2. music
  3. 1189734063

Clarinet Music on vinyl or CDs

I got back into playing clarinet again after a long break. I try to practice when I have free time(unfortunately not that much).

Of course with this I have renewed my interest in clarinet music as well.

Trying to buy some clarinet recordings and discover the selection especially at the stores, is pretty poor.

So far I purchased:
Mozart Clarinet Concerto in A, K622 and Clarinet Quintet in A, K581 with Stoltzman;

French Works for Clarinet and piano(Saint-Saens, Devienne, Milhaud and Poulenc Sonatas) with Sabine Meyer,

The Essential Clarinet(Stravinsky Ebony Concerto, Corigliano Clarinet Concerto, Copland Clarinet Concerto) with Stoltzman.

I like Sabine Meyer's sound better than most of the Stoltzman's stuff(too much vibrato in his playing). Also, I highly recommend this cd I mentioned above. It is excellent as far as music and her playing is outstanding.

What would you recommend as good clarinet recordings? Vinyl or CD.

Looking for interesting suggestions to buy more music.

Chamber, solo, anything that may grab my attention.

As far as classical, I listen to anything from Mozart to Shostakovich.

Thanks in advance!
128x128audphile1
audphile1's avatar
audphile1 OP
5,290 posts
 
Newbee thanks. I will investigate this. I am open to suggestions in jazz as well, although if it is jazz I am buying, I try to buy modern, more avantgarde jazz
I am currently taking a break from traditional and bee-bop.
:)

Anyway, I picked up a couple of CDs today.
Out of all the recordings mentioned, the only disc that I found was Brahms Clarinet Quintet and Clarinet Trio with Thea King. I listened to it on the way home and it is excellent. Thanks Rushton for mentioning Thea King on Hyperion label! Very good, but unfortunately not cheap either. Paid $23 for a single CD.
While I was at B&N buying the above and searching for some more music, I found Gerald Finzi Concerto for Clarinet and Strings, with Five Bagatelles for Clarinet and Piano and on the same disc Charles Villiers Stanford Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra. All performed by Emma Johnson with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. I like Finzi so I took a chance. I briefly listened to it and Finzi's concerto is a really great piece! Unfortunately I am not thrilled with the performance by Emma Johnson as far as I could tell in the car, but the music is great.

I will start looking on-line to order some of the stuff mentioned here.

Thanks all, and please keep it coming.
rushton's avatar
rushton
2,445 posts
 
Glad you enjoyed the Thea King recording, Audphile1. In addition to enjoying Thea King, I find Hyperion's recording quality consistently excellent.
.
audphile1's avatar
audphile1 OP
5,290 posts
 
Rushton, you're right, the sound quality is very good, despite that this disc was recorded in the beginning of the 80s. I guess the original was still an analog tape...may be.

Rushton, if you don't already have any Sabine Meyer recordings, I highly recommend. Mozart, Webber, anything really. BTW, she plays the German Oehler system clarinet and these instruments have a bit rounder, deeper and richer tone than the Boehm system clarinets.
And Meyer's playing happens to be really impressive.
rushton's avatar
rushton
2,445 posts
 
Thanks for the suggestion, Audphile1. I'll have to find some of Meyer's recordings to listen to given your recommendation.
.
opalchip
355 posts
 
Meyer's playing IS very impressive, but I actually find the tone a little too round for my taste. I recently found an oddball lp which you might look for.

Here's a relatively obscure one for you. A wonderful version (IMO) of the Mozart Clarinet Concerto in A which is on lp only:

--- "The Midsummer Mozart Festival Orchestra" conducted by George Cleve, Sonic Arts Lab Series 22, clarinet played by Mark Brandenburg.

This was a live digital recording from 1981, so I wasn't expecting much of it, but was quite surprised and love the performance. It's not easy to come by, but I did a Google on it and found one available in not perfect, but probably very acceptable condition:
http://www.scatrecords.com/cgi-bin/shopper.exe?keywords=wind&search=action

(A local friend used to have a few sealed copies, and I could ask whether he still has them and if so, if he's interested in selling one. You can email me directly through A'gon if you'd like me to check.)

Also, I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the old Westminster mono recordings of the Vienna Konzerthaus Quartet with Leopold Wlach playing clarinet. They're fantastic performances with a very nostalgic, warm sound quality. The first pressing lp's (which is what I'd recommend) also tend to go for fairly good $$$ accordingly.

As far as jazz, in a vein that a classical buff might enjoy, look for anything featuring Eiji Kitamura - very nice playing of very enjoyable music.
More to discover