Clarinet Rhapsody
Leo WEINER (1885-1960)
Peregi Verbunk, Op.40 (1951) [5:57]
Claude DEBUSSY (1862-1918)
Premičre rhapsodie for Clarinet and Piano, L116 (1909-10) [8:08]
Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
Fantasiestücke for Clarinet and Piano, Op.73 (1849) [12:04]
Francis POULENC (1899-1963)
Sonata for Clarinet and Piano, Op.184 (1962) [14:12]
James WATERSON (1834-1893)
Morceau de Concert: Andante and Polonaise (1888) [10:45]
Christine MacDonnell (clarinet), Ron Levy (piano)
rec. date and venue not provided. Produced by Christine MacDonnell.
Artist's Own Label/ NO NUMBER [51:10] 
I must admit I had not heard the name of Christine MacDonnell before, and
was glad to have this opportunity to discover a very fine clarinet player.
The present album shows that she possesses excellent technique and virtuosic
abilities. Her sound is clear, without letting any extraneous noises in. It
is pleasantly silky, and I was especially impressed by her impeccably smooth
legato. Her phrasing is very finely judged.
The programming is smart. In the middle we have three major staples of the
clarinet repertoire. There are many good recordings of the Debussy, Poulenc
and Schumann works. Yet such is their charm and appeal that a new version
is always welcome. These three are framed by two less known works that are
nevertheless interesting and rewarding. What lets this album down, in my opinion,
is the piano playing. Maybe it is the fault of the instrument or engineers,
or is this how Ron Levy chose to play, but his sound is rather dehydrated
and percussive throughout. All the softness and pulp are provided by the clarinet
but without much help from the piano. It works OK in the more virtuosic and
extrovert parts, but left me wishing for more in the lyrical and Romantic
places.
The album opens with Leo Weiner’s Peregi Verbunk in a clarinet arrangement.
Verbunkos is a Hungarian dance, the uncle of the czardas. Probably
the best-known verbunkos is the Rákóczi March in its original form.
This genre is sometimes attributed to Gypsies, but mostly because they were
the musicians. Still, there is some Gypsy flavor here, and you may notice
distant echoes of Monti’s Czardas or Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsodies.
Unlike them, Weiner’s opus does not follow the slow-fast sequence, and retains
the opening slow pace and dark atmosphere. The writing for clarinet is virtuosic,
but in a nonchalant way, without the standard bravura.
Debussy’s Premičre rhapsodie is an exotic nocturne with a few more
agitated episodes. The clarinet is versatile and emotional, but the expressionless
piano playing does not let this music show all its magical depths.
In the dreamy, melancholic first movement of Schumann’s Fantasiestücke,
Levy and MacDonnell play with restraint, letting the expressive melody to
do its work. This works well, and the result is sotto voce, gentle
and lyrical. The playful second movement has a good pace, though I’d prefer
a softer piano sound. In the last movement, the exuberant outer parts are
well done, and convey the mood of ecstatic happiness. The middle episode is
played in a rather fast tempo, and that’s where the worst happens. In a couple
of places Schumann wrote a “splashing” figure in the piano part. It sounds
remarkable when done well, but here it sounds really awkward and brings four
moments of musical toothache. No complaints about the clarinet part, though.
The beautiful Sonata by Poulenc is all contrasts and contradictions,
starting from the oxymoronic marking of the first movement, Allegro tristamente
(“merrily sadly”). The more energetic parts are done very well: the performance
being young, sharp, and vigorous. The clownery of the finale especially benefits
from a “dry” presentation. The slow episode in the first movement and especially
the second movement lose some of their nostalgic glow, due to the unyielding
tempo and the hard voice of the piano. MacDonnell exhibits good phrasing,
and changes her clarinet’s voice skilfully, from the soft breath to shriek.
James Waterson was a bandmaster to the Viceroy of India, and his Morceau
de Concert concludes the program. The Andante part is lush and
operatic in the Donizetti vein, while the ensuing Polonaise is a virtuosic
showpiece, executed with flair and finesse. The piece is long but not tedious
and, though not particularly memorable, it is good while it lasts. Levy’s
piano style is at home here, and MacDonnell’s playing is light and smooth.
Again, her legato is praiseworthy.
The booklet is one glossy page, so I am not sure whether it can be technically
called a booklet. It tells us about the careers of the performers, and does
not have even a word about the music. I hope that one day I’ll hear Christine
MacDonnell’s clarinet in a better wrapping. She appears to be a really fine
musician. Alas, the pianist does not change his style sufficiently for the
more Romantic pieces, and this reduces the enjoyment of part of the program,
which is otherwise very pleasing.
Oleg Ledeniov
A very fine clarinet player but …