Clarinet Concerto (Copland)
Encyclopedia
Aaron Copland
's Clarinet Concerto was written between 1947 and 1949, although a first version was already available in 1948. This composition is also sometimes referred to as the Concerto for Clarinet
, Strings
and Harp
. The concerto would later be choreographed by Jerome Robbins
for the ballet Pied Piper (1951).
, jazz
clarinetist Benny Goodman
, in 1947, commissioned him to write a clarinet concerto.
Goodman tells Copland biographer Vivian Perlis:
Copland was in Rio de Janeiro in 1947 as a lecturer and conductor. It was there that he made many drafts of the Concerto.
On August 26, 1948, the concerto was still not finished (dribbling along...), although on September 30 of the same year he would claim in a letter to Verna Fine he was almost done.
On December 6, 1948, he wrote to Carlos Chavez
he had completed the composition and was satisfied with the result.
Although the concerto had still not been publicly performed, in a letter dated August 29, 1950 to Serge Koussevitzky
, Aaron Copland reconsiders a commitment to turn the first movement into an "Elegy for Strings":
History would prove Aaron Copland right, as a couple of months after this letter the Concerto would start its career as one of the finest 20th century Concertos for Clarinet
.
radio broadcast with the NBC Symphony Orchestra
conducted by Fritz Reiner
, on November 6, 1950.
Some claim this performance, however, was not the world premiere, and attribute the world premiere to Ralph McLane
and the Philadelphia Orchestra
under Eugene Ormandy
because this performance on November 28, 1950 was the first "public performance". In any case it was the first public performance of the Concerto in New-York.
This November 28, 1950 performance —probably just beyond the end of the two-year exclusivity— had been scheduled by Copland to increase pressure on Goodman, since he kept on putting off the first performance.
A recording of the first radio performance by Goodman, with the NBC Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Fritz Reiner is available on CD on the Legend music label (see below).
The concerto quickly established itself as a standard piece in the clarinet repertoire. Since the performance by Benny Goodman, other notable performances include those by:
However, one particular recording of note is the one with Goodman and conducted by Copland himself, which Aaron Copland considered to be his best recording ever.
Mellers —Copland being representative of the American "Other"— links Copland’s affinity for jazz elements with the fact that “both Negro and Jew are dispossessed people who have become, in a cosmopolitan urban society, representative of man’s uprootedness.”
Copland himself acknowledged that his signature "bittersweet lyricism" like in the first movement of the Clarinet Concerto may have been influenced by his feelings of loneliness and social alienation over his homosexuality.
On the piece, Copland writes:
The piece is written in a very unusual form. The two movements
are played back-to-back, linked by a clarinet cadenza
. The first movement is written in A-B-A form and is slow and expressive, full of bittersweet lyricism. The cadenza not only gives the soloist an opportunity to display his virtuosity, but also introduces many of the melodic Latin American jazz
themes
that dominate the second movement.
The overall form of the final movement is a free rondo
with several developing side issues that resolve in the end with an elaborate coda
in C major. Copland noted that his playful finale is born of
This section was written specially for Benny Goodman's jazz talents; however, many of the technical challenges were above Goodman's confidence level, and the original score shows several alterations by Goodman to bring down higher notes, making it easier to play. The manuscript page of the original coda has suggested changes by Goodman in pencil, and the memo on top reads:
Indeed, although Goodman certainly was an accomplished clarinet player he had his limitations. This can also be heard in his recording of the Nielsen clarinet concerto
under Morton Gould with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Recently, performances of the restored original version have been given by Charles Neidich
and Andrew Simon
, amongst others. In the liner notes of the Chandos CD Composers in New York, Charles Neidich writes:
Only a few recordings of this version have been made (see the discography section below).
The concerto contains other notable references such as material from “The Cummington Story”, an "Office of War Information Documentary" (written in 1945) which sets the stage for the film's church-centered small town. It is the refugees’ theme from the unpublished film score that is used in the concerto.
Aaron Copland
Aaron Copland was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later in his career a conductor of his own and other American music. He was instrumental in forging a distinctly American style of composition, and is often referred to as "the Dean of American Composers"...
's Clarinet Concerto was written between 1947 and 1949, although a first version was already available in 1948. This composition is also sometimes referred to as the Concerto for Clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
, Strings
String instrument
A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
and Harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
. The concerto would later be choreographed by Jerome Robbins
Jerome Robbins
Jerome Robbins was an American theater producer, director, and choreographer known primarily for Broadway Theater and Ballet/Dance, but who also occasionally directed films and directed/produced for television. His work has included everything from classical ballet to contemporary musical theater...
for the ballet Pied Piper (1951).
