When I first heard about Jose Franch-Ballester and Jane Coop’s clarinet/piano concert, I was sure that they would be performing concertos and ensemble pieces. No way there could be enough clarinet/piano duets by recognized composers to comprise a whole program! But, soon I realized, just like many of the composers featured in this concert, that the piano and clarinet make an excellent pair, with the ability to showcase personality and virtuosity together in harmony. I was surprised by the breadth of the works featured. Weber and Brahms used typical sonata style with impassioned, bold melodies spanning classical and romantic works, while Stanford and Berg offered some intriguing modern takes on the classical-esque timbre of the duo. To close, they finished with an encore of a wild modern piece whose composer escapes me, but left the audience invigorated and amused by the concert as a whole.
Jose Franch-Ballester and Jane Coop couldn’t have been more different in their stage presences. Franch-Ballester appeared to be constantly smiling, even with his clarinet pressed to his lips! He swayed and paced, shook his head with the music, and even caused some chuckles in the audience when he reached a particularly joyful passage of music and practically jumped up and down! His enthusiasm for the music was infectious and showed his clear dedication to conveying its meaning. Jane Coop, on the other hand, took on the role of the bemused accompanist; her demure and solemn stage presence allowed Franch-Ballester to shine, but she wasn’t afraid to showcase her obvious skill when the music called for it. This stage dynamic reflected the character of the music itself: often, the music portrayed the clarinet as the emotional, excitable voice of the piece, with the piano as a grounding accompaniment in the background, dutifully following the clarinet but not afraid to allow some of its character to shine through.
Each piece was remarkably different, and evoked a completely different emotion and style. Stanford’s Three Intermezzi recalled the joking character of these operatic interludes, clearly shown in the allegro agitato using shrill tones in the clarinet and accented two-note slurs. Stanford also coupled this effect with a lyrical and reflective style (especially evident in the andante espressivo).
The Grand Duo Concertant by Carl Von Weber clearly evokes the structure and elegance of the classical period with a 3-movement sonata-style piece. Its melodies are clear, with a lighthearted character and moments of serenity, and the sonata form in the first moment could be clearly discerned.
A complete contrast, Berg’s Four Pieces for clarinet and piano experimented with atonality and clarinet tone to give a radical new take on these two highly classical-sounding instruments. And yet, despite all this experimentation, the piece was not harsh or brash, but rather showcased the clarinet’s smooth and mellow tone by pairing it with an unexpected melody. Rather unsettling in the composition is that the pieces never seemed to come to a clear end- one was almost a continuation of the other after a small pause. Unsurprisingly, these pieces were an attempt of Berg’s to evoke Schoenberg- although the latter harshly criticized the piece, much to Berg’s dismay!
I thought ending with the Brahms Sonata No. 1 was an excellent choice: it was an evocative and emotional performance, and combined so many of the best traits of the Romantic Period: drama, lyrical melody, and rich harmonies that entrance the listener. These rich harmonies allowed the piano to shine, as the clarinet could soar with the melody while the piano coloured the background with an equally beautiful accompaniment. The final movement, vivace, was a lively closing, which ended dramatically with clarinet arpeggios and a strong cadence- which led to Franch-Ballester practically throwing his clarinet in the air as he enthusiastically concluded the concert!
I was pleasantly surprised by the breadth of the music showcased at this concert, as well as how well the clarinet and piano worked together to create rich and lyrical music. It was entertaining and eye-opening, and made me more curious to look into interesting instrumental arrangements from my favorite composers. As always, a final concluding thought- not technically a joke from this concert, but too good to resist….
Titled: If Wagner owned a laundromat