For Clarinet and Strings
Ian Mitchell is a leading performer on all members of the clarinet family and has made recordings with most of them. He has also led Gemini for many years, bringing the ensemble to the top of the tree especially in contemporary chamber music. This album of works for clarinet and strings arose from a prize in the 1993 Prudential Awards, which provided initial funding to record three major but neglected works, by Cyril Scott, Howard Skempton and Rebecca Clarke, together with more recent pieces by Sadie Harrison and Nicola LeFanu and jazz legend Tony Coe. This is not a clarinet feature disc however, but a program of fine works involving that instrument ‘in the mix’. Added to the album as a bonus is Skempton’s Gemini Dances which adds flute, piano and percussion.
Gemini has a very strong following for both recordings and concerts, and since its formation in 1974 has developed a reputation for the highest levels of musicianship and immense support for contemporary composers.
Track Listing
- Cyril Scott (1879-1970):
- Clarinet Quintet (15:35) Nicola LeFanu (b.1947):
- Songs without Words - I. A far cry (1:52)
- Songs without Words - II. No paseran (2:01)
- Songs without Words - III. Catalunya! (1:48)
- Songs without Words - IV. Remembrance (5:22) Howard Skempton (b.1947):
- Lullaby (3:47) Tony Coe (b. 1934):
- Dream Odyssey - I. Marsh Lanterns (1:47)
- Dream Odyssey - II. The Pathless Wood (1:46)
- Dream Odyssey - III. Bird of Fortune (1:51) Rebecca Clarke (1886-1979):
- Prelude, Allegro and Pastorale - I. Prelude (3:30)
- Prelude, Allegro and Pastorale - II. Allegro (3:38)
- Prelude, Allegro and Pastorale - III. Pastorale (6:04) Sadie Harrison (b.1965):
- Fire in Song - I. The World's Lament (1:30)
- Fire in Song - II. Bandicoot and the Hollow Log (1:40)
- Fire in Song - III. Quail and the Burning Twig (1:53)
- Fire in Song - IV. Honey Bees and the Paperbark Swamp (1:26)
- Fire in Song - V. Honey Bees and the Tall Grass (1:52)
- Fire in Song - VI. Baru the Saltwater Crocodile and the Ancient Fire (3:16)
- Fire in Song - VII. Lament for the Whole World (2:07) Howard Skempton (b.1947):
- Gemini Dances - I. Comodo (1:13)
- Gemini Dances - II. Dotted crotchet (quarter note)=c.72 (0:48)
- Gemini Dances - III. Comodo (crotchet=c.104) (1:43)
- Gemini Dances - IV. Alla marcia (1:17)
- Gemini Dances - V. Vivo (crotchet=c.152) (1:00)
- Gemini Dances - VI. Dotted crotchet=c.72 (2:29)
- Gemini Dances - VII. Comodo (1:02)
Reviews
“A rich feast to get your teeth into. Gemini’s latest release is one to indulge in. There is a lot going on, and stimulatingly so. This is a beast of an album… gloriously rich process… expertly spearheaded by Gemini’s director and clarinettist, Ian Mitchell. There even seems to be a glowing, molten quality in Mitchell’s playing here, reflected in the fullness and momentum of Gemini’s playing throughout.
” —Ellen Sargen
“Highly listenable, enjoyable and imaginative.
” —Jeremy Condliffe
“This highly desirable release offers valuable additions to the chamber music repertoire in committed, instinctive performances. Recording quality and booklet content and presentation are exemplary.
” —Paul Conway
“A very well-chosen collection of music from the 20th and 21st centuries. Gemini is a superb ensemble, and Ian Mitchell’s clarinet playing is highly imaginative and beautiful. Warmly recommended.
” —Henry Fogel
“Gemini performs with admirable skill and commitment. Most of the soundscapes are dark and modernist, including the uneasy post-romanticism of Clarke and Scott. Skempton is a welcome outlier on the program with folk-like tunes, resourceful scoring, and a beautiful simplicity that will remain with the listener long after the final track.
” —Patrick Hanudel
“Both as clarinet soloist and as leader of the Gemini chamber ensemble, Ian Mitchell does a fine job of introducing audiences to seven little-known chamber works, by six composers. Pleasurable, and all are very well performed by soloist and ensemble alike.
” —Mark J. Estren
“These various clarinet-led works prove both novel and enriching. What an attractive programme it is, stuffed, too, with world premiere recordings. Wholly delightful, brilliantly played.
” —Jonathan Woolf
“The work of Metier Records and of instrumental groups such as the one here, Gemini, should be universally lauded. They keep the music of today alive, ensure its circulation, and present it in the finest possible performances, always impeccably documented and recorded. Here we have a beautifully varied collection of works. Ian Mitchell is the connecting thread, his clarinet ever-eloquent. It is clear that he, and his group, give each and every piece their all; all is couched in a fine recording and presentation that is both beautiful and comprehensive.
” —Colin Clarke
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