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American Record Guide

British clarinetist Ian Mitchell leads Gemini, a chamber ensemble that, since 1974, has carved out a niche in the field of educational concerts and the promotion of women com­posers. This album is a recital of works for clar­inet and strings recorded over a quarter centu­ry (1995-2020), and it draws attention to Eng­lish composers of the 20th Century and the 21st.

Rebecca Clarke (1886-1979) wrote her Pre­lude, Allegro, and Pastorale for clarinet and viola while stranded in the United States dur­ing World War II; and Rudolph Schmitt and Walter Herbert of the San Francisco Symphony gave the first performance at UC Berkeley on 6 August 1942. Cyril Scott (1879-1970) wrote his single-movement Clarinet Quintet for British clarinetist Gervase de Peyer, who teamed up with the Melos Ensemble to give the premiere in 1951. Howard Skempton (b. 1947) complet­ed his ‘Lullaby’ for clarinet and cello in the summer of 1983, and Mitchell and cellist Helen Verney gave the premiere the following January. A decade later, at the suggestion of Mitchell, Skempton composed Gemini Dances (1994) for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, percus­sion, and piano.

Nicola LeFanu (b. 1947) wrote her Songs Without Words for clarinet, violin, viola, and cello in May 2005 to mark the 30th anniversary of the Gemini Ensemble; and the same month, the organization Musicians Against Nuclear Arms (MANA) gave the premiere. The final song is a memorial to people who perished in the current wars in the Middle East. Tony Coe (b. 1934), a well-known clarinetist, saxophon­ist, film composer, and jazz musician, expand­ed a commission by Mitchell to create his short programmatic clarinet quintet Dream Odyssey. Sadie Harrison (b. 1965) finished her Fire in Song for clarinet, viola, and two clap-stick-playing narrators during the catastrophic bush fires that swept Australia in 2019-20. In seven short movements she tells the creation story of fire as related by the Yolngu of Aborigi­nal Australians; and she posits how Aboriginal Australians would respond to the recent natu­ral disaster. Most of the soundscapes are dark and modernist, including the uneasy post-romanticism of Clarke and Scott and the abstract utterances and disjunct themes in the Coe, the LeFanu, and the Harrison. Gemini performs with admirable skill and commitment; but Mitchell’s British clarinet dialect, which emphasizes the outer edges of the clarinet tim­bre, usually spreads above a mezzo-forte and sometimes creates an unpleasant blend. Skempton is a welcome outlier on the program, infusing his ‘ Lullaby’ and his Gemini Dances with folk-like tunes, resourceful scoring, and a beautiful simplicity that will remain with the listener long after the final track.