This is my favorite recording of the Brahms Clarinet Trio and the record also contains a very lovely reading of the Horn Trio by the Boston Symphony Chamber Players in what, for me, were still its glory days. Harold Wright, Jules Eskin, and Gilbert Kalish strike just the right balance in the Clarinet Trio, and the engineers did not make the fatal mistake of overmiking the clarinet, which, despite the name of the piece, is no more important than the other parts. The "dialog" between the cello and clarinet in the slow movement is breathtakingly beautiful. There are many fine recordings of this work, but for me this old LP, unavailable on CD, contains a performance that gets everything right. I'll confess up front that Harold Wright has always been one of my favorite clarinetists.
The sound of the recording is natural, and I hope I've managed to keep that in renovating the file, which had a significant amount of noise from the source LP. It sounds good to me, but, I'd love to hear what you think.
Sorry, but the FLAC files to download are all archived in .rar format. It is a much more efficient way for me to post them and takes up considerably less space. The MP3 files are posted in a standard .zip archive. Also, the Jewel case front and back will have to be downloaded separately, since I foolishly forgot to put them in the zipped archive. I haven't quite got the routine for this down yet, but things should improve.
Clarinet Trio FLAC link Clarinet Trio MP3 link
Pure joy --- two favorite pieces by a favorite composer in a recording I have never heard before. Thank you very much.
ReplyDeleteHope you enjoy it. My problem with many recordings of the clarinet trio --well, what "many" there are -- is that the clarinet is often made too prominent. I not only love the performance here, but the way it was recorded too. Since posting this I have upgraded my restoration software, as well as my phono pickup. So I may have to revisit this post with a new and improved transfer. Thanks for your comments.
ReplyDeleteI love Brahm's Clarinet Trio and Horn Trio. I never heard this one by the BSO Chamber Players. Thank you for this treasure!
ReplyDelete~Pepino
Pepino: I love these pieces too, and what the BSO players do with them. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your assessment of this recording. The BSO Players were wonderful in their heydey!
ReplyDelete(but your use of "it's" in the 3rd line is incorrect - it should be "its," no apostrophe)
Duly noted and corrected. Thanks for your comments and editing!!
ReplyDeleteI cannot wait to hear this and found it by accident after hundreds of ho hours googling harold wright!
ReplyDeleteIs there a link to the sonatas?? ANYWHERE??
Thanks so much for uploading this so beautifully
deelight
Thanks so much for uploading this MP3 of Harold Wright's Brahms Trio. I too am a big Harold Wright fan and eagerly bought this Nonesuch album on ebay...only to discover it was too warped to play. I was considering buying another one, but what I really wanted was a digital version...and thanks to you, I have one. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeletei have this on lp....
ReplyDeleteThe horn trio file is gone.. Oy! Thanks so much for recording and uploading this!
ReplyDelete