The concerto
Soon after Copland composed his Third SymphonySymphony No. 3 (Copland)
Symphony No. 3 was Aaron Copland's third and final symphony, its premiere performance taking place on October 18, 1946, by the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Serge Koussevitsky.It was written at the end of World War II...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
clarinetist Benny Goodman
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
, in 1947, commissioned him to write a clarinet concerto.
Goodman tells Copland biographer Vivian Perlis:
"I made no demands on what Copland should write. He had completely free rein, except that I should have a two-year exclusivity on playing the work. I paid two thousand dollars and that's real money. At the time there were not too many American composers to pick from... We never had much trouble except for a little fracas about the spot before the cadenza where he had written a repetition of some phrase. I was a little sticky about leaving it out- it was where the viola was the echo to give the clarinet a cue. But I think Aaron finally did leave it out... Aaron and I played the concerto quite a few times with him conducting, and we made two recordings."
Copland was in Rio de Janeiro in 1947 as a lecturer and conductor. It was there that he made many drafts of the Concerto.
On August 26, 1948, the concerto was still not finished (dribbling along...), although on September 30 of the same year he would claim in a letter to Verna Fine he was almost done.
On December 6, 1948, he wrote to Carlos Chavez
Carlos Chávez
Carlos Antonio de Padua Chávez y Ramírez was a Mexican composer, conductor, music theorist, educator, journalist, and founder and director of the Mexican Symphonic Orchestra. He was influenced by native Mexican cultures. Of his six Symphonies, his Symphony No...
he had completed the composition and was satisfied with the result.
Although the concerto had still not been publicly performed, in a letter dated August 29, 1950 to Serge Koussevitzky
Serge Koussevitzky
Serge Koussevitzky , was a Russian-born Jewish conductor, composer and double-bassist, known for his long tenure as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1924 to 1949.-Early career:...
, Aaron Copland reconsiders a commitment to turn the first movement into an "Elegy for Strings":
Dear Sergei Alexandrovitch:
Ever since our conversation over the telephone about the Clarinet Concerto arrangement the thought has been growing in my mind that I made a mistake in saying 'yes' to your proposal about using the first movement separately as an Elegy for strings.
...
I am convinced that to cut the piece in half takes away from the integrity of the Concerto as I originally conceived it, and I am basically unwilling to do that, —at least until the work has had several seasons to make its way as a complete Concerto. No one will be able to understand why, if I am satisfied with the Concerto as a whole, I should be willing now to present only half the work in an orchestral dress in which it was not conceived. Moreover, no one will be able to understand why you should want to present an arrangement of half a work when the entire work is available and has never been heard in its original form in Boston. In the public's mind it can only be understood as an implied criticism of the second movement, and I am unwilling to launch a new work in such a light. Later on, after the Concerto is established as a Concerto, I shall probably feel differently about it.
...
As an alternative solution I have thought of the following possibility. You may remember that I told you I had recently completed a Song Cycle of twelve songs with texts by the New EnglandNew EnglandNew England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
poet Emily DickinsonEmily DickinsonEmily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet. Born in Amherst, Massachusetts, to a successful family with strong community ties, she lived a mostly introverted and reclusive life...
.
...
It seems to me that I could compose an Elegy in her memory, based on material from one or two of the songs inspired by her poems. I cannot absolutely promise to have it ready in time, but will do my best to finish it so that you can have it for the December 1st concerts. It would be an Elegy for Strings lasting about 6 minutes, – or perhaps a trifle more.
...
History would prove Aaron Copland right, as a couple of months after this letter the Concerto would start its career as one of the finest 20th century Concertos for Clarinet
Clarinet concerto
A clarinet concerto is a piece for clarinet and orchestra . Albert Rice has identified a work by Giuseppe Antonio Paganelli as possibly the earliest known concerto for solo clarinet; its score appears to be titled "Concerto per Clareto" and may date from 1733. It may, however, be intended for...
.
Performances
Benny Goodman premiered the concerto on an NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
radio broadcast with the NBC Symphony Orchestra
NBC Symphony Orchestra
The NBC Symphony Orchestra was a radio orchestra established by David Sarnoff of the National Broadcasting Company especially for conductor Arturo Toscanini...
conducted by Fritz Reiner
Fritz Reiner
Frederick Martin “Fritz” Reiner was a prominent conductor of opera and symphonic music in the twentieth century.-Biography:...
