02 September
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Originally published in The Clarinet 46/4 (September 2019). Printed copies of The Clarinet are available for ICA members.  Audio Notes: September 2019 by Kip Franklin   The music of Johann Sebastian Bach is universally known. He is arguably the founding father of Western art music, having qualified and quantified the language of tonal harmony. The harmonic, melodic and musical models he established manifest themselves in the works of nearly all subsequent tonal composers. Unfortunately, clarinetists have no original works by Bach and instead must rely on transcriptions and adaptations in order to glean the experience of playing his music. In addition to the existing body of transcriptions and recordings,Read More →

01 December
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Originally published in The Clarinet 46/1 (December 2018). Printed copies of The Clarinet are available for ICA members.   Audio Notes by Christopher Nichols New Recordings of Clarinet Music by Michele Mangani and James M. Stephenson Memories from Heaven: Music for Clarinet and Piano, released by Da Vinci Classics (C00104), presents clarinetist Sergio Bosi and pianist Riccardo Bartoli in a number of premiere recordings of compositions by esteemed Italian composer Michele Mangani (b. 1966). Mangani is a familiar name to the International Clarinet Association membership, with numerous works appearing on ClarinetFest® programs in recent years. This past summer at ClarinetFest® in Ostend, his Concerto for Clarinet received its premiereRead More →

04 September
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  Originally published in The Clarinet 45/4 (September 2018). Printed copies of The Clarinet are available for ICA members.     Audio Notes by Christopher Nichols New Music for Clarinet Duo Duets have been a significant aspect of pedagogy throughout the development of the clarinet, with notable contributions found in the methods of Jean-Xavier Lefèvre, Hyacinthe Klosé and Aurelio Magnani, to name only a few. However, in recent years the clarinet duo has found a place on the concert stage with an ever-expanding and diverse repertoire that exploits the capabilities of the instrument to extremes. Recent releases from three ensembles, AdZel Duo, Tosca Duo and Das Klarinettenduo, epitomize thisRead More →

Clarinet and Saxophone Classics
30 March
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      Originally published in The Clarinet 45/2 (March 2018). Printed copies of The Clarinet are available for ICA members. by Christopher Nichols Some 20 years ago, while still a high school student, I first encountered Clarinet Classics at the now defunct Tower Records Classical store on South Street in Philadelphia. I purchased several discs on that trip, one of which included The Early Clarinet Family, CC0004, which included works by Handel, Beethoven, Graupner, and Danzi performed on period instruments by English clarinetist Keith Puddy. At that time, I had acquired the music to Beethoven’s Duo No. 3 in B-flat, Wo027, for clarinet and bassoon and soughtRead More →

Christopher Nichols - Embrace
24 July
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      Originally published in The Clarinet 44/3 (June 2017). Printed copies of The Clarinet are available for ICA members. by Christopher Nichols As the Audio Reviews Editor, I enjoy the privilege of gaining familiarity with a significant number of remarkable artists, some of whom have been quite active in performance and recording activities. Prior to receiving several of her recent compact discs for review consideration in The Clarinet, I was unfamiliar with clarinetist Seunghee Lee. After listening to these discs and learning more about her, I thought our readership would enjoy hearing about her accomplishments, motivations and recorded output. Lee’s educational background includes studies at theRead More →