Report by Anna Roach
The Eastern European Souvenir concert took place Wednesday at 4:15 p.m. in Swarthout Recital Hall. It opened with a performance by Dr. Dmitry Perevertailenko who was sponsored by Tarleton State University. Perevertailenko began with Canzona for clarinet and piano by composer Sergei Taneyev accompanied by Ellen Sommer on piano. His attentive performance was a compelling beginning to the concert. Next he performed Alexander Goedicke’s Two Pieces for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 28. The first movement, titled “Nocturne,” was immediately captivating with its contemplative clarinet ornaments, and was contrasted effectively with the following “Etude,” where Perevertailenko expertly performed the dance-like music of this second movement.
The concert continued with clarinetist Barbara Borowicz and percussionist Bartosz Saldan. They performed The Soul of Seul for clarinet and vibraphone by Ewa Fabiańska-Jelińska. The combination of clarinet and vibraphone in The Soul of Seul was unique in timbre and character. Borowicz’s beautifully haunting clarinet sound spun out of the vibraphone’s sustained chords and hung in the hall. Borowicz next performed Fragment H for clarinet and piano by composer Zbigniew A. Lampart followed by Marcel Chyrzyński’s Haiku No. 2 for clarinet and piano. She too was accompanied by Ellen Sommer on piano. They concluded Borowicz’s portion of the Eastern European Souvenir concert with Krysztof Penderecki’s Minatures for clarinet and piano. This capricious piece contains three contrasting movements: “Allegro,” “Andante cantabile” and “Allegro ma non troppo.” The exciting virtuosity of the fast movements contrasted with the plaintive second movement and brought the audience to their feet at the end of Borowicz’s performance.
The final artist of the afternoon was clarinetist Dr. Vanguel Tangarov. He began with Gestures for Clarinet Solo by Dimitar Ninov. Tangarov’s clear tone was beautifully suited for this piece that included multiphonics with voice and wild scalar passages that dissolved into breath and key clicks. Next he performed Zornitsa Petrova’s Capriccio for Clarinet Solo. This aptly named piece made of small gestures that interjected each other playfully was highlighted by Tangarov’s whimsical treatment of this piece. He and accompanist Ekaterina Tangarova closed the Eastern European Souvenir Concert with the dynamic piece Aquarelles for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 37 composed by Pantcho Vladiguerov. Aquarelles’s rousing third movement, “Danse,” filled with impressive clarinet calisthenics, propelled this piece and the entire afternoon concert to an end.
The event was a wonderful highlight to the day showcasing interesting and inspiring works form Eastern Europe.
Dr. Anna Roach recently completed her DMA at Texas Tech University. She served as adjunct clarinet professor at Lubbock Christian University from 2014-2016. She currently holds a private studio in Oklahoma City and is a D’Addario Reserve Method Teaching Artist.