JOHN WILLIAMS - MICHELE ZUKOVSKY: Clarinet Concerto - John Williams Conducting

John Williams - Michele Zukovsky

Clarinet Concerto - John Williams Conducting

© 2005 MZ, JW, DB (634479199080)

John Williams concerto was written for Michele Zukovsky in 1991. This live recording is with John Williams conducting with Michele Zukovsky as Clarinet Soloist. Also includes the Corigliano Clarinet Concerto and the Bartok Contrasts.

tracks

1 John Williams: Clarinet Concerto Mvt. I - Maestoso
2 John Williams: Clarinet Concerto Cadenza
3 John Williams: Clarinet Concerto Mvt. II - Calmo
4 John Williams: Clarinet Concerto Mvt. III - Con Brio
5 John Williams: Clarinet Concerto Mvt. III - Con Brio - Piano Ver
6 Bartok: Contrasts for Clarinet, Violin, and Piano Mvt I.
7 Bartok: Contrasts for Clarinet, Violin, and Piano Mvt Ii.
8 Bartok: Contrasts for Clarinet, Violin, and Piano Mvt Iii.
9 Corigliano: Clarinet Concerto - I. Cadenzas
10 Corigliano: Clarinet Concerto - II. Elegy
11 Corigliano: Clarinet Concerto - III. Antiphonal Toccata

notes

John Williams wrote his Clarinet Concerto for Michele Zukovsky in 1991. The recording is from a live performance with John Williams Conducting and Michele Zukovsky as the Clarinet Soloist.

Williams has received forty-three Academy Award nominations, making him the Academy's most nominated living person. He has been awarded five Oscars, three British Academy Awards, eighteen Grammys, three Golden Globes, four Emmys and many gold and platinum records.

The Clarinet Concerto by Pulitzer and Grammy Winning Composer John Corigliano is in three movements, of which the first, Cadenzas, is somewhat unusual. It consists of two contrasted accompanied cadenzas separated by a short, energetic interlude. The second movement Elegy, in memory of the composer’s father, is the weightiest and the most deeply felt of the whole work. "I still find it hard to think of the orchestra [NYPO] without him [Corigliano’s father] sitting in the first chair" (the composer’s words). The movement includes several duos for the soloist and the leader. The third movement Antiphonal Toccata fully lives up to its title, and is bustling and energetic bringing the work to a jubilant conclusion.

Principal Clarinetist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic MICHELE ZUKOVSKY has appeared frequently at the Hollywood Bowl and at the Music Center, and she has been a guest soloist with orchestras throughout the world. Ms. Zukovsky also performs regularly at the Philharmonic's Chamber Music Society concerts and she has participated in a number of premieres as a soloist with the Orchestra's New Music Group. She gave the world premiere of John Williams's Clarinet Concerto with the Boston Pops which was written for her. She collaborates with a number of chamber ensembles, most notably the Angeles and St. Petersburg String Quartets. She has appeared in New York with Concerts at the Y, Ravinia, Lincoln Center, and "Mostly Mozart" ensembles. Ms. Zukovsky tours worldwide as a chamber musician and soloist, and gives master classes throughout the world. She is currently on the faculty at the University of Southern California. She studied clarinet with her father, Kalman Bloch, a former principal with the Orchestra. Michele has recorded for London/Decca, Avant, Nonesuch, and Summit records. This recording features the Williams Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra with the added bonus of the last movement version for Clarinet and Piano.

reviews

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  • An important addition to the repertoire
    author: Marcus Paus

    With his concerto for clarinet and orchestra, John Williams has certainly made an important contribution to this instrument's repertoire. The work is a beautifully crafted and highly memorable one, full of elegance and charm, characterized by an athletic yet always lyrical approach to the clarinet, pitted against an orchestra handled with Williams' signature expertise of color and texture. The concerto displays Williams' intimate knowledge of the clarinet and its literature, at times giving the concerto a quality that for Williams is typical: Instead of sounding like a pastiche of existing pieces, it becomes a piece of musical "myth", capturing perhaps even more eloquently and poignantly the aspirations and ideas of the history and tradition of clarinet writing. In many ways, John Williams can be seen as a musical mythologist, a Joseph Campbell, or perhaps more accurately, a Robert Graves of the sonoric world; a composer whose musical language seems imbued with an ancient sense of beauty and wisdom, a craft beyond mere style and technique. We should be very grateful for this CD, the only recording of the concerto to date. The concerto is another gem from John Williams' concert catalog, and is bound to find its place as an important addition to the repertoire. The concerto is accompanied by Bartok's "Contrasts" and John Corigliano's clarinet concerto, all brilliantly performed by Michele Zukovsky.

  • author: CD Baby

    While we don't normally feature albums of artists who have already "made it" and who don't necessarily need any more exposure, this album is such a gem that it can't be resisted. This disc features the personal, classical and non-film music of Hollywood's soundtrack guru, John Williams. It is quite a treat to peer into the creative life of this man and his genius in such a way; with no need for the music to serve some other art form, this work allows us to get a glimpse into the "other" sound world of this truly brilliant, historic composer. And if that wasn't enough incentive to encourage a listen, the concerto is followed by Bartok and Corigliano (also highlighting the clarinet), making this disc one of the highest profile classical treasures here.

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