Music for Solo Clarinet
Jörg WIDMANN (b.1973) Fantasie (1993) [7:15]; Toshio HOSOKAWA
(b.1955) EDI (2009) [5:15]; Luciano BERIO (1925-2003)
Lied (1983) [4:12]; Aribert REIMANN (b.1936) Solo (1994) [6:20];
Arthur LOURIÉ (1882-1966) The Mime (1956) [5:33]; Edison
DENISOV (1929-1996) Clarinet Sonata (1972) [6:49]; Alexander
GOEHR (b.1932) Paraphrase on the Dramatic madrigal ‘Il combattimento
di Tancredi e Clorinda’ by Monteverdi (1969) [8:33]; Henri POUSSEUR
(1929-2009) Madrigal 1 (1958) [5:33]; Hans Ulrich LEHMANN
(b.1937) Mosaik (1964) [6:01]; Fabio NIEDER (b.1957) Terracotta
(1995) [1:36]; André JOLIVET (1905-1974) Ascèses (1967) [14:13]
Eduard Brunner (clarinet)
rec. 14-15 December 2009, Studio 2, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Munich, Germany.
DDD
NAXOS 8.572470 [71:17] 
This disc contains a variety of contemporary works for solo clarinet. Eduard
Brunner is currently based in Germany, but was born in Switzerland, and has
built his career around commissioning and performing new works for his instrument.
Jörg Widmann’s Fantasie is a fascinating work with pulsating rhythms
and noticeable jazz influences. The composer is himself a clarinettist, and
this work displays a range of extended techniques which are incorporated into
the musical language with a very natural flow. EDI by Toshio Hosokawa is dedicated
to Brunner, and fuses Japanese and western styles of composition in an atmospheric
and expressive piece. Berio’s Lied is a short and surprisingly lyrical
work, performed with a sense of contemplative gentleness. In a similarly thoughtful
vein is the opening of Reimann’s Solo, a slow-paced piece with short
interjections which develops into a striking monologue. Brunner’s playing
is smooth and expressive, and conveys an excellent understanding of the music.
Arthur Lourié’s The Mime is full of melodic interest and takes on a
melancholy mood at times. The piece is dedicated to Charlie Chaplin, and short
bursts of playful energy break through the lyrical low register line. Edison
Denisov’s two-movement Clarinet Sonata uses the full range of the instrument,
and takes the form of many French instrumental works, with a slow opening
movement and a fast second. The Allegro giusto is played here with
a sense of personality and strong rhythmic definition.
Alexander Goehr’s Monteverdi paraphrase is the second longest work on the
disc. It was composed for Alan Hacker in 1969. Goehr makes direct quotes of
Monteverdi, and develops the melodic lines into his own musical language.
There is an enjoyable sense of unity here, and Goehr makes impressive use
of the solo instrument, with sections of dialogue between voices and expressive,
flowing melodic lines. Henri Pousseur’s Madrigal 1 makes use of vocal
writing styles, and combines smooth melodies with agility and dexterity. Pousseur’s
modernist language is well communicated and the piece goes a long way towards
demonstrating the expressive range of the clarinet.
Mosaik by Hans Ulrich Lehmann brings together a series of short musical
motifs to form a gradually evolving melodic line. Pleasing changes of texture
are created through the use of trills, tremolos and flutter-tonguing, and
the music possesses a delicacy within its framework. Fabio Nieder’s Terracotta
is a short work of under two minute’s duration. This is a piece which creates
a beautiful atmosphere, and has much to offer. The final piece on the disc
is Jolivet’s Ascèses, a group of five short pieces which explore different
aspects of solo instrumental writing. The piece reflects Jolivet’s philosophical
and aesthetic ideas, and each movement has a distinctive character. I particularly
enjoyed the rhythmic third movement and the languid nature of some of the
slower sections.
Overall this is an excellent disc with an enjoyable range of repertoire and
fine playing throughout.
Carla Rees
Overall this is an excellent disc with an enjoyable range of repertoire and
fine playing throughout.