SKU: BR.EB-9440

ISBN 9790004189177. 9 x 12 inches.

The two sonatas of Johannes Brahms's op. 120 are widely hailed as crowning points of the repertoire for clarinet and piano. Moreover, in the version for viola and piano arranged by Brahms himself, they rank among the most frequently played viola works of the 19th century. They far surpass in compositional substance the relatively few original sonatas written for these instrumentations during the same period.Of the two fellow works, the Sonata No. 2 in E flat major is the more accessible. Diverging from the classical-romantic tradition, Brahms used the key of E flat major here not to express the heroic or monumental, but to obtain lyrical, chiefly restrained characterizations. The serenade-like beauty of the principal theme, which opens the sonata, has always been particularly admired. In his review of the world premiere, the renowned Viennese music critic Eduard Hanslick, a friend of Brahms's, raves with the words it was as if it had fallen from the Heavens. The closing set of variations also follows with gentle gracefulness this lyrical character. However, the middle movement, with its tempestuous outer sections in E flat minor and the hymnic trio in B major provides a passionate and serious contrast, which allows the flanking idyll to unfold its beauties all the more insistently.

SKU: HL.48025288

ISBN 9783793144106. UPC: 196288172123. 9.0x12.0x0.088 inches.

Grand Rag is part of a project in which 67 composers each composed a piece for solo musicians of ANAM (Australian National Academy of Music) in 2021. Elena Kats-Chernin wrote her piece in close collaboration with clarinettist Oliver Crofts for his creative and virtuoso skills. As in many of her ragtimes, the composer is interested in powerful expression and working with a limited tonal material. The clarinet part alternates between low and high registers in various sections. The piano is an equal partner, with clusters and clashing rhythms, pedal points as well as an unusual trill fantasy.