Paul Jeanjean: Clarinet Chamber Music – Luigi Magistrelli

Among the clarinet works written by virtuosos, has contributeda more brilliant or expressive body of work than the Provençal genius Paul Jeanjean, many of whose exquisiteworks for Clarinet and piano are included in these compact disks. Among them are the Hymne Nuptial and Romance sans Paroles, both published in 1898, examples of romantic café music popular in both Paris and Monte Carlo. As Director of the Concerts Classiques at Montecarlo, in 1904 Jeanjean published the last of his early solos, the Duo de Concert, while Legende is a deeply moving piece. Other café pieces were published in 1926, including his most performed piece, Arabesques. Finally, a mention must be made of the last solo published in Jeanjean’s lifetime (1927), the aptly titled Poème étranger.