Clarinet lover s favorite

Mozart's clarinet concerto, besides being THE concerto among clarinetists, is one of the greatest classical works ever composed IMO. My two favorite recordings are the ones by Karl Leister and the Berlin PO on DG and Robert Marcellus with the Cleveland O on Columbia Masterworks. The Leister for great all around interpretation of this beautiful music and the Marcellus for an example of beautiful and luscious if at times rigid clarinet tone. Leister is my all around favorite clarinetist; not just his solo recordings but also his work as principal with the Berlin PO. Check out his recordings (on DG) with the Amadeus String Qt. of the Brahms clarinet Trio and Quintet. Two of the most beautiful and popular chamber works for the instrument. My second favorite player is Harold Wright who until his death was principal with the Boston SO. Some of my favorite recordings of his are the Robert Schumann Fantasy Pieces and the Brahms pieces with Peter Serkin on Boston Records and the gorgeous "Shepherd on the Rock" by Schubert with Rudolf Serkin and Benita Valenti on Columbia. For something more modern try Pierre Boulez and Ensemble Intercontemporain on DG featuring Stravinsky's "Ebony Concerto" with Michel Arrignon and Alain Damains playing the "Solo Pieces". Two of the hottest clarinetists on the scene today. Stanley Drucker's Copland Concerto on Columbia is also a must. In a jazz vein: Benny of course, if that's the style that turns you on; specially his sextet recordings. Although I sometimes prefer to listen to Artie Shaw. Benny's forays into classical music don't do it for me. Buddy DeFranco is my favorite jazz player and still sounding great. I can't think of a recording of his that I don't like. "Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me" on Concord Jazz with Dave McKenna and Joe Cohn stands out in my mind. Some of Eddie Daniels' recordings are very exciting for sheer virtuosity in a more contemporary vein. Ron Odrich is one of the unsung heroes of the clarinet and practically unknown outside of musicians' circles (he is also one of NYC's leading periodontists); his latest "Visions" is worth buying. And lastly, I'll put in a plug for a recording soon to be released: The American Saxophone Quartet's "The Clarinet Project" featuring three of the leading clarinetists today. Larry Combs (principal with the Chicago Symphony) Ron Odrich and Paquito D'Rivera. Enjoy.

In fairness to Vtvu's recommendation, I must say that for whatever it is worth Stolzman has accomplished the seemingly impossible. He has gained name recogniton as a soloist on an instrument that, as far as woodwinds go, is not nearly as popular as the saxophone or the flute. He does have a certain charm about him on stage that appeals to many, and his playing can also at times have that charm. He is considered by players something of a rebel. He does some unorthodox things such as the use of vibrato in some music where traditionally the clarinet does not do that. To me there is a hard to describe "throw caution to the wind" kind of attitude that I personally find refreshing at times but that drives most players I know absolutely nuts. My favorite recording of his is "Quartet For The End Of Time" by Messiaen. Hitsbbop, Eddie Daniels is one of the most incredible virtuosos on the instrument although I find his jazz work, particularly his crossover stuff, much more convincing than his classical work. Most don't realize that he is just as accomplished on the saxophone and the flute. An amazing feat. My favorite recordings of his are his very first; a duo recording with guitarist Bucky Pizzareli and "Breakthrough" and also his work with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis big band (on tenor sax) from the '70's. I had the good fortune of being able to hear Stanley Drucker play the Copland concerto five times during the NY Philharmonic's Asia tour. Every single performance was different from the previous; and in a good way. That should lay to rest the naive idea that classical artists are simply reading notes and lack spontenaity. Cheers.

Travis, I agree with your comments concerning Stolzman and Daniels. Daniels is the superior clarinet player, and by a long shot. The question of a major label backing him is a bit complicated IMO. Marketing is a funny thing and it's oftentimes hard to understand why record cos. make certain decisions. If I had to go out on a limb concerning this example I suspect that Eddie, given his jazz and doubling background, is perceived as a tough sell. And, I'm really going out on a limb with this one, Eddie has a reputation for being very demanding and difficult to work with as far as business goes. Having said all that, while I agree with your assesment of his abilities, I still feel that his classical music sensibility is not quite as developed as that of players such as Leister, Drucker, Wright and others; or of his own jazz sensibility for that matter. You are obviously a fan of his, as am I, so you might be interested in some of this: Eddie was (is) notorious in the NYC scene for being an absolutely obsessive practicer (is there such a word?) to the extent that he would alienate colleagues because he couldn't stop noodling during brakes and would do so quitely even during rests in the music. That accounts for his incredible technique. He is also a bonafide equipment freak; constantly changing mouthpieces and horns and working on reeds while looking for the perfect setup. Driven is an understatement. By the way, he is also an accomplished pianist. Many players in NYC idolized him. All this in interesting contrast to Drucker who couldn't care less about having just the right reed nor horn. Stanley never works on reeds. Drucker is a freak of nature in that regard; he was born to play the clarinet. Wonderful sense of abandon in his playing. And while his playing is not always perfect as far as pitch nor sound are concerned; one just never knows when he'll do something to really surprise and make you say WOW! Cheers.