British Music for Clarinet and Piano
£11.42
- Sonata For Clarinet And Piano Op. 129: Allegro moderato
- Sonata For Clarinet And Piano Op. 129: Caoine Adagio (quasi Fantasia)
- Sonata For Clarinet And Piano Op. 129: Allegretto grazioso
- Four Short Pieces Op. 6: Prelude (non troppo allegro)
- Four Short Pieces Op. 6: Scherzo
- Four Short Pieces Op. 6: Pastoral
- Four Short Pieces Op. 6: Burlesque (Con spiritu)
- Five Bagatelles: Prelude
- Five Bagatelles: Romance
- Five Bagatelles: Carol
- Five Bagatelles: Forlana
- Five Bagatelles: Fughetta
- Five Bagatelles: Ballade
- Five Bagatelles: Croon Song
- Five Bagatelles: Intermezzo
- Five Bagatelles: Scherzo
Illuminatory performance of scarcely heard music. - Thea King, often referred to as the doyenne of English clarinettists, performs the pieces on this disc in such a persuasive way, that I wonder why they are not a cornerstone of any international soloists repertoire.The more accessible works such as Howard Ferguson s, play a key role in many clarinet teacher s lessons, and so it is wonderful that they are approached with the same respect as the more fearsome Howells Sonata, and give the young listener great help in how to shape these shorter, less important works in a very musical way.The fact that these pieces are more often than not used in the music room than the stage, is not apparent in the performance, where showmanship and intellect are combined with a marvellously fluid tone, which is not over affected with vibrato (now all too common). This brings a faint nostalgia to the recording, and the peculiar Englishness needed to pull these pieces off with style.