Since the days of isorhythmic motets (the Middle Ages, if you were wondering) instruments have stood in on vocal parts, but one might wonder if nowadays a clarinet can or should take on sung music like the Lieder repertoire. But why not? There is, after all, a long-standing flautists’ tradition of snapping up the songs of Schubert and others for their own uses, so why should a clarinettist who wishes to wax lyrical resist? Cristo Barrios is such a clarinettist (who did not resist): his album of twenty-five art-song transcriptions, entitled The Voice of the Clarinet, is scheduled to be released later this year by Divine Art Records. ‘The Voice of the Clarinet is a very personal experiment, something very special,’ he says thoughtfully, ‘and to my knowledge there hasn’t appeared a disc like it before.’

The pianist on the disc is Clinton Cormany, whom Barrios met in London at the Royal Academy of Music where they were both postgraduate students. Right from Academy days it seemed inevitable that they would explore the world of song as they continued to play together.

The selections on The Voice of the Clarinet represent some four centuries and a good many corners of the Western world. Some instantly familiar songs were chosen both for their value as well as their novelty on clarinet, a mere taste of American jazz is given (Cole Porter as consummate composer of art-song) and some rather more uncommon territory is toured. Many of these musical realisations of poetry manage to elicit what can only be called clarinet essence. But how do the songs get on without the words?

Written by Daniel Montclair

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Artistas

Cristo Barrios, clarinet
Clinton Cormany, piano
 

Reviews

“In this vein, the transcriptions are well done, and Cormany’s playing mirrors his vast experience as a vocal accompanist. Barrios, a former student of Richard Stolzman, bears much of his teacher’s passionate musicianship.” AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE

“The clarinetist has a glinting tone that mirrors the silver-on-black of his instrument.” NJ.COM

“This is a feast for those addicted to the liquid legato of the clarinet. The hero here is Cristo Barrios and his accomplished partner is Clinton Cormany. Together they put forward a largely delightful collection.”MUSICWEB

“There is lots of lovely, even cosy, deliquescent melody around. Cristo Barrios makes a nice individual sound and has great breath-control; and I am sure he has absorbed all the texts, which are generously printed in full in the booklet. There is no shortage of beautiful moments, and even surprises.” INTERNATIONAL RECORD REVIEW
 

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