The Art of the Clarinet Soloist: The partnership of Soloist and Composer
What a joy to be asked to review the wonderful playing of Linda Merrick and the accompanying ensembles!
The two discs I have been asked to consider are; Linda Merrick Clarinet (Polyphonic QPRM 137D) accompanied by the Wind Orchestra of the Royal Northern College of Music conducted by James Gourlay and Guy Woolfenden and Masquerade — Philip Sparke (Anglo AR 007–3), which includes Sparke’s clarinet concerto.
For me, the exciting part of this process has been to listen with both a critical listener and conductor’s ear and also the more critical ear of the composer. I have not been let down in any way. The playing is first class both from soloist and ensemble and the compositions themselves are at once refreshing in their expressiveness and energy and inventive in the treatment of soloist and orchestra.
Let me begin with the music from the Royal Northern College of Music, where Merrick is Head of Professional Performance Studies and Senior Tutor in Clarinet. This recording is as diverse in the music landscape it traverses, as it is engaging in the musical narratives it represents. From traditional forms of concerto to major programmatic works for clarinet and wind orchestra the music presented canvasses the contemporary writing styles of some of Britain’s leading composers. It also represents Merrick as a serious commissioner of new works for her instrument.
Ellerby’s Clarinet Concerto is an excellent starting point with its mix of fine soloist, a composer with romantic type influences and the romantic connection of a husband and wife team. The composer describes it as “a ‘sunshine’ concerto … written in a frenzy of activity in the late summer of 2000″. This is uplifting writing and enjoyable listening. The joy and cheeky nature of the composer and his influences permeate the work and the playing brings with it great understanding of such a context. The effervescence of the writing leaps into the interpretation and Merrick captures the essence of the work wonderfully. The charm of the second movement is something to be savoured.
I am somewhat subjective in my views on the next piece, the Battles and Chants of Nigel Clarke. I am pleased that I have been able to get to know Clarke over the last few years. So, subjectivity; how can I be accused of that in this situation? Well, his music is just frantic at times and he takes the listeners breathe away at others and he brings to his musical canvas an intensity that is compelling for me. I endeavour to write with his fervour and his apparent zeal and so, when I hear music like this I am drawn to it! This is program music of a high order that happens to also be in the mould of the three movement concerto form. The work describes (as the composer tells) “the struggle of Cassivellaunus, a tribal leader in Britain in 54 BC (and his battles with) Julius Caesar and his legions”. Here is music replete with drama, angst, fury and despair. It is ingenious and solid in its craft and orchestrational adeptness.
The Rondo Variations of Guy Woolfenden are a delight! It is charming music and artfully so. The African Dances of Kit Turnball are effervescent in nature and placed within a single movement form but with five delineated sections. Listening, you will hear styles that will be familiar and also have you tapping your foot! The enthusiastic playing of the soloist engages you too. Malcolm Arnold’s The Pre-Goodman Rag (arranged by Woolfenden) is typical of his quirky writing style and has the fingerprints of ragtime firmly planted all over it. The style is not my favourite but the playing of both Merrick and the ensemble is first class.
This is an excellent album for any aspiring clarinet soloist and also for any composer wanting to gain a broad sense of what the clarinet can do as a solo instrument. The pieces presented allowed Merrick to investigate the instrument in a way that leaves the listener entertained, encouraged and sometimes maybe a little baffled, but not alienated.
The second recording contains, as noted above, the Sparke Clarinet Concerto. The soloist is again Linda Merrick and the accompanying ensemble on the concerto track is the Rundfunk-Blasorchester, conducted by Jan Cober.
As a conductor I have been a Sparke programmer for years. I enjoy his lyricism and his wonderful control of orchestration and form. This work is no exception. Most notable for me is the process of the composition that has taken place. Merrick, as part of her doctoral studies, has been investigating the nature of collaboration between composer and commissioner. The liner notes tell us that:
Philip Sparke usually waits until a piece is fully finished before presenting it to anyone, but in this case Linda asked to be kept informed of the complete process of composition, including material which did not make it into the final work.
One must wonder at what influences the commissioner and soloist had on the process? But this is Sparke at his best and Merrick in delightful partnership with him.
These recordings bear testament to fine skills and energetic and considerable musicianship. They should be in the library of any serious student of the clarinet and are worthy additions to the collection of young and old composers alike!
Ralph Hultgren
Head of Pre-Tertiary Studies
Queensland Conservatorium of Music, Griffith University
There have been many interesting articles and books written on the effects of music on the human mind and body, such as the highly enlightening Oliver Sacks Musicophilia. Remember the excitement generated in the USA of the infamous Mozart Effect, where every newborn in one trial state was delivered a CD of Mozart recordings with the sadly now unsupported idea, due to the dubious experimental conditions, that ‘music makes you smarter’?
