Peripheral Visions – Australian Clarinet Trios
£12.50
HTGCD 119 – 5060332663200
Francesco Celata (clarinet); Roger Benedict (viola); David Herscovitch (piano);
WORLD PREMIERE RECORDINGS
‘The catalyst for this recording of Australian trios for clarinet, viola and piano was the rediscovery by Sydney University researcher Katherine Howarth of the long-lost manuscript of Margaret Sutherland’s Clarinet Trio in a collection on of uncatalogued manuscripts at the University of Melbourne. Serendipitously, around the same time, Peter Dart had just completed his Clarinet Trio Peripheral Visions, and I had long wanted to record Roger Smalley’s Trio as well. Moreover, although Brett Dean’s Night Window had been recorded once before, we felt that it was ripe for a new recording, especially as the earlier one was no longer easily obtainable. Also he had already mentioned to us that it was so to speak his Op.1. And fortunately there was just enough room to include two very contrasting short works by Andrew Schultz and Richard Vella. There are still a number of Australian clarinet trios needing to be recorded, most notably that of Gordon Kerry, but hopefully in the meantime these six very contrasting works demonstrate the diversity of voices in contemporary Australian composition.’ Daniel Herscovitch
Margaret Sutherland: Trio in C Major
Peter Dart: Peripheral Visions
Roger Smalley: Trio
Andrew Schultz: Stick Dance 2 Op.22b
Richard Vella: Tango
Brett Dean: night window
Reviews
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‘What comes across most tellingly throughout this recital is a lack of inhibition, shared by these composers, when it comes to writing for a medium already much favoured by those in France and Germany during the previous century. The highly distinct nature of these three instruments is inevitably exploited; so too their timbral or textural similarities for what can equally become an ensemble unified as to its overall sound and conception. In touching on both premises, these three musicians convey the potential of all six pieces in full measure………. Sound could hardly be improved on for clarity or definition, without sacrificing warmth, while the booklet note features succinctly informative commentaries by five of the composers as part of an overview that in itself segues unobtrusively between description and biography.’ Richard Whitehouse, Arcana FM
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‘The playing throughout is superb: Celata, Benedict and Herscovitch are three musicians who clearly listen to one another with great care, and the recorded sound from Verbrugghen Hall is full and present without ever crowding the music. We are once again in Heritage’s debt for putting out a disc that no large label would have touched and presenting it with the seriousness it deserves: this is a hallmark of theirs, and it matters. Six works, six rather different propositions, all worth hearing — and an unexpected, refreshing way to spend an hour.’ Dominic Hartley, MusicWeb International