, on November 6, 1950.
Some claim this performance, however, was not the world premiere, and attribute the world premiere to Ralph McLane
Ralph McLane
Ralph McLane was an American clarinetist.He was born in Lynn, Massachusetts.McLane is best known for his tenure as principal clarinetist of the Philadelphia Orchestra from 1943 until his death in 1951...
and the Philadelphia Orchestra
Philadelphia Orchestra
The Philadelphia Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. One of the "Big Five" American orchestras, it was founded in 1900...
under Eugene Ormandy
Eugene Ormandy
Eugene Ormandy was a Hungarian-born conductor and violinist.-Early life:Born Jenő Blau in Budapest, Hungary, Ormandy began studying violin at the Royal National Hungarian Academy of Music at the age of five...
because this performance on November 28, 1950 was the first "public performance". In any case it was the first public performance of the Concerto in New-York.
This November 28, 1950 performance —probably just beyond the end of the two-year exclusivity— had been scheduled by Copland to increase pressure on Goodman, since he kept on putting off the first performance.
A recording of the first radio performance by Goodman, with the NBC Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Fritz Reiner is available on CD on the Legend music label (see below).
The concerto quickly established itself as a standard piece in the clarinet repertoire. Since the performance by Benny Goodman, other notable performances include those by:
- Stanley DruckerStanley DruckerStanley Drucker is an American clarinetist. Of Ukrainian ancestry, he began clarinet studies at age ten with Leon Russianoff, and remained his student for five years. He attended the High School of Music & Art...
and the New York PhilharmonicNew York PhilharmonicThe New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
with Leonard BernsteinLeonard BernsteinLeonard Bernstein August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States of America to receive worldwide acclaim... - Milenko StefanovićMilenko StefanovicMilenko Stefanović is the most famous Serbian and Yugoslav clarinetist: a prizewinner in the international competitions in Moscow, Munich, Geneva and Prague, soloist who has achieved significant international career, long-time principal clarinetist of the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra and...
and the Belgrade Philharmonic OrchestraBelgrade Philharmonic OrchestraThe Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra is an orchestra in Serbia, regularly considered as one of the finest in the country. Its home base is in Belgrade.- History :...
with Aaron CoplandAaron CoplandAaron Copland was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later in his career a conductor of his own and other American music. He was instrumental in forging a distinctly American style of composition, and is often referred to as "the Dean of American Composers"...
(BelgradeBelgradeBelgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, June 2, 1961) - Richard StoltzmanRichard StoltzmanRichard Stoltzman is an American clarinetist. Born Richard Leslie Stoltzman in Omaha, Nebraska, he spent his early years in San Francisco, California and Cincinnati, Ohio, graduating from Woodward High School in 1960. Today, Stoltzman is part of the faculty list at the New England Conservatory...
and the London Symphony OrchestraLondon Symphony OrchestraThe London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Centre.-History:...
with Michael Tilson ThomasMichael Tilson ThomasMichael Tilson Thomas is an American conductor, pianist and composer. He is currently music director of the San Francisco Symphony, and artistic director of the New World Symphony Orchestra.-Early years:... - Paul MeyerPaul Meyer (clarinetist)Paul Meyer is a French clarinetist.Meyer is possibly the most well-known contemporary solo clarinetist from France. He is known for his solo recordings on the Denon label, notably in collaborations with Jean-Pierre Rampal and Eric Le Sage. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire and at the Basler...
and the English Chamber OrchestraEnglish Chamber OrchestraThe English Chamber Orchestra is a British chamber orchestra based in London. The full orchestra regularly plays concerts at Cadogan Hall, and the ECO Ensemble performs at Wigmore Hall... - Sabine MeyerSabine MeyerSabine Meyer is a German classical clarinetist.-Biography:Meyer began playing the clarinet at an early age. Her first teacher was her father, also a clarinetist...
and the Bamberger Symphoniker
However, one particular recording of note is the one with Goodman and conducted by Copland himself, which Aaron Copland considered to be his best recording ever.
Style and structure
Copland incorporated many jazz elements into his concerto.Mellers —Copland being representative of the American "Other"— links Copland’s affinity for jazz elements with the fact that “both Negro and Jew are dispossessed people who have become, in a cosmopolitan urban society, representative of man’s uprootedness.”
Copland himself acknowledged that his signature "bittersweet lyricism" like in the first movement of the Clarinet Concerto may have been influenced by his feelings of loneliness and social alienation over his homosexuality.
