August 4, 2010

  • Review: Copland & Aldridge Clarinet Concerti

     

    Copland & Aldridge: Clarinet Concerti
    David Singer, clarinet. Shanghai Quartet, A Far Cry Orchestra
    Naxos 8.559667
    Recording:   ***/****
    Performance: ****/****

     

    Clarinetist David Singer is a member of the conductor-less Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.  Here he performs with a Massachusetts-based ensemble, A Far Cry Orchestra, in performances of two concerti with jazzy roots. 

    The disc opens with Robert Livingston Aldridge’s 2004 Clarinet Concerto written for Singer.  Aldridge (b. 1954) is currently the Department of Music chair at Montclair State University where he teaches courses in theory and composition.  His most recent opera, Elmer Gantry, received rave reviews in the press after its premiere and he has many commissions and awards to his credit.  The concerto is cast in three movements and runs the gamut from jazz, to folk, to classical, and even Klezmer music.  The first movement begins with a burst of orchestral energy that churns under a lyrical solo line.  Most fascinating is to pay attention to how Aldridge shifts this bubbling energy and lyric content between soloist and ensemble with such effortless transitions in its opening moments.  Singer’s rich tone gets plenty of opportunity to be explored throughout this engaging movement.  The core of the piece is the near 11-minute slow movement reminiscent of a jazz ballad.  The serene opening recalls a dreamy nocturne with the soloist set against muted strings.  This moves into a Weill-like Klezmer segment before a semi-lush return to the restrained opening.  The dance-like finale is a fitting and exciting conclusion to this great addition to the repertoire with a breathless Shostakovich-like conclusion.  Rounding off the disc is a brief little Samba by Aldridge for clarinet and string quartet that has plenty of delights.

    Since its composition in 1948 and subsequent recording by its commission-performer, the legendary Benny Goodman, Aaron Copland’s Clarinet Concerto has had its share of interpretations.  Richard Stoltzman’s now deleted RCA release (which turns up on differing compilations at times) is perhaps the best of the late-20th century versions.  Goodman’s is still the definitive historical marker, but there have been a host of soloists who have found a way to play up the work’s lyrical side as well keeping it from veering off into one of those early odd jazz-classical experiments.  The couplings with other concerti also serve to bring out the works other dimensions.  Aldridge’s work has been compared to Copland’s in some respects and one can decide if the comparison is worthy or not.  Singer’s performance of the dreamy first movement is simply gorgeous in its own way and there is a freshness to this opening movement that reminds one of its timelessness.  Singer’s cadenza is perfect and the transitions in and out of the opening movements are well-done.  There is a pointedness to the angular writing Copland uses in the final movement that gets cast against his open Americana style and which the ensemble does a fine job of distinguishing in its performance here.  A Far Cry Orchestra turns out to be a fine ensemble that one hopes will get a chance to showcase itself in future releases.   

    The recording itself places the soloist well within the sound of the orchestra.  The bass is a bit over-ambient tending to boom and blur some of the climaxes at times but it is not distracting.  The acoustic is otherwise quite warm and detailed, especially for Singer.  Though the Copland might be the repertoire piece that one uses to discover this disc, many will find Aldridge’s wonderfully engaging concerto to be a welcome addition to the clarinet repertoire which hopefully will gain more popularity.  Its flirtation with popular music while standing firm in the concert world makes it an easily programmable work for both pops and regular season concerts.