ADAM GORB'S SONATA FOR CLARINET AND PIANO
Strange things sometimes happen to radio recordings. They can disappear completely from sight and reappear years later as rather brilliant cd's. At least this is the case with the present recording, a sonata for clarinet and piano by the British composer Adam Gorb.
Gorb is one of those composers who do not shy away from experimentalism, but who are also concerned about the accessibility of their music. In fact it is a priority for him to be accessible to his audience. If music can't touch the heart of the listener it misses the point of music altogether, according to Gorb. This is perhaps one of the reasons why his music is so much in demand by amateur music organisations and military show bands, although he also often receives commissions from professional orchestras.
Gorb's sonata for clarinet and piano is written in four-movement form: allegro energico, scherzo, largo -- finale. The formal construction of the work may be called classical, containing characteristics which one finds in many pieces. The sonata demands virtuosity from the performers, in terms both of individual technique and also of ensemble playing. It's a real players' work with constant interplay of rhythmic and lyrical elements in the dialogue between the two instruments. An important aspect of the ensemble playing is the concentration of the two instrumentalists, who interrupt each other imitatively, or give each other room to come to the fore soloistically or else come together in unison passages.
What makes this composition particularly interesting is however the fact that it is typical of the personal style of the composer Adam Gorb. The second movement scherzo starts off as a continuation of stylistic characteristics of the first movement allegro energico until South American rhythms suddenly appear in the piano part. These are then developed imitatively in both instruments while the clarinet plays music reminiscent of a classical cadenza mixed with elements of jazz. The largo can be seen as a transition to the exuberant finale. The clarinet part is a sort of meditative jazz supported by sostenuto chords in the piano. The finale is the work's apotheosis, a summing up of everything that has been heard in the sonata so far. Here again one is struck by the imitative passages which here develop into Bach-like fugal constructions, worthy of a finale. The sudden changes of scene, surprising personal touches and jazz-like elements give brilliance to this glorious sonata. The work is dedicated to the performers André Kerver and Andrew Wise, who have acquitted themselves outstandingly of their task to make this a noteworthy performance.
CD Adam Gorb -- sonata for clarinet and piano (1991), performed by André Kerver, clarinet & Andrew Wise, piano, not available in the shops, for info Andrew Wise and Adam Gorb.
© Frans Waltmans
