This disc features
works for clarinet by Faculty members
at California State University, Northridge,
and demonstrates the quality of work
going on there.
Daniel Kessner also
works as a conductor and flute player.
I have previously encountered his
works for alto and bass flute, which
are skilfully composed and full of
imagination. Circling, for
clarinet and piano, dates from the
early 1980s. The opening movement
is calm and highly atmospheric. Kessner’s
harmonies are richly sonorous and
the music constantly evolves to hold
our attention. The energy increases
significantly for the second movement,
Scherzando, which is a sprightly
movement with virtuosic demands. Here
the reason for the title of the work
is most evident, with repeated patterns
and melodic lines returning to their
point of origin. Kessner uses varying
rhythmic patterns to drive the momentum
forwards. The final movement makes
use of alternative fingerings to change
the timbral quality of some of the
notes, an effect which appears frequently
and with great success in Kessner’s
music. He appears to have an instinctive
understanding of the instruments he
writes for, sometimes pushing them
to the limits but without losing the
focus of his musical intentions. This
movement is calm and more static,
contrasting well with the Scherzando.
There are some wonderful moments of
shifting harmony, and the ending is
magical. This is a wonderful piece,
and I would urge anyone to seek out
more of this composer’s music.
Frank Campo’s, Fantasy
was composed in 2003 and is an evocative
work for solo clarinet. Writing for
a solo line instrument is notoriously
difficult, but Campo is highly experienced
in this area and the work is always
convincing. He makes use of the full
range of the clarinet, both in terms
of pitch, sound and expression, creating
an instrumental tour-de-force. Heinen’s
sound is warm and expressive, and
the music flows with ease.
Clarinet, Interrupted
was composed by Daniel Hosken in 2002.
It explains in the sleeve-notes that
the work ‘uses the technique of interruption
to stop the driving flow of the music
and introduce a quiet theme that grows
from a few notes to many measures
long’. The effect is dramatic; the
opening mood is turbulent and challenging,
with some technically demanding passages
using high register clarinet and textural
piano writing. This is well handled;
there is wonderful evenness in the
piano playing, creating a shimmering
effect, and the clarinet is strong
but not forced. The slower material
which takes over is expansive and
expressive, before the faster material
returns, this time without interruptions,
giving a sense of continuity until
the piece reaches its conclusion.
The next piece is
fascinating. Liviu Marinescu’s Homage
Collage contains a series of short
movements which pay tribute to a wide
range of different composers. The
references are, at times, humorous,
and delightfully convincing, with
Marinescu using his compositional
skill to hold the different styles
together in a coherent form. Even
if you knew nothing of the other composer’s
works, this would be an interesting
piece of music, which acts as a showpiece
for the instruments it uses. There
are some wonderful clarinet flutter-tonguing
moments in the Palestrina movement,
serving as a fine example of the intelligence
of this composer; Palestrina’s influence
is obvious, and yet the harmonic and
musical language is far removed from
what one would associate with Palestrina.
The final movement contains a variety
of influences, and is entitled Bach,
Debussy and others. As such, it
serves to unify the work as a whole,
and brings the work to a coherent
end. This is an interesting work,
and I’d be very interested to hear
more of Marinescu’s music.
After the previous
works, the tonal language of Gary
Schocker’s Dear Diary comes
something as of a shock, and seems
sickly sweet in comparison. As far
as I am aware, Schocker is the only
composer on this disc not to be associated
with CSUN, and his writing style is
so different from the rest of the
disc, that I initially questioned
its place on the CD. Having said that,
Schocker is a talented composer whose
works are popular, particularly in
the USA, where he is best known. Also
a well-known flute player, he has
composed numerous works for flute.
After a few moments of listening to
Dear Diary, it is clear that
it is a well constructed work, with
strong melodic lines and a good understanding
of the instruments he writes for.
It is nostalgic and romantic, and
conjures up images of a Hollywood
film scene with a teenage girl sharing
her innermost thoughts in a private
diary entry. There is a sense of intimacy
here which is well captured by the
performers.
The final work on
the disc is William Toutant’s Sonatina,
a highly enjoyable work with almost
ten minute’s duration. This is a strong
piece, with moments of rhythmic energy,
spiky staccato lines and expressive
melodies. There is a constant sense
of drama and variety, and use of the
extremes of the clarinet’s pitch range
and tone quality.
This is a well put
together disc, with versatile performers
and interesting, well-written repertoire.
All of the composers represented have
an individual voice and compose with
true understanding of the instruments,
providing some excellent repertoire
for future generations of clarinet
players. Julia Heinen’s active role
in commissioning many of these works
is to be applauded. Shari Raynor is
a duo partner rather than merely an
accompanist, and the playing from
the duo is excellent throughout, with
variety of tone, clear communication
of musical ideas and admirable technical
control. Highly recommended.
Carla Rees
for details
Julia Heinen (clarinet); Shari Raynor
(piano) 