On the piece, Copland writes:
"The instrumentation being clarinet with strings, harp, and piano, I did not have a large battery of percussion to achieve jazzy effects, so I used slapping basses and whacking harp sounds to simulate them. The Clarinet Concerto ends with a fairly elaborate coda in C major
that finishes off with a clarinet glissando – or "smear" in jazz lingo."
The piece is written in a very unusual form. The two movements
Movement (music)
A movement is a self-contained part of a musical composition or musical form. While individual or selected movements from a composition are sometimes performed separately, a performance of the complete work requires all the movements to be performed in succession...
are played back-to-back, linked by a clarinet cadenza
Cadenza
In music, a cadenza is, generically, an improvised or written-out ornamental passage played or sung by a soloist or soloists, usually in a "free" rhythmic style, and often allowing for virtuosic display....
. The first movement is written in A-B-A form and is slow and expressive, full of bittersweet lyricism. The cadenza not only gives the soloist an opportunity to display his virtuosity, but also introduces many of the melodic Latin American jazz
Latin jazz
Latin jazz is the general term given to jazz with Latin American rhythms.The three main categories of Latin Jazz are Brazilian, Cuban and Puerto Rican:# Brazilian Latin Jazz includes bossa nova...
themes
Theme (music)
In music, a theme is the material, usually a recognizable melody, upon which part or all of a composition is based.-Characteristics:A theme may be perceivable as a complete musical expression in itself, separate from the work in which it is found . In contrast to an idea or motif, a theme is...
that dominate the second movement.
The overall form of the final movement is a free rondo
Rondo
Rondo, and its French equivalent rondeau, is a word that has been used in music in a number of ways, most often in reference to a musical form, but also to a character-type that is distinct from the form...
with several developing side issues that resolve in the end with an elaborate coda
Coda (music)
Coda is a term used in music in a number of different senses, primarily to designate a passage that brings a piece to an end. Technically, it is an expanded cadence...
in C major. Copland noted that his playful finale is born of
"an unconscious fusion of elements obviously related to North and South American popular music (for example, a phrase from a currently popular BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian tune, heard by me in RioRio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, became embedded in the secondary material)."
This section was written specially for Benny Goodman's jazz talents; however, many of the technical challenges were above Goodman's confidence level, and the original score shows several alterations by Goodman to bring down higher notes, making it easier to play. The manuscript page of the original coda has suggested changes by Goodman in pencil, and the memo on top reads:
"1st version —later revised— of Coda of Clarinet Concerto (too difficult for Benny Goodman)"
Indeed, although Goodman certainly was an accomplished clarinet player he had his limitations. This can also be heard in his recording of the Nielsen clarinet concerto
Clarinet Concerto (Nielsen)
Carl Nielsen's Concerto for Clarinet and orchestra, op. 57 [D.F.129] was written for Danish clarinetist Aage Oxenvad in 1928. The concerto is presented in one long movement, with four distinct theme groups.-History:...
under Morton Gould with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1891, the Symphony makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival...
Recently, performances of the restored original version have been given by Charles Neidich
Charles Neidich
Charles Neidich is an American classical clarinetist, composer, and conductor.-Early career:A native New Yorker of Russian and Greek descent, Charles Neidich began his clarinet studies with his father, Irving Neidich, at the age of eight, and continued them with the renowned teacher Leon Russianoff...
and Andrew Simon
Andrew Simon
Andrew Michael Simon an American clarinetist, is principal clarinet of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra.He made his debut in the Carnegie Hall Recital Hall in 1989, after winning the Artists International Young Musicians Auditions Clarinet Award....
, amongst others. In the liner notes of the Chandos CD Composers in New York, Charles Neidich writes:
"...of that [1948] coda, complete with a tremendously brilliant clarinet part: cascading arpeggios which [Copland] decided were too difficult for the clarinet and which in the revised version he gave to the piano."
Only a few recordings of this version have been made (see the discography section below).
The concerto contains other notable references such as material from “The Cummington Story”, an "Office of War Information Documentary" (written in 1945) which sets the stage for the film's church-centered small town. It is the refugees’ theme from the unpublished film score that is used in the concerto.
Recordings on LP
- Gervase de PeyerGervase de PeyerGervase Alan de Peyer is an English clarinetist and conductor.-Professional career:Gervase de Peyer was born in London and attended Bedales School. He was awarded a scholarship to the Royal College of Music where he studied clarinet with Frederick Thurston and piano with Arthur Alexander...
