RAVE REVIEW IN DEC. ISSUE OF "THE CLARINET" MAGAZINE
From Audio Notes, by William Nichols
In The Clarinet, Volume 38, Number 1, December 2010, page 15
Composer Rick Sowash released a disc of chamber music late last year
entitled Pastorale. The recording presents a quartet entitled Pastorale
for flute and strings, a work for cello and piano, also for solo cello and
a piece for solo harpsichord. Additionally, and to the gratitude of
clarinetists, the disc contains two Sowash trios for violin, clarinet and
piano played by the Verdehr Trio (Walter Verdehr, violin; Elsa Verdehr,
clarinet; and Silvia Roederer, piano.)
Rick Sowash has written virtually dozens of works which utilize or feature
the clarinet. Among an array of chamber music there are some 13 trios for
clarinet, cello and piano! The violin/clarinet/piano trios presented on
this release are two of three. Both bear programmatic titles: Trio #2:
American Variations on a Belarussian Folk Tune; and Trio #3: Memories of
Corsica.
Sowash's trios are in the 20th-century-tonal style which is immediately
accessible and appealing. Trio #2 (from 1994 and revised in 2005) utilizes
a perky, lighthearted theme as a point of departure. The variations are
imaginative and evoke an American spirit which at times have a home-spun
square-dance or hoe-down flavor. The lyrical variations reveal the
beautiful expressive possibilities inherent in this Russian tune. The
variations close with a out-and-out ragtime finale. This 15+-minute piece
is infectious, made more so by the sytlistic perfection of the Verdehr
Trio.
The Trio #3 (2007) is one of the Verdehr Trio's commissioned works. It,
also 15+ minutes in length, a three-movement work which was inspired by
the composer's visit to the island of Corsica. Although more serious in
character than the second trio, it is for the most part a gentle work,
often relaxed in mood. Textures are transparent, and there are plenty of
solo passages for each instrument sprinkled thoughout. The piano writing
is generally kept light, never overpowering the ensemble (in part due to
Silvia Roederer's keen sense of balance), and the piano is often treated
as a third single-line melodic voice. The middle section of the second
movement, "Aromatic Breezes," with the piano's open chords and simple
violin melody, recalls Copland (the violin sonata in particular). Heard
promently near the end of the third movement, "Ardent Souls," is a
stalwart tune which presumably represents the "proud and firece spirt of
the Corsican people.”
These are two very attractive and appealing works by Rick Sowash, played
most effectively by a seasoned ensemble which is well known to most of our
readers. Another important factor to the success of these pieces is the
recorded sound, which is stunning. The instrument timbres captured here
are as vivid and natural as recording gets, including the terrific
sounding piano, an instrument which is so often poorly reproduced in
modern recordings. The Verdehr Tio seems present in the room, with each
instrument detailed, and the ensemble balance perfect. Kudos to producer /
engineer Sergei Kvitko and the Blue Griffin Studio in Lansing, Michigan
for these recordings, which would make any audiophile smile.
Sheet music available here...
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