13 January
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      Crossroads: Twenty-First Century Music for Clarinet. Kip Franklin, clarinet; Robert Holm, piano; Mina Son, piano. D. Biedenbender: Synchronicity; K. Husa: Three Studies for Solo Clarinet; D. Maslanka: Eternal Garden: Four Songs for Clarinet and Piano; K. Opperman: Un Seul. Artist Produced. Total time 64:00. CDBaby, iTunes and Amazon Crossroads opens with energy, verve and great attention to detail in a well-balanced and engaging disc of contemporary clarinet repertoire. David Biedenbender is the only composer on Kip Franklin’s disc who will spend the majority of his life in the 21st century, but nearly all of the compositions, with the exception of Kalmen Opperman’sRead More →

06 December
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Originally published in The Clarinet 46/1 (December 2018). Printed copies of The Clarinet are available for ICA members.  Reviews MUSIC STUDIES Nora Shaffer. Scales and Harmonic Studies for the Intermediate Clarinetist. EHM Publishing, 2017. $22.95 Nora Shaffer is an in-demand freelancer and private instructor in the Chicago area. She graduated from DePaul University where she studied with Larry Combs and Julie DeRoche, earning both a Performer’s Certificate and a Master’s in Music (with distinction). Shaffer completed her B.A. in music at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. She has also studied with Stephen Williamson, Bil Jackson and Andrew Stevens. Shaffer created this method book specifically for the intermediate clarinetist. SheRead More →

03 December
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Originally published in The Clarinet 46/1 (December 2018). Printed copies of The Clarinet are available for ICA members.  Reviews   RECORDINGS Double Concertos by Atli Ingólfsson, Adriana Hölszky and Nikolaus Brass. Das Klarinettenduo: Beate Zelinsky, clarinet; David Smeyers, clarinet; Caput Ensemble, Guðni Franzson, conductor; SWR Symphony Orchestra Baden-Baden and Freiburg, Arturo Tamayo, conductor; Munich Chamber Orchestra, Alexander Liebreich, conductor. A. Ingólfsson: Orgoras Speaks; A. Hölszky: Flugmanöver; N. Brass: Zeit im Grund. NEOS Music NEOS 11708. Total time 65:12. Amazon and iTunes This album by Beate Zelinsky and David Smeyers, together known as Das Klarinettenduo, is a challenging yet rewarding collection of three double concertos that explore the possibilities ofRead More →

23 October
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             Audio Reviews – October 2018 Footprints and Memories: 19th Century Spanish Works for Clarinet and Band. Pedro Rubio, clarinet; Banda Sinfónica de la Asociación de Amigos de la Música de Yecla; Banda Corporació Musical Primitiva d’Alcoi; Band de la Societat Musical “La Pau” de Beneixama. A. Romero: Gran concierto de clarinete; E. Calvist: Capricho para clarinete and Fantasía de clarinete; C.P. Laporta: Fantasía para clarinete; M. Monlleo: Fantasía para clarinete; C. Oudrid: El Molinero de Subiza; Anonymous: Fantasía obligada de clarinete; B. P. Casas: Primer solo. Bassus Ediciones BED 010. Total time 72:46. www.bassusediciones.com, Amazon and iTunes Pedro Rubio performsRead 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 Reviews – September 2018   West Meets East. Jun Qian, clarinet; Ben Quarles, bass clarinet; Todd Meehan, percussion; Paul Sánchez, piano; Kayleen Sánchez, soprano; Scott Steele, percussion; Jing Zhou, guzheng; Jianbing Hu, sheng. J. Merritt: Monkey King; M. Mueller: Arabesque; P. Lenz: Funk Shui; E.J.F. Taylor: Azure Dragon of the East; P. Sánchez: Free Translations of Li-Ch’ig-Chao: Three Musical Settings; J. Qian & J.B. Hu: New York Improvisatory Dialogue II; S. Steele: Su Counterpoint. Albany Records TROY1681. Total time 72:56. Amazon and iTunes Jun Qian’s recent album WestRead More →