Classical CD Reviews
Bryan A. Crumpler, Clarinets - “Monochrome” = DESPORTES: Caracteres (clarinet sextet); BERTOUILLE: Concertino; BARBER: Adagio for Strings, for solo clarinet and clarinet choir; PETER SCHICKELE: Monochrome III; DONDEYNE: Symphonie - WTG
Solo and multiple clarinets, courtesy of overdubbing
Published on November 11, 2005
|
Bryan A. Crumpler, Clarinets - “Monochrome” = DESPORTES:
Caracteres (clarinet sextet); BERTOUILLE: Concertino for 4 Clarinets;
BARBER: Adagio for Strings, for solo clarinet and clarinet choir; PETER
SCHICKELE: Monochrome III for nine B-flat clarinets; DONDEYNE:
Symphonie des Clarinettes (clarinet sextet) - Who’s That Guy WTG-0001,
50:07 ****:
The Peter Schickele work which is also the overall title for this disc is part of a series in which the composer (and discoverer of PDQ Bach’s music) has written works for a multiple number of a single instrument. The idea is to capture the singular timbre and feeling of the instrument in the pieces, and that is what his work for nine clarinets does. The idea of a single instrument in multiples has been stretched for the CD to feature a single performer who plays all the instruments! I’ve long been attracted to ensembles of multiple same instruments, and the rich woody sound of multiple clarinets is to die for.
Crumpler is a superb performer on his instrument who studied at UNC Chapel Hill and has won top prizes in international music competitions. He has become a versatile concert soloist and chamber musician as well as playing in jazz, Klezmer, Dixieland and other non-classical genres. For this CD he spent over two-and-one-half years recording, multi-tracking and producing the sound of every clarinet heard in this collection. The effect is of a single skilled ensemble playing together, of from four to a whole orchestra of clarinets. The pieces are all melodic and lovely, in either a French or American vein, and all receive their world premiere recordings here. The opener by Desportes is made up of a half dozen short sections which describe individual characters - The Loner, The Dreamer, The Joker, etc. Schickele’s nine-minute work is a melodic and swinging piece which makes ingenious use of the nine clarinet lines. The centerpiece of the album is a transcription by Lucien Cailliet of Barber’s famous Adagio for Strings. Crumpler further modified the transcription and the result is a gorgeous new sound of this classic piece. The CD was assembled using digital multitracking technology, which according to the jewel box results in “enhanced spatial sound.” The various instruments are spread out on a wide soundstage, widened even further by Pro Logic II playback. But the main enhancement here is the complete freedom from hiss and noise which would probably have been part of the final result if analog overdubbing had been used for the project.
- John Sunier
The Peter Schickele work which is also the overall title for this disc is part of a series in which the composer (and discoverer of PDQ Bach’s music) has written works for a multiple number of a single instrument. The idea is to capture the singular timbre and feeling of the instrument in the pieces, and that is what his work for nine clarinets does. The idea of a single instrument in multiples has been stretched for the CD to feature a single performer who plays all the instruments! I’ve long been attracted to ensembles of multiple same instruments, and the rich woody sound of multiple clarinets is to die for.
Crumpler is a superb performer on his instrument who studied at UNC Chapel Hill and has won top prizes in international music competitions. He has become a versatile concert soloist and chamber musician as well as playing in jazz, Klezmer, Dixieland and other non-classical genres. For this CD he spent over two-and-one-half years recording, multi-tracking and producing the sound of every clarinet heard in this collection. The effect is of a single skilled ensemble playing together, of from four to a whole orchestra of clarinets. The pieces are all melodic and lovely, in either a French or American vein, and all receive their world premiere recordings here. The opener by Desportes is made up of a half dozen short sections which describe individual characters - The Loner, The Dreamer, The Joker, etc. Schickele’s nine-minute work is a melodic and swinging piece which makes ingenious use of the nine clarinet lines. The centerpiece of the album is a transcription by Lucien Cailliet of Barber’s famous Adagio for Strings. Crumpler further modified the transcription and the result is a gorgeous new sound of this classic piece. The CD was assembled using digital multitracking technology, which according to the jewel box results in “enhanced spatial sound.” The various instruments are spread out on a wide soundstage, widened even further by Pro Logic II playback. But the main enhancement here is the complete freedom from hiss and noise which would probably have been part of the final result if analog overdubbing had been used for the project.
- John Sunier
on this article to AUDIOPHILE AUDITION!
Email this page to a friend.
View a printer-friendly version.
