COMPOSERS: Bernstein,Milhaud,Poulenc,Stravinsky
LABELS: Koch
WORKS: Suite for Violin, Clarinet and Piano; Clarinet Sonata; Sonatina; Clarinet Sonata; Suite from The Soldier’s Tale
PERFORMER: Marcel Luxen (clarinet) Daniel Blumenthal (piano) Veronique Bogaerts (violin)
CATALOGUE NO: 3-1349-2 DDD
The collection played by Marcel Luxen is very uneven, with the renditions of the two trios (Milhaud and Stravinsky) proving far superior to the three clarinet sonatas. The playing is often bland and listeners may at times be distracted by the extraneous breath noise from the clarinettist. The most convincing of the three sonatas is the Bernstein (a piece that should be heard more often) whilst the Poulenc is given a very uninteresting performance.
The two trios, however, are very well played and should delight those who do not know them. The disc is also marred by an exceptionally over-resonant recording resulting in notes blurring into one another. Tim Payne