Benny Goodman plays Mozart, live 1956 Berkshire Festival and Copland

There was a mini-controversy this week in the Netherlands, when Dutch classical PBS Radio 4 asked listeners if they mind that some programs would now be playing Jazz within, or in stead of, classical music. A small social media storm was the consequence. In the end, the manager of Radio 4 announced on Twitter that around 50% was against, 25% was pro and 25% undecided.

I thought I would turn it around, this week. Here is a Jazz icon playing classical music;

Clarinetist Benny Goodman plays Mozart and Copeland, re-issued on the German “jube” label.

Enjoy! :-)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Clarinet quintet in A-Major, KV 581 (1789)

Boston Symphony string quartet:

1st Violine - Richard Burgin

2nd Violine - Alfred Krips

Viola - Joseph De Pasquale

Cello - Samuel Mayes

Clarinet - Benny Goodman

Recorded during Berkshire Festival 1956, program of that festival scanned and put online @ http://worldcat.org/digitalarchive/content/server15982.contentdm.oclc.org/BSYMO/PROG/TRUSVolume14/Pub412_1954-1956_TWD_1956_Con04.pdf 

Aaron Copland (1900-1990)

Concerto For Clarinet And String Orchestra (With Piano & Harp, 1947 rev 1949)

Jacques Orchestra

Conductor - Aaron Copeland

Clarinet - Benny Goodman

Recorded May 31, 1951
Live on the festival of Britain 

https://open.spotify.com/user/otterhouse/playlist/44Ht2uizQaP0V6OW6Gl2pK

The original program, July 11th, 1956