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Title: Good BGM for little money but not much more.
Review: This CD (set of 2) contains a beautiful piece ascribed to Beethoven, namely the first of three duos for clarinet and bassoon. Not many recordings exist of this rare duo and its inclusion surely enhances the attractiveness of this chamber music CD. However, beware! The cover only mentions the great Melos Ensemble. To my disappointment, I learned from the booklet inside that the clarinet performers are the mediocre Gervase de Peyer and Keith Puddy. de Peyer's playing in the Brahms quintet is rather disturbing with his sloppy phrasing and tasteless vibrato. The Melos Ensemble surely deserves a better clarinet soloist, but then at the time of this Brahms recording (1964), there were maybe not too many good clarinetists around.
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