. Copland, Clarinet Concerto. Unicorn Records RHS314 ?, (p) ~1972 - Paul Drushler. Version with piano. Mark 3344
- Benny GoodmanBenny GoodmanBenjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
. Meeting at the Summit. Columbia MS6805 ?, (p) ?
Recordings available on CD
- Laura Ardan. American Classics. Naxos 8.559069, 2001, (p) 2001
- Dimitri Ashkenazy. Concertos For Clarinet. PAN Classics 510 107, 1998, (p) 1998
- Reto Bieri. Portrait. PAN Classics 510 144, 2001, (p) 2001
- William Blount, Music for the Theatre. Music Masters MM601621 1988
- Eduard BrunnerEduard BrunnerEduard Brunner is a classical clarinetist. He began his musical education in Basel , where he was born, continuing his studies at the Paris Conservatoire with Louis Cahuzac...
. Hommage à Benny Goodman. Koch Schwann 3-1035-2, 1992, (p) 1992 - Philippe CuperPhilippe CuperPhilippe Cuper is a French clarinetist, born in Lille on April 25, 1957.He is considered to be one of the best representatives of the current French clarinet school.- Studies :...
. Concertos For Clarinet & Orchestra. ADDA 581315, 1992, (p) 1993 - Karin Dornbusch. Barber, Copland, Ginastera. Caprice CAP 21591, 1998, (p) 1998
- Stanley DruckerStanley DruckerStanley Drucker is an American clarinetist. Of Ukrainian ancestry, he began clarinet studies at age ten with Leon Russianoff, and remained his student for five years. He attended the High School of Music & Art...
. Copland: El Salon Mexico/Concerto for Clarinet and String Orchestra/Music for the Theatre/Connotations for Orchestra. Deutsche Grammophon 431 672–2 1991, (p) 1991 - Martin Fröst. Martin Fröst Plays Concertos Dedicated To Benny Goodman. BIS CD-893, 1997, (p) 1998
- Benny GoodmanBenny GoodmanBenjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
. Benny Goodman Collector's Edition. CBS MK42227, 1986, (p) 1986 - Benny GoodmanBenny GoodmanBenjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
. Reiner & Goodman. Legend LGD122, 1951 , (p) 1994 - Gary GrayGary GrayGary Dickson Gray was an American child actor in films, and as an adult in television.Born in Los Angeles, California, Gray was the son of a film business manager, whose clients Bert Wheeler and Jack Benny suggested the child should be used in films...
. Clarinet Concertos. Centaur CRC 2212, 1994, (p) 1994 - Janet Hilton. Clarinet Concertos. CHAN 8618, 1988, (p) 1988
- Sharon KamSharon KamSharon Kam is a classically trained clarinetist. Notably, she won the ARD International Music Competition in 1992.; in 1991 she was also nominated for the Davidoff Prize.- Biography :...
. American Classics. Teldec Classics 8573-88482-2 2002, (p) 2002 - Sharon KamSharon KamSharon Kam is a classically trained clarinetist. Notably, she won the ARD International Music Competition in 1992.; in 1991 she was also nominated for the Davidoff Prize.- Biography :...
. I got Rhythm, American Classics. Teldec Classics WPCS-11205 (8573-88482-2) 2002, (p) 2002 - George MacDonaldGeorge MacDonaldGeorge MacDonald was a Scottish author, poet, and Christian minister.Known particularly for his poignant fairy tales and fantasy novels, George MacDonald inspired many authors, such as W. H. Auden, J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, E. Nesbit and Madeleine L'Engle. It was C.S...
. Clarinet Concertos.... ASV CD DCA568, 1986, (p) 1986 - Jon ManasseJon ManasseJon Manasse is an American clarinetist.Manasse studied clarinet at the Juilliard School under David Weber. He won a prize in the International Competition for Clarinet in Munich and was the youngest winner of the International Clarinet Society Competition....
. 3 Clarinet Concertos. XLNT Music CD-18011, 2004, (p) 2004 - Paul MeyerPaul MeyerMarie-Paul-Hyacinthe Meyer , was a French philologist.-Biography:Meyer was born in Paris and educated at the Lycée Louis le Grand and the École des Chartes, specializing in the Romance languages....
. Clarinet Concertos. DENON CO-75289, 1993, (p) 1993 - Sabine MeyerSabine MeyerSabine Meyer is a German classical clarinetist.-Biography:Meyer began playing the clarinet at an early age. Her first teacher was her father, also a clarinetist...
