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The Clarinet

Twists and Turns features the compositions of Rob Keeley, a Lecturer in Composition at King’s College, London, three of which feature the clarinet.

Four Anachronistic Dances is written for clarinet and harpsichord. The composer adapts the relatively rare combination of these instruments smartly–the harpsichord always reminds me of 18th century court musicians performing the music of Bach, Haydn and Handel. The clarinet’s dissonant melodies in this piece are similar to some of the humorous petite pieces by Penderecki and Lutoslawski. As a result, the tone color of this combination is “pleasantly surprising” as the composer says in the liner notes. I also love the way that Keeley uses a variety of dance forms, from different regions and in various styles. The music is fun, goofy and atonal.
Rob Keeley also performs as the harpsichordist, playing ostinatos figures, percussive rhythms, and imitative figures flawlessly. The clarinet part is playful, humorous and light-hearted. Linda Merrick, the clarinetist, embodies this character and always plays with a beautiful, sweet tone. The whole piece, just like the title “Anachronistic,” is somewhat in style of the neo-baroque and neo-classical music because of the combination of instrumentation, forms, and modern harmony. What a fun piece to listen to!

Twists and Turns shares some of the characteristically humorous features of the first piece. Many Bach-like repetitive, contrasting fugato figures and melodies are shared among the three players equally. Rob Keeley and Linda Merrick, along with John Turner, the recorder player, perform with a consistent stylistic approach, despite the differences in the tone colors of their instruments.

Seven Studies for wind quartet is also a great, fun addition to the repertoire of any chamber group. Each of the movements is short, with a unique personality. Nadia Wilson is the featured clarinetist in this quartet. She plays with great lyricism in the solo parts and excellent sensitivity in the supporting roles.

I love both the composer and the players featured in this album. I cannot wait to program some of these compositions on my future recitals!