Ferguson, Bliss & Holloway: Octets & Clarinet Quintet / Wigmore Soloists

$15.99
Label
BIS
Release Date
November 17, 2023
Format
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    Featuring ⌄
    • COMPOSER
      Arthur Bliss, Howard Ferguson, Robin Holloway
    • PERFORMER
      Wigmore Soloists
    Product Details ⌄
    • RELEASE DATE
      November 17, 2023
    • UPC
      7318599925479
    • CATALOG NUMBER
      BIS-2547
    • LABEL
      BIS
    • NUMBER OF DISCS
      1
    • GENRE
      Chamber Music & Recitals
    Works ⌄

    1. I. Moderato

      Composer: Howard Ferguson

      Performer: Michael Collins, Robin O'Neill, Alberto Menéndez Escribano, Isabelle van Keulen, Sini Simonen, Scott Dickinson, Kristina Blaumane, Tim Gibbs

    2. II. Allegro scherzoso

      Composer: Howard Ferguson

      Performer: Michael Collins, Robin O'Neill, Alberto Menéndez Escribano, Isabelle van Keulen, Sini Simonen, Scott Dickinson, Kristina Blaumane, Tim Gibbs

    3. III. Andantino

      Composer: Howard Ferguson

      Performer: Michael Collins, Robin O'Neill, Alberto Menéndez Escribano, Isabelle van Keulen, Sini Simonen, Scott Dickinson, Kristina Blaumane, Tim Gibbs

    4. IV. Allegro feroce

      Composer: Howard Ferguson

      Performer: Michael Collins, Robin O'Neill, Alberto Menéndez Escribano, Isabelle van Keulen, Sini Simonen, Scott Dickinson, Kristina Blaumane, Tim Gibbs

    5. I. Moderato

      Composer: Arthur Bliss

      Performer: Michael Collins, Isabelle van Keulen, Sini Simonen, Scott Dickinson, Kristina Blaumane

    6. II. Allegro molto

      Composer: Arthur Bliss

      Performer: Michael Collins, Isabelle van Keulen, Sini Simonen, Scott Dickinson, Kristina Blaumane

    7. III. Adagietto espressivo

      Composer: Arthur Bliss

      Performer: Michael Collins, Isabelle van Keulen, Sini Simonen, Scott Dickinson, Kristina Blaumane

    8. IV. Allegro energico

      Composer: Arthur Bliss

      Performer: Michael Collins, Isabelle van Keulen, Sini Simonen, Scott Dickinson, Kristina Blaumane

    9. I. Marcia

      Composer: Robin Holloway

      Performer: Michael Collins, Robin O'Neill, Diego Incertis Sánchez, Sini Simonen, Rachel Roberts, Timothy Gill, Tim Gibbs, Isabelle van Keulen

    10. II. Menuetto alla tarantella

      Composer: Robin Holloway

      Performer: Michael Collins, Robin O'Neill, Diego Incertis Sánchez, Isabelle van Keulen, Sini Simonen, Rachel Roberts, Timothy Gill, Tim Gibbs

    11. III. Andante

      Composer: Robin Holloway

      Performer: Michael Collins, Robin O'Neill, Diego Incertis Sánchez, Isabelle van Keulen, Sini Simonen, Rachel Roberts, Timothy Gill, Tim Gibbs

    12. IV. Menueto - Trio

      Composer: Robin Holloway

      Performer: Michael Collins, Robin O'Neill, Diego Incertis Sánchez, Isabelle van Keulen, Sini Simonen, Rachel Roberts, Timothy Gill, Tim Gibbs

    13. V. Finale

      Composer: Robin Holloway

      Performer: Michael Collins, Robin O'Neill, Diego Incertis Sánchez, Isabelle van Keulen, Sini Simonen, Rachel Roberts, Timothy Gill, Tim Gibbs


Following their critically acclaimed albums of Schubert (BIS-2597), Mozart and Birchall (BIS-2647), works for clarinet trio (BIS-2535) and, more recently, Beethoven and Berwald (BIS-2707), the Wigmore Soloists now turn their attention to twentieth-century English chamber works which, while eschewing some of the continent’s modernist tendencies, are both deeply personal and supremely written, highlighting the specific colors of each of the instruments.

Howard Ferguson’s Octet, a direct and engaging work, was the first of his works to attract attention. Ferguson’s skill is brilliantly demonstrated in this tonally ambiguous work, which takes its instrumentation from Schubert’s famous Octet.

The main characteristic of Sir Arthur Bliss’s Clarinet Quintet, like those of Mozart and Brahms with the same instrumental line-up, is its intense, overtly emotional lyricism, but the sunny, extrovert aspects of Bliss’s character ultimately prevail in the brilliantly energetic finale.

Robin Holloway’s Serenade in C for octet is the most recent work on this disc, and also features the instrumentation of Schubert’s Octet, which the composer acknowledges as a model. Few contemporary composers display as keen a sense of humor as Holloway who wished here to give “an affectionate twist to tonal common practice and light-music clichés all the way from Biedermeier Vienna to Southend Pier”.