New album from Michael Collins

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Michael Collins

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Michael Collins‘ latest album comes out this Friday, 13 September on the BIS record label.

Together with pianist Michael McHale, Collins continues his exploration of the chamber repertoire for clarinet, turning to British music with this recital covering a hundred years of music for clarinet and piano which reflects the special relationship between English composers and this instrument. The earliest works on this recording are the Three Intermezzi and the Sonata by Charles Villiers Stanford, who made no secret of his debt to Brahms. As with his Viennese counterpart, Stanford’s music is poised yet seductive and, in this case, beautifully conceived for both instruments. Known for the strength of his vocal music, Gerald Finzi also makes the clarinet sing in his Five Bagatelles composed during the Second World War. Light and touching, they appear as a personal reinterpretation of the baroque dances found in Bach’s instrumental suites. Not surprisingly, Malcolm Arnold’s Sonatina has always been popular with clarinettists, with its energy and its nods to jazz and dance music. Last but not least, Joseph Horovitz, the last composer in chronological order, is represented by his Two Majorcan Pieces and his Sonatina. Once again, the music is playful and makes an excellent showcase for the clarinet.

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This album is the latest in a series of highly acclaimed recordings that Michael Collins has made on the BIS label, including La Clarinette Parisienne with pianist Noriko Ogawa, several albums with Wigmore Soloists and Brahms Sonatas with pianist Stephen Hough, amongst many others.

 

Michael Collins

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