i Allegretto
ii Allegro animato
iii Lento
iv Molto allegro
Saint-Saëns’s most durable contributions to the chamber literature have been his sonatas: two for violin and piano, two for cello and piano, and one each for oboe, clarinet and bassoon, each with piano accompaniment. It was during the last year of his life that Saint-Saëns conceived the idea of writing a sonata for each of the woodwind instruments, thus enhancing their repertoire and providing three monumental works for the sonata literature. Starting with Oboe Sonata in D major Op 166, dedicated to Louis Bas, an extraordinary oboe virtuoso, he continued with the Clarinet Sonata in E flat major Op 167, dedicated to Auguste Perier, a fine player of astonishing technique, and lastly, with the Bassoon Sonata in G major Op 168, written for Léon Letellier, the first bassoon of the Opéra and the Société des Concerts. Saint-Saëns had intended also to compose sonatas for flute and for cor anglais but he died before he was able to complete the project. In each sonata the piano is skilfully integrated with the wind instrument. The distinctive timbre and versatility of each instrument are expertly displayed. The spare, evocative, classical lines, haunting melodies, and superb formal structures underline these beacons of the neoclassical movement. Though the works were not performed during his lifetime, Saint-Saëns did have the satisfaction of knowing that the sonatas were approved by their dedicatees. Their importance in the woodwind repertoire cannot be exaggerated.
Hartog was an English composer and pianist, born in London. As a composer she wrote solo piano music, a Barcarolle in G minor and the two Chateaux en Espagne for clarinet and piano, and songs, including settings of The Years at the Spring (Browning, performed at The Proms in 1909).
Panufnik studied composition at the Royal Academy of Music and, since then, has written a wide range of pieces – opera, ballet, music theatre, choral works, orchestral and chamber compositions, and music for film and television. This piece was written in 2015 as a birthday present for Lucas Dick.
In April 2022, he was lead composer for The Opera Story’s multi-media retelling of ‘Beauty and the 7 Beasts’ (shortlisted for the Fedora Prize) and created a brand new orchestration of Kurt Weill’s ‘The Tsar Has His Photograph Taken’ for the Guildhall School of Music of Drama in May. He was composer and musical director of ‘London’s Turbulent Son’- a full length musical telling the story of Thomas Becket, patron saint of London. The show took place in The Guildhall Hall Yard in June 2022 as part of the Becket Pageant for London, the first Pageant in the City for over 500 years. Duo for clarinet and piano was a commission for Peter Cigleris.
Fernande Decruck was a French organist and prolific composer of woodwind music. She contributed numerous works to the clarinet repertory, included several extant reed trios, a piano-wind sextet, six clarinet duets, three solos for B-flat clarinet and piano, as well as a solo for contrabass clarinet and piano. In addition, records indicate she composed a clarinet concerto that is tragically lost at this time. This piece was composed in 1933.
i Allegro tristamente
ii Romanza
iii Allegro Con Fuoco
The Sonate pour clarinette et piano (Clarinet Sonata), FP 184, for clarinet in B-flat and piano by Francis Poulenc dates from 1962 and is one of the last pieces he completed. It is dedicated to the memory of Arthur Honegger, who like Poulenc had belonged to the group Les Six.
Peter Cigleris - Clarinet
Clarinettist Peter Cigleris is in demand as a soloist and chamber musician. He has appeared on BBC Radio Three