This disc takes its name from ‘Der Rattenfänger: Ein Hamelner Totentanz,’ by the contemporary German composer Wilfried Hiller, in which the young Swedish clarinetist Martin Fröst played the title role at Hildesheim Opera in 1994. For this performance Fröst received an excellent press and was named ‘Interpreter of the Year’ by Opernwelt Yearbook. To judge by this recording, which is part of the bargain-priced BIS 30^th Anniversary Edition, this early praise was richly deserved.

Nine years on from his Hildesheim success, Martin Fröst has established himself as a significant musician. Having become the youngest instrumentalist ever to win first prize at the Nordic Soloist Biennale in 1991 and then taking the title role in Hiller’s ‘Pied Piper’ he has gathered many other honours including first prizes in the CIEM Geneva Competition, the Nippon Music Awards and an AKZO Nobel Music Award. This year he won a Borletti-Buitoni Trust award and was chosen as a BBC New Generation artist.

Fröst’s command of his instrument is certainly impressive and here he offers a fine selection of operatic arias arranged for clarinet and orchestra. His ability bring out the subtleties of the music cannot be rated too highly.

Most of the pieces on the disc will be familiar to people who listen regularly to music: ‘La ci darem’, ‘Printemps qui commence’ and the pieces from ‘La Traviata’ for instance need no introduction. Some of the other works however, from Rossini’s opera seria ‘La Donna del Lago’ and from the Swedish composer Ivar Hallström’s ‘Den Bergtagna – The Bride of the Mountain King’ may be less well known but are equally appealing. Additionally, the ‘Am Calvarienberg’ excerpt from Hiller’s ‘Der Rattenfänger’ is so pleasingly melodic and so full of atmosphere that it is a considerable incentive to explore more from Hiller, a composer who writes at least half of his music expressly for children and who studied privately for a time under Carl Orff.

The Singapore Symphony Orchestra plays sympathetically under the baton of Lan Shui, the balance between soloist and orchestra is nicely gauged and the recording quality is typical of the high standards customarily offered by BIS.

Perhaps the only question about this disc is whether or not there is any great demand for instrumental versions of vocal music these days. On the strength of these performances though, maybe there should be. This is a delightful disc.

Bill Kenny

 

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