Notes and Editorial Reviews
An interesting, potentially misleading title for this Brilliant double. If you were expecting two hours of Mozart, Stamitz and the sundry Bohemian exponents of the classical clarinet tradition you’d be in for a long wait. The farthest back we go is to Weber and we stretch forward as far as Malcolm Arnold. So maybe it’s classical as distinct from jazz, even though Arnold, as we all know, loves his Armstrong and wrote for Goodman.
The compositions are grouped along rough stylistic and geographical lines; first Poulenc and Debussy then Saint-Saëns and Büsser; following them the neo-classicism of Stravinsky, the typical motor rhythms of Martin? and some succinct and joyful Arnold. The second disc is an all-Germanic
Read more
affair. The recording level is generally good but there are occasions during the course of these performances when the piano is too backwardly balanced and this can obscure some important lines and harmonies. The effect is by no means consistent though and shouldn’t impair your enjoyment.
De Graaf is a well-known clarinettist and Wayenberg’s name may well register with collectors because of preserved performances with Karel An?erl in Amsterdam. Their ensemble is most effective and the sense of chamber compatibility never slackens or weakens. In the Poulenc they have the measure of much of its affectionate playfulness and emerge unscathed from the Allegro con fuoco minefield, even if memories of, say, de Peyer are not effaced in the slow movement. They are fluid and convincing in the Debussy – a piece more normally found in the garb of its orchestral arrangement. Saint-Saëns’ Sonata should get regular airings in the chamber recital hall. As he shows in his string sonatas he is the master of mood and texture. The opening movement is a charmingly relaxed Allegretto and the slow movement opens with portentous gravity and rolled chords (not unlike Franck’s in his piano works) before lightening. And how tactful and well judged of the composer to end with another Allegretto – no hi jinks and flourish for Saint-Saëns, just a musically sagacious arch. Henri Büsser is probably better known as a conductor for French Pathé – I’ve recently reviewed his Manon on Malibran. As a conductor he took things there at a fair old lick; as a composer his short Pastorale has some almost quasi-operatic moments amidst the dapple. Stravinsky’s Three Pieces are wittily and pithily played – especially the Vivacissimo finale, which fizzes by. Martin? can do no wrong in my book and the duo does well by him; I just wish they’d screwed up the tension and the tempo slightly in the opening movement of his Sonatine. The first disc closes with some delicious Arnold, full of his quick act change from intensity to humour.
The duo commands the style for Weber’s Grand Duo Concertante and they’re especially good at observing the con moto marking in the slow movement, which emerges as a result strengthened not diminished. Harald Genzmer was greatly influenced by Hindemith, and was one of his best pupils in Berlin. His Sonatine is unaffected and unpretentious and unfortunately undated as well. But in its lyricism and its marching neo-classicism it adheres to certain established norms. It can be mordant but always with an airy classical lightness running through it. The Andante for instance is songful but not over simplified, with some pert piano pointing. The Schumann pieces are standards of the repertoire but the Berg presents an even tougher challenge – I like the way they extract real lyricism from these concisely and densely packed pieces – and also how exuberantly they play the eruptive drama of the slow final piece – and how well they control it. Finally there’s the Mendelssohn. From its long opening movement – full of hymnal depth – to the Song without Words Andante this is a delectable work. They play the slow Andante especially well, colouring it across the range and phrasing unselfconsciously.
Maybe this seems a somewhat quirky selection but the repertoire does actually make a deal of sense. Inexpensive and neatly packaged with some pertinent notes it also enjoys convincing playing.
-- Jonathan Woolf, MusicWeb International
Read less
Works on This Recording
1.
Sonata for Clarinet and Piano by Francis Poulenc
Performer:
Henk De Graaf (Clarinet),
Daniel Wayenberg (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1962; France
2.
Première Rhapsodie for Clarinet and Piano by Claude Debussy
Performer:
Henk De Graaf (Clarinet),
Daniel Wayenberg (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1909-1910; France
3.
Sonata for Clarinet and Piano in E flat major, Op. 167 by Camille Saint-Saëns
Performer:
Henk De Graaf (Clarinet),
Daniel Wayenberg (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1921; France
4.
Pastorale for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 46 by Paul-Henri Büsser
Performer:
Henk De Graaf (Clarinet),
Daniel Wayenberg (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: France
5.
Pieces (3) for Clarinet solo by Igor Stravinsky
Performer:
Henk De Graaf (Clarinet)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1919; Switzerland
6.
Sonatina for Clarinet and Piano by Bohuslav Martinu
Performer:
Henk De Graaf (Clarinet),
Daniel Wayenberg (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1956; Rome, Italy
7.
Sonatina for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 29 by Malcolm Arnold
Performer:
Henk De Graaf (Clarinet),
Daniel Wayenberg (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1951; England
8.
Grand Duo concertante for Clarinet and Piano in E flat major, J 204/Op. 48 by Carl Maria von Weber
Performer:
Henk De Graaf (Clarinet),
Daniel Wayenberg (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1815-1816; Germany
9.
Sonatine for Clarinet and Piano by Harald Genzmer
Performer:
Henk De Graaf (Clarinet),
Daniel Wayenberg (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1997; Germany
10.
Phantasiestücke (3) for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 73 by Robert Schumann
Performer:
Henk De Graaf (Clarinet),
Daniel Wayenberg (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1849; Germany
11.
Pieces (4) for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 5 by Alban Berg
Performer:
Henk De Graaf (Clarinet),
Daniel Wayenberg (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1913; Austria
12.
Sonata for Clarinet and Piano in E flat major by Felix Mendelssohn
Performer:
Henk De Graaf (Clarinet),
Daniel Wayenberg (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: ?1824; Germany
Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review: 
( 1 Customer Review )
Don't ever want to shelve this one! June 26, 2012
By Endel Bendel (Spencer, MA) See All My Reviews
"Program is stimulation with many pieces infrequently played, the 20th century disc especially, and Saint Seans in particular. The Malcolm Arnold sonata a wonderful 'amuse orielle'. The reductions also creative and educational, one hears more of the structure often than in the usual larger ensemble. Debussy Primier Rhapsody. This clarinetist is precise emotive without being showy. Lovely tone; a chaumeleau to die for. Clarinet and piano, simpatico timbres."
Report Abuse
Review This Title