. Homage To Benny Goodman. EMI Classics 7243 5 56652 2 5, 1998, (p) 1998 - Arne Møller. Et Clarinet portræt. Classico CLASSCD514, 1964, (p) 2004
- Charles NeidichCharles NeidichCharles Neidich is an American classical clarinetist, composer, and conductor.-Early career:A native New Yorker of Russian and Greek descent, Charles Neidich began his clarinet studies with his father, Irving Neidich, at the age of eight, and continued them with the renowned teacher Leon Russianoff...
. Composers in New-York. Chandos digital CHAN 9848, 2000, (p) 2000 - Daniel Pacitti. Works For Clarinet. Agora Musica AG026, 1995
- Ludmila PeterkováLudmila PeterkováLudmila Peterková is a Czech clarinetist.From the age of 7 she started to play the recorder, but later switched to clarinet. From 1983 to 1988 she studied at Prague Conservatory; since the age of 27 she has been working there as a professor. In the course of her studies she won a lot of musical...
. Scaramouche And Other Concertos For Clarinet. Supraphon SU 3348-2031, 1997, (p) 1997 - Robert Plane. American Landmarks. BBC MM205 DDD 2001, (p) 2001
- David ShifrinDavid ShifrinDavid Shifrin is an American classical clarinetist.-Performances:He has performed clarinet concertos with many major orchestras around the world....
. Clarinet Concerto.... EMI CDC 7 49095 2, 1989, (p) 1989 - Robert SpringRobert SpringRobert Spring was an English-born forger who forged letters from luminaries like George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Horatio Nelson.Robert Spring was born in England but there is no information about his life prior to his emigration to USA...
. American Jazz Concertos. Summit Records DCD-1019, 2003, (p) 2003 - Richard StoltzmanRichard StoltzmanRichard Stoltzman is an American clarinetist. Born Richard Leslie Stoltzman in Omaha, Nebraska, he spent his early years in San Francisco, California and Cincinnati, Ohio, graduating from Woodward High School in 1960. Today, Stoltzman is part of the faculty list at the New England Conservatory...
. Copland-Corigliano, Clarinet Concertos. RCA Victor Red Seal RD 87762, 1988, (p) 1988 - Richard StoltzmanRichard StoltzmanRichard Stoltzman is an American clarinetist. Born Richard Leslie Stoltzman in Omaha, Nebraska, he spent his early years in San Francisco, California and Cincinnati, Ohio, graduating from Woodward High School in 1960. Today, Stoltzman is part of the faculty list at the New England Conservatory...
. Copland Clarinet Concerto. RCA Victor Red Seal 09026 61790 2, 1993, (p) 1993 - Richard StoltzmanRichard StoltzmanRichard Stoltzman is an American clarinetist. Born Richard Leslie Stoltzman in Omaha, Nebraska, he spent his early years in San Francisco, California and Cincinnati, Ohio, graduating from Woodward High School in 1960. Today, Stoltzman is part of the faculty list at the New England Conservatory...
. The Essential Clarinet. RCA 61360, 1988, (p) 1992
Recordings of the original 1948 version
- Reto Bieri. Portrait. PAN Classics 510 144, 2001, (p) 2001
- Charles NeidichCharles NeidichCharles Neidich is an American classical clarinetist, composer, and conductor.-Early career:A native New Yorker of Russian and Greek descent, Charles Neidich began his clarinet studies with his father, Irving Neidich, at the age of eight, and continued them with the renowned teacher Leon Russianoff...
. Composers in New-York. Chandos digital CHAN 9848, 2000, (p) 2000
Recording of performance directed by the composer
- Benny GoodmanBenny GoodmanBenjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
. Benny Goodman Collector's Edition. CBS MK42227, 1986, (p) 1986
Recording of the first radio performance
- Benny GoodmanBenny GoodmanBenjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
. Reiner & Goodman. Legend LGD122, 1951 , (p) 1994
Recordings available on DVD
- Richard StoltzmanRichard StoltzmanRichard Stoltzman is an American clarinetist. Born Richard Leslie Stoltzman in Omaha, Nebraska, he spent his early years in San Francisco, California and Cincinnati, Ohio, graduating from Woodward High School in 1960. Today, Stoltzman is part of the faculty list at the New England Conservatory...
. Concerto. RCA Victor BVBC-34002, 1993, (p) 1993
External links
- Classical Notes
- Good Music Guide
- Goodman/Copland, The Clarinet BBoard on Copland Clarinet Concerto