Capricho Pintoresco - Spanish Music for Clarinet
Superb playing and fine recording values make this survey of Spanish clarinet music worth considering for the musically curious
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Robert (Marcel) Casadesus, Joaquín Turina, Albert Guinovart, Miguel Yuste, Eduardo Toldrá
Label: Harmonia Mundi Iberica
Magazine Review Date: 3/2000
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 75
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: HMI98 7022
Tracks:
| Composition | Artist Credit |
|---|---|
| Capricho Pintoresco |
Miguel Yuste, Composer
Artur Pizarro, Piano Joan Enric Lluna, Clarinet Miguel Yuste, Composer |
| Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 2, 'Spanish' |
Joaquín Turina, Composer
Artur Pizarro, Piano Joan Enric Lluna, Clarinet Joaquín Turina, Composer |
| Vibraciones del alma |
Miguel Yuste, Composer
Artur Pizarro, Piano Joan Enric Lluna, Clarinet Miguel Yuste, Composer |
| (6) Sonnets, Movement: Soneti de la rosada |
Eduardo Toldrá, Composer
Artur Pizarro, Piano Eduardo Toldrá, Composer Joan Enric Lluna, Clarinet |
| (6) Sonnets, Movement: Ave Maria |
Eduardo Toldrá, Composer
Artur Pizarro, Piano Eduardo Toldrá, Composer Joan Enric Lluna, Clarinet |
| (6) Sonnets, Movement: Oració al Maig |
Eduardo Toldrá, Composer
Artur Pizarro, Piano Eduardo Toldrá, Composer Joan Enric Lluna, Clarinet |
| Fantasía sobre Goyescas |
Albert Guinovart, Composer
Albert Guinovart, Composer Artur Pizarro, Piano Joan Enric Lluna, Clarinet |
| Sonata |
Robert (Marcel) Casadesus, Composer
Artur Pizarro, Piano Joan Enric Lluna, Clarinet Robert (Marcel) Casadesus, Composer |
Author: Lionel Salter
In his ' Fantasias Mediterraneas' (A/98) this excellent Valencian clarinettist (who is very active in this country) made a determined effort to interest us in Spanish compositions for his instrument. But although the clarinet, it is claimed, is almost as popular in Spain as the guitar, the present disc, subtitled 'Spanish music for clarinet', does not suggest any abundance of original works for it by native composers. Both the Turina and the pieces Toldra pieces here are transcriptions of violin music; the Granados work is merely a fantasia (undeniably extremely effective) on Goyescas arranged in 1977 by the versatile Granados expert Albert Guinovart; and Casadesus was, of course, French (though his grandparents had come from near Gerona) and his Sonata - beginning impressionistically and ending in somewhat empty virtuosity - is utterly French in style except for the more characterful central sardana.
The delicate romanticism of the sonnets Toldra sonnets is admirably conveyed by Lluna, with (here as elsewhere) tonal refinement and ultra-sensitive dynamics; and he is partnered to perfection throughout by Pizarro. The subtitle of Turina's Second Violin Sonata gave the composer the excuse (not that he needed one) to indulge in what have become cliche Hispanicisms; but it is a well-constructed work, and the vertiginously high notes caused by retention of the original violin tessitura occasion Lluna no worries at all.
Clarinet music specifically written by a Spaniard is left to two competition test-pieces by the brilliant player Miguel Yuste, whose teaching at the Royal Conservatory in Madrid influenced a whole new generation. There is a whiff of the salon in parts of the Vibraciones del alma, but his Capricho pintoresco calls for atmosphere, rhythmic vivacity and lyricism besides technical virtuosity; and both pieces are blessedly free from conventional Spanish patterns. A disc with playing and recorded quality of the highest order.'
The delicate romanticism of the sonnets Toldra sonnets is admirably conveyed by Lluna, with (here as elsewhere) tonal refinement and ultra-sensitive dynamics; and he is partnered to perfection throughout by Pizarro. The subtitle of Turina's Second Violin Sonata gave the composer the excuse (not that he needed one) to indulge in what have become cliche Hispanicisms; but it is a well-constructed work, and the vertiginously high notes caused by retention of the original violin tessitura occasion Lluna no worries at all.
Clarinet music specifically written by a Spaniard is left to two competition test-pieces by the brilliant player Miguel Yuste, whose teaching at the Royal Conservatory in Madrid influenced a whole new generation. There is a whiff of the salon in parts of the Vibraciones del alma, but his Capricho pintoresco calls for atmosphere, rhythmic vivacity and lyricism besides technical virtuosity; and both pieces are blessedly free from conventional Spanish patterns. A disc with playing and recorded quality of the highest order.'
Capricho Pintoresco - Spanish Music for Clarinet
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