John Finucane Archive

Grigori Frid: Clarinet Sonatas – John Finucane, Elisaveta Blumina – MDG Multi-channel SACD 

by Audiophile Audition | Aug 14, 2018 | Classical CD Reviews

Russian sonatas by Grigori Frid in stunning surround sound Grigori Frid: Clarinet Sonatas – John Finucane (clarinet), Elisaveta Blumina (piano) (6/8/18)  MDG Multi-channel SACD Catalogue No: MDG9032069 TT: 57:16 ****: Gregori Frid is not a well known name in classical composing, but he was a unique voice and I’m thrilled to see more of his works appearing on disc. Frid, who died in 2012 was a Russian composer of music written in many different genres, including chamber opera. Frid was a prolific composer. His most notable works are his two chamber operas, both to his own libretti. The Diary of Anne Frank is a monodrama in 21 scenes for soprano and chamber orchestra. He wrote three symphonies (1939, 1955, 1964), a series of instrumental concertos including a Concerto for viola, piano and string orchestra (1981), as well as film scores. For this disc, we get 3 Clarinet Sonatas, numbers 1-3. John Finucane performs on the clarinet, while Elisaveta Blumina is the pianist Frid was alive during the musical reign of such greats as Shostakovich, Rachmaninoff,  and some of the other Russian greats, but Frid’s sound is unique and yet has a distinctive Russian sound. I found all three sonatas a […]