Alone: An Introspective Journey Through The Clarinet’s Different Nuances In 20th-century Europe – Alfredo Vena

Prior to the twentieth century, only two pieces had ever been written for unaccompanied clarinet. It was after Stravinsky’s prompting that many musicians sought the clarinet as an ideal resource for timbral exploration. This CD gathers works belonging in three different fields: the Italian clarinet school, the British one, and one comprising artists from Eastern Europe. Each school and each musician has a distinguishing approach: whilst all pieces selected here maintain powerful connections with tradition, they also try and find new languages, new techniques and new styles for presenting the clarinet’s voice. From Krenek to Deak, from Rota to Gabucci, from Paul Harvey to Malcolm Arnold and Gordon Jacob, and up to Rota and Miluccio, this album offers a fascinating itinerary discovering new techniques, sounds, and musical situations.