Search - Bernhard Henrik Crusell, Carl Maria von Weber, Antony Pay :: Carl Maria von Weber, Bernhard Henrik Crusell: Clarinet Concertos

Great Recording.....Great Price!!

kv581 | Durham, NC United States | 08/09/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Pay's Crusell concertos are among the best versions. Although the sleeve notes fail to mention this, these Crusell concertos are the first recordings using period instruments (i.e. the clarinet that Pay used is a replica of a clarinet used in Crusell's time). Having only 9 keys, this clarinet is technically inferior when compared to today's clarinets. The fact that Pay still sounds effortless is already quite an accomplishment. Anyway, these are probably the least expensive recordings of the Crusell also (aside from the Naxos CD). A very nice buy indeed.The Weber works are also very good. Again, Pay uses a period instrument here. Given the technical difficulties of Weber works, all I can say is WOW! Not only does Pay play these pieces using a period instrument, he plays the outer movements of the two concertos at speeds FASTER than are generally expected. Unfortunately, Pay does slip once or twice in the finale of the second concerto, but that's only a small blemish amidst the overall greatness.The only real complaint that I have is not with the recordings themselves, but with the sleeve notes instead. The sleeve notes here treat the CDs like low budget recordings. Quite a shame. Supposedly, back when these two CDs were available separately, they each came with a decent sleeve note. What happened to those?! Virgin didn't even need new notes. All it had to do was to include the original sleeve notes and all would be fine. Still, Pay's performances more than make up for our losses. Grab these two CDs."

Fairly average

kv581 | 09/08/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I have not yet really listened to the Crusell CD but the Weber CD breaks no new ground. As a clarinetist myself, I think that, while not being deficent in any way, this recording is not remarkable in any way. The Concertino recording, especially, as a piece I have played, it follows the dynamics and tempos exactly but has little interpretation at all. There are some annoying quirks in the actual recording- sometimes the clarinet can't really be heard and due to the difficulty of recording a clarinet, there's a tiny thump every time the soloist puts is B/E key down."