There can’t, I suspect, be many CDs devoted
entirely to music for two clarinets and piano – I certainly
can’t think of any. More strikingly, only the first two items
– songs by Mendelssohn – are arrangements. There is, that is
to say, a worthwhile repertoire for this combination of instruments.
Here we are introduced to some of it; indeed four of the works
- those by Cavallini, Amit-Kalev, Maštalíř and Schweinsberg
– are receiving their first recording.
Born in the U.S.A.,
Eva Wasserman-Margolis is now based in Israel. Luigi Magistrelli
is Professor of Clarinet at the Milan Conservatory and has recorded
quite extensively. Claudia Bracco studied in Milan and now teaches
at Como. All three performers are persuasive advocates for the
music and maintain one’s interest throughout their recital,
despite the inevitable limitations of instrumental texture.
Ernesto Cavallini
was a famous virtuoso; it was, I believe, the English clarinettist
Henry Lazarus who dubbed Cavallini “the Paganini of the clarinet”.
It was for Cavallini – whose playing he admired – that Verdi
wrote the clarinet solo in the prelude to Act III of La Forza
del Destino. ‘La Bacana’ is made up of an andante and a
longer allegro; it is an attractive piece which encompasses
a fair emotional range, from a light-hearted opening to a self-confident
finale, via some more sombre passages. Bernhard Crusell was
a significant clarinettist of an earlier generation. His Adagio
and Rondeau were originally written as unaccompanied duets for
clarinet, the piano part being added later. The result is pleasant
but not, it has to be said, the most memorable music on the
CD. The Dutchman Franz Schweinsberg – who seems not to have
an entry in Grove - composed some 400 works, many for brass
ensemble. His ‘Fantasie Brillante et Originale’ is perhaps neither
as brilliant nor as original as its title promises, but is pleasant
music, very much of its period, in which Claudia Bracco’s contributions
(as well as those of the clarinettists) are worthy of note.
Mendelssohn’s melodies are a delight in the arrangement by Pamela
Weston, a name familiar to all clarinettists and to those with
an interest in the history of the instrument.
Turning to the more
modern pieces, Charles Camilleri - who represents Malta in the
CD’s subtitle - can usually be relied upon for interesting and
stylish work and he doesn’t let us down here. His long-standing
interest in Spanish idioms is naturally reflected in a work
written in homage to de Falla. Camilleri’s Divertimento is an
elegant showpiece in three short movements, two witty allegros
framing a rather beautiful andante. Lotti Amit-Kalev is a pianist,
teacher and composer living and working in Israel, whose compositions
include works for solo piano and a number of pieces of chamber
music. Her Divertimento is an engaging piece, which blends the
two clarinets very strikingly in music which, while it has a
folk-like quality at times, is evidently the work of a sophisticated
musical mind. Much the same might be said of the Fantasia by
Sarah Feigin, a new name to me. Born in Latvia, Feigin moved
to Israel in 1972. Her Fantasia was originally written for single
clarinet and piano in 1996 and arranged for two clarinets and
piano in 2002. In this present form it is a small gem – built
around an appealingly lyrical melody and a robust quasi-folk
dance. Maštalíř’s Duo Concertante is a pleasantly tuneful
tonal work, unflamboyant and at its best in its more meditative
passages.
The performances
have the advantage of a clear yet full recorded sound; there
are helpful biographical notes, though rather too little is
said about the music actually recorded. While it would be absurd
to pretend that it constitutes any kind of essential purchase,
this is a CD that can be recommended both to those with a special
interest in the clarinet and to those who like to explore new
musical territory.
Glyn Pursglove
AVAILABILITY
Leonarda
Productions
for
details
