Here With You
Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897)
Sonata in F minor for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 120 No. 1 (1894) [22:17]
Sonata in E-flat major for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 120 No. 2 (1894) [21:55]
Jessie MONTGOMERY (b. 1981)
Peace, version for Clarinet and Piano (2020) [4:38]
Carl Maria von WEBER (1786-1826)
Grand Duo Concertant, Op. 48 (1816) [18:02]
Anthony McGill (clarinet)
Gloria Chien (piano)
rec. 31 October-2 November, 2020, Mechanics Hall, Worcester MA
Reviewed as 16-bit download from press preview
CEDILLE CDR90000207 [67:15]
I once had the pleasure, some years ago, of hearing Anthony McGill in an afternoon of chamber music. It was a thrill, as a graduate clarinet student, to experience such a “big-name” performer in concert – at that time principal clarinet of the Metropolitan Opera, now principal clarinet of the New York Philharmonic. The program was standard fare, but McGill’s artistry made even such a warhorse as the Mozart Kegelstatt Trio for clarinet, viola, and piano come to life with subtlety and excitement. Such is the case with this disc. Into textbook-standard repertoire, McGill and pianist Gloria Chien inject all the nuance of phrasing, dynamic shading, and sheer enjoyment of music making one could want.
Indeed, the music comes with a personal note from the performers describing their gratitude and joy at being able to record this album at all during the COVID-19 pandemic. The repertoire outlier, Peace by contemporary female composer Jessie Montgomery also came out of the pandemic. Its commission came as part of project to record and post online music every day during the initial weeks of lockdown by violinist Elena Urioste and pianist Tom Poster, married just the year before. McGill and Chien here present a version for clarinet and piano. Montgomery writes that she found herself “struggling to define what actually brings me joy” and ultimately learning to “make peace with sadness” and to “observe sadness…as a necessary dynamic of the human experience.” The result is an affecting miniature of lyrical lines troubled by repeated-note and oscillating phrases. Montgomery packs a surprising amount of emotional ambiguity into the music’s brief duration, revealing elsewhere she originally intended to name the piece “Melancholy.” The result is somewhere in between these two states, which is what makes the music more than a mere reflection of its time. McGill and Chien play as sensitively as two halves of a whole, he adding tasteful amounts of vibrato from time to time. The original can be found here, along with the other 88-days’ worth of lockdown music making.
The rapport between McGill and Chien is also a feature of the remainder of the disc. Throughout both Brahms sonatas, McGill phrases so naturally it sounds like he is not consciously phrasing at all, only responding to the ebb and flow of the music. The players seem utterly comfortable with each other, resulting in a relaxed sense of music making that allows for nuance and shade without the need to make expressive points for their own sake.
In contrast, Martin Fröst and Roland Pöntinen on BIS (BIS-SACD-1353 review) sound as if they are working much harder. You can hear the effort; dynamic fluctuations are increased, push-me pull-you rubato is exaggerated, and Fröst’s breathing and key-noises are occasionally audible, although not intrusive. Interpretive details seem much more consciously foregrounded than in McGill and Chien’s performance. In another comparison, clarinetist David Shifrin and pianist Carol Rosenberger on Delos (DE3025) give similar amounts of interpretive labor with the added penalty of aging sound. Only by sampling Jon Manasse and Jon Nakamatsu on Harmonia Mundi (HMU907430DI review) can one find a performance with a similar level of ease and grace.
In the Weber Grand Duo Concertant, on the other hand, the synergy between McGill and Chien allows for a reading packed with character and interpretive delights. Weber is famous for his operas and the Grand Duo is a piece of instrumental drama with plenty of opportunity for virtuosity. McGill and Chien are so lighthearted that even their dual display of technique – phenomenal as it is – just serves to wring more fun out of the music. Compared to this, David Shifrin’s performance on Delos (DE3194), the version on which I “imprinted,” sounds stiff and mannered. Only in the coda of the finale is there a potential lapse in taste, as McGill and Chien, already at a brisk pace, shift into top gear. This tempo change is customary but the contrast is still enough to be startling. Such a lickety-split ending will either charm or irritate, depending on your mood. There is also a strange reverberation or echo effect in the first movement at 1:05-1:15 in the clarinet. This seems to be a product of the recording. Otherwise, the sound is clear and detailed, the instruments sounding neither too close nor too far away from the listener – not always the case in chamber music recordings.
Everyone will have his or her own performance preferences in this repertoire. For me, this disc is a winner. If you have room in your collection for another version of the Brahms clarinet sonatas and Weber Grand Duo, this one is well worth including. If you are starting at the beginning with these works, this is a great place to start. The addition of an accessible contemporary work is a bonus, particularly with is current extra-musical relevance.
Christopher Little
