Reginald Kell: Complete American Decca Recordings [BOX SET] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Frank Miller (Performer), Reginald Kell (Performer), Bela Bartok (Composer), Ludwig van Beethoven (Composer), Arthur Benjamin (Composer), Johannes Brahms (Composer), Arcangelo Corelli (Composer), Claude Debussy (Composer), Benjamin Godard (Composer), George Frederick Handel (Composer), Paul Hindemith (Composer), Fritz Kreisler (Composer), Darius Milhaud (Composer), Walter Mourant (Composer), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Composer), Reginald Porter-Brown (Composer), Maurice Ravel (Composer), Alan Richardson (Composer), Camille Saint-Saens (Composer), Robert Schumann (Composer)

Product Details

• Performer: Frank Miller, Reginald Kell
• Composer: Bela Bartok, Ludwig van Beethoven, Arthur Benjamin, Johannes Brahms, Arcangelo Corelli, et al.
• Audio CD (September 13, 2005)
• SPARS Code: AAD
• Number of Discs: 6
• Format: Box set, Original recording remastered
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Deutsche Grammophon
• ASIN: B0009ONYPA
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #187,075 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Clarinet Concerto in A major, K. 622: 1. Allegro

2. Clarinet Concerto in A major, K. 622: 2. Adagio

3. Clarinet Concerto in A major, K. 622: 3. Rondo. Allegro

4. Clarinet Quintet in A major ('Stadler'), K. 581: 1. Allegro

See all 11 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Serenade No. 11 for winds in E flat major, K. 375: 1. Allegro maestoso

2. Serenade No. 11 for winds in E flat major, K. 375: 2. Menuetto 1 - Trio

3. Serenade No. 11 for winds in E flat major, K. 375: 3. Adagio

4. Serenade No. 11 for winds in E flat major, K. 375: 4. Menuetto 2 - Trio

See all 14 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. Grand Duo Concertante for clarinet & piano in E flat major, J. 204 (Op. 48): 1. Allegro con fuoco

2. Grand Duo Concertante for clarinet & piano in E flat major, J. 204 (Op. 48): 2. Andante con moto

3. Grand Duo Concertante for clarinet & piano in E flat major, J. 204 (Op. 48): 3. Rondo. Allegro

4. Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op. 115: 1. Allegro

See all 11 tracks on this disc

Disc: 4

1. Rhapsodie for clarinet & piano (or orchestra), L. 116

2. Sonata for clarinet & piano in B flat major: 1. Mäßig bewegt

3. Sonata for clarinet & piano in B flat major: 2. Lebhaft

4. Sonata for clarinet & piano in B flat major: 3. Sehr langsam

See all 19 tracks on this disc

Disc: 5

1. Suite, for violin, clarinet & piano, Op. 157b: 1. Ouverture. Vif et gai

2. Suite, for violin, clarinet & piano, Op. 157b: 2. Divertissement. Animé

3. Suite, for violin, clarinet & piano, Op. 157b: 3. Jeu. Vif

4. Suite, for violin, clarinet & piano, Op. 157b: 4. Introduction et Final. Modéré - Vif

See all 25 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A long overdue collection by one of the English masters of the clarinet., January 5, 2007

By	Rod H (Kingsbridge, Devon UK) - See all my reviews

The Yorkshireman Reg Kell became famous for using vibrato in the classical world when it was unfashionable. He used it tastefully, and other artists such as Jack Brymer and Emma Johnson have continued to use it. He also had a series of tutorials with Benny Goodman (for Goodman's benefit) which led to Goodman changing his embouchure from the upper teeth on mouthpiece to the upper lip - as well as lower, -on mouthpiece, which perhaps in Goodmans's case was not a good move, as he had it right the first time!.

However these recordings originally came out a very long time ago in the early days of vinyl, and a re-issue is long overdue. Kell's excursion in to light music is interesting, though he stops well short of anything resembling jazz, although he had earlier recorded one record with Bert Ambrose's band in the 1940 which was the nearest he got, - but that is not included here. His main forte is in the works of Mozart, Weber, Beethoven and Brahms, but he also plays Bartok and Templeton. It shows what an accomplished performer he was. All were recorded after he left the UK to live and play in America.

This set shows his rightful place as a performer in the history of clarinet playing. He had raised the standard of the time, and had the benefits of improved recording techniques and length of play boudaries were removed with the LP record.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mr. Kell - AT LAST!!!, April 28, 2008

By	Thomas F. Simpson Jr. "Tom Simpson" (Omaha, NE Obamaland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

When I studied clarinet in university (late 1960's, early 1970's), Kell was almost suppressed. I am not sure whether that was done intentionally or not. But we were all told that it was "hard" to get a good recording of Kell, because they were almost all "old" and "scratched up" 78s. I don't remember if there were any 33 & 1/3 LPs out on his later 1950's recordings, but the whole attitude was: "You WILL NOT be interested in Reginald Kell!" Well, that did not stop me, but with the twists and turns of life, I never got back to trying to find any recording of his work, until I learned DG had published this 6 CD set, off original Decca masters, as I understand it.

Yes. There is his tone. It is, to me, a deep, throaty, "big band" tone, and there is also the vibrato. I have intensely studied the horn for over 50 years, and I have perfected my tone and it is my tone. I am too old a bear to try to change that. BUT, his breathing, his articulation, his phrasing, etc., those can and will benefit me, and they are benefiting me, if for no other reason, than I get to hear his take on many of the pieces I have studied and performed all my life.

Personally, I LIKE HIS TONE, because of what he was trying to do with it (try and project his tone as a human voice through the horn). But it seems that when I studied clarinet, every teacher was almost paranoid about his tone. There are also his water color / pencil works of visual art, where he tried to give to the hearing-impaired some kind of subconscious or even unconscious awareness, via their eyes, as to what his playing sounded like. Now, I do not know if he knew this, but if you take, say, a mid-range "F" scale on the piano, and take those notes up 40 octaves, you no longer have sound, but VISIBLE LIGHT!

Perhaps he did consciously know this when he executed his water color / pencil works (which I believe are STUNNING, no other word describes them), or, perhaps he did. If he did not consciously know, did his intuition some how guide him when he did the visual art? I don't know.

But if you put ALL the pieces of Mr. Kell together, his performances on the clarinet, what he was trying to do, his visual art, and I suspect other aspects of him, I believe you come up with a real genius, and, over all, the BEST Clarinetist of the 20th Century.

Young folks need to hear him now, so if they are serious about the clarinet, as I was, am, and will be, they can factor Mr. Kell into what they want to do with the horn. This is as it should be. I know I will do such factoring myself, now that we can REALLY LISTEN TO HIM.

2 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Collection, July 30, 2006

By	Christine Bodie (Plymouth, MI USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

My only negative comment is that he rushes some of the runs; everything else is great!