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Bermel: Intonations - Music for Clarinet & Strings / Bermel, Otto, Wijmans, JACK Quartet
Naxos

Bermel: Intonations - Music for Clarinet & Strings / Bermel, Otto, Wijmans, JACK Quartet

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Details

Composer
Derek Bermel
Artist
Derek Bermel, Wiek Hijmans, Christopher Otto
Format
CD
Label
Naxos
Released
Aug 26, 2022
Catalog #
8559912
UPC
636943991220

About

Twice GRAMMY-nominated composer and performer Derek Bermel studied with Henri Dutilleux, Dutch avant-gardist Louis Andriessen, and ragtime revivalist William Bolcom. In his music, seemingly antithetical qualities – classical and vernacular, comic and serious – merge and transform each other unpredictably, their inspiration ranging from theatre (Ritornello), to gestalt psychology (Figure and Ground), to meditations on cosmology (A Short History of the Universe). Thracian Sketches explores and reimagines Bulgarian folk music, while the Violin Etudes distill Bermel’s intellectual creativity into its purest form. The widely celebrated JACK Quartet has maintained an unwavering commitment to its mission of performing and commissioning new works, giving voice to underheard composers, and cultivating an ever-greater sense of openness toward contemporary classical music.

REVIEWS:

The JACK Quartet plays with great clarity and athleticism; and the group is wholly comfortable in any context, from hushed moments to driving climaxes and raucous special effects. Hijmans executes his concerto grosso with flair and virtuosity; and Otto renders the etudes with marvelous skill and artistry. As expected, Bermel contributes his superb fingers, wide dynamic range, and mind-blowing sonic manipulations that should not be possible on the clarinet.

-- American Record Guide

Part of Naxos’s esteemed ‘American Classics’ series, Intonations is a composer-based collection with a difference: Derek Bermel not only wrote its five works, he plays on two also. His clarinet isn’t the only distinctive sound on the nearly seventy-minute release, either. Dutch electric guitarist Wiek Hijmans plays on one piece, and the renowned JACK Quartet appears too, generally as a group but with violinist Christopher Otto playing solo on Violin Etudes. Intonations is marked by many things, including variety, and in featuring five world-premiere recordings, the release is an invaluable addition to the award-winning composer’s discography.

Intonations speaks flatteringly of Bermel’s gifts as a writer but also instrumentalist. To call his clarinet playing impressive hardly does it justice. He’s appeared as a soloist alongside Wynton Marsalis, has performed his clarinet concerto Voices around the world with dozens of orchestras, and is the founding clarinetist of Music from Copland House. His playing is so credible, Bermel could easily fill a personnel spot in an ensemble such as Oregon or The Silk Road Ensemble were the opportunity to present itself...That Bermel’s classical creations often exhibit a pronounced jazz, blues, and/or world flavour shouldn’t come as a huge surprise, given such diversity of experience.

Intonations is an arresting portrait, not only for its kaleidoscopic range but for the sheer breadth of Bermel’s imagination and interests. That no other recording sounds quite like it is one of the better compliments one could pay to its creator. There’s nothing, it seems, he can’t do and no musical subject matter he’s incapable of tackling.

-- Textura

This showcase of music for different forms and instrument combinations is united by Bermel’s musical curiosity and creative showmanship. Elements of folk and blues permeate traditional classical forms in masterful ways, resulting in a joyous listen. Characterful.

-- BBC Music Magazine

Tracklist 13 tracks

  1. 1 I. Harmonica 05:28
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Harmonica
    Duration
    05:28
    Composer
    Derek Bermel
    Ensemble
    JACK Quartet
  2. 2 II. Hymn/Homily 06:54
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Hymn/Homily
    Duration
    06:54
    Composer
    Derek Bermel
    Ensemble
    JACK Quartet
  3. 3 III. Hustle 06:20
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Hustle
    Duration
    06:20
    Composer
    Derek Bermel
    Ensemble
    JACK Quartet
  4. 4 Ritornello (version for electric guitar and string quartet) 12:33
    Track
    4
    Title
    Ritornello (version for electric guitar and string quartet)
    Duration
    12:33
    Composer
    Derek Bermel
    Performer
    Wiek Hijmans
    Ensemble
    JACK Quartet
  5. 5 Thracian Sketches 07:12
    Track
    5
    Title
    Thracian Sketches
    Duration
    07:12
    Composer
    Derek Bermel
    Performer
    Derek Bermel
  6. 6 No. 1. Twenty Questions 01:27
    Track
    6
    Title
    No. 1. Twenty Questions
    Duration
    01:27
    Composer
    Derek Bermel
    Performer
    Christopher Otto
  7. 7 No. 2. Gravity 02:43
    Track
    7
    Title
    No. 2. Gravity
    Duration
    02:43
    Composer
    Derek Bermel
    Performer
    Christopher Otto
  8. 8 No. 3. Figure and Ground 02:53
    Track
    8
    Title
    No. 3. Figure and Ground
    Duration
    02:53
    Composer
    Derek Bermel
    Performer
    Christopher Otto
  9. 9 No. 4. Multiverse/Sketch 03:28
    Track
    9
    Title
    No. 4. Multiverse/Sketch
    Duration
    03:28
    Composer
    Derek Bermel
    Performer
    Christopher Otto
  10. 10 No. 5. Chôros 02:29
    Track
    10
    Title
    No. 5. Chôros
    Duration
    02:29
    Composer
    Derek Bermel
    Performer
    Christopher Otto
  11. 11 I. Multiverse 05:07
    Track
    11
    Title
    I. Multiverse
    Duration
    05:07
    Composer
    Derek Bermel
    Performer
    Derek Bermel
    Ensemble
    JACK Quartet
  12. 12 II. Heart of Space 06:53
    Track
    12
    Title
    II. Heart of Space
    Duration
    06:53
    Composer
    Derek Bermel
    Performer
    Derek Bermel
    Ensemble
    JACK Quartet
  13. 13 III. Twistor Scattering 04:46
    Track
    13
    Title
    III. Twistor Scattering
    Duration
    04:46
    Composer
    Derek Bermel
    Performer
    Derek Bermel
    Ensemble
    JACK Quartet