a
>budget, the Banks w/ Bakels/Bournemouth (Naxos) version is
>serviceable.
The BIS version is superlative. Also note the coupling of equally fine
performances of Overture to Maskarade and Sym. No. 3. This must be one of BIS'
longer playing CD's, at 67'45".
As always when budgeting, check the "previously-enjoyed" and cut-out bins before
automatically reaching for Naxos.
Regards
Lothian
news:3AA312F5...@olg.com...
> Martha & Russ Oppenheim wrote:
>
> > "Richard S. Sandmeyer" wrote:
> > >
> > {snip}
> >
> > > The Goodman/Gould is probably the least successful of the four listed.
> > > Some people like it, but I don't think Goodman really sounds at home
with
> > > Nielsen's idiom. The RCA Classical Navigator series is not
distributed in
> > > the US, but you can probably order it from MDT in the UK or possibly
from
> > > Canada.
> > >
> >
> > Not being a clarinetist, I can't find too much fault with Goodman's
> > performance of the Nielsen (although I was struck by how tame his Weber
> > Concertos sound compared to Neidich's) - but in any case one should
> > certainly have his CD because of the superb couplings: the 2nd Symphony
> > with Gould, and the "Helios" Overture with Martinon. If you love
> > Nielsen, this disc is not to be missed!
>
> Agreed. This N 2nd is one of the best. I like even better than
> the much-worshiped Martinon Nielsen 4th.
Ditto--I love this Nielsen 2nd. The CSO brass are in fine fettle, and by
that I mean that they are *fantastic*. (Yes, I am a brass-o-phile, and an
amateur tubist to boot.) I have not heard the Martinon Nielsen 4th, but
after the praise it has received here, I will probably try to track it down.
-Lothian
Chicago, IL
Martha & Russ Oppenheim
So many folks in this ng have jumped all over the Goodman version of
Nielsen's Clarinet Concerto that I am becoming curious as to which
particular details in this recording the critics object to. Not trying
to be confrontational; as I mentioned in an earlier post, I am not a
clarinetist, and the perf sounds OK to me (plus the CD is recommendable
for the 2nd Symphony and "Helios" even if one never listened to the
concerto). I have Goodman's and Drucker's CDs, and what would really be
interesting would be if someone who has really delved into Goodman's
perf could point out a few spots (with start-and-stop timings) where he
or she considers that the Benny has fallen short in some respect. I
could listen to Goodman and then the corresponding passage in the
Drucker and draw some conclusions regarding the differences. Any takers
... ?
Hat NYC 62
clarinet playing on the Nielsen is, at its best, approximate when it comes to
anything remotely complicated in the clarinet part. This doesn't necessarily
refer to fast passages, although almost all of them are marred by wrong notes
and sloppy technique. This includes even the long cadenzas, where presumably he
had unlimited studio time to get good takes.
Quite frankly, it sounds like he was one or two steps from sightreading the
thing. He certainly didn't study it carefully, there are wrong (not missed)
notes very frequently, showing carelessness.
In addition, his intonation is poor and his sound quality strained even in the
gentler passages.
The orchestral accompaniment is generallly fine, although the snare drum
playing is rather weak and distant sounding to me.
Drucker pretty much nails every note. Very impressive.
David Hattner, NYC
audiophilia.com
Martha & Russ Oppenheim <mopp...@ix.netcom.com> wrote in message
news:3AA6B089...@ix.netcom.com...
>
> So many folks in this ng have jumped all over the Goodman version of
> Nielsen's Clarinet Concerto that I am becoming curious as to which
> particular details in this recording the critics object to.
<snip>
Never heard it myself, but when at music college in London, the
clarinetists would regularly get drunk and listen to it in the residence.
The sound of the laughter was *very* loud. One of those laughing loudest has
recorded it recently!
These guys just loved Jack McCaw's version. I think it was on an old Unicorn
LP. Worth a hunt, I would think.
Later in the year, we did a Nielsen mini season; everybody showed up to the
Clarinet Concerto rehearsal ready to be bored out of our minds with the
orchestral part. We left humbled - and scared.
Matthew B. Tepper
<_6Bp6.41836$c7.12...@news3.rdc1.on.home.com>:
>These guys just loved Jack McCaw's version. I think it was on an old
>Unicorn LP. Worth a hunt, I would think.
Yes, a terrific performance; glad I still have the LP, since the Unicorn
vaults seem to be locked tighter than practically any other.
--
Matthew B. Tepper: WWW, science fiction, classical music, ducks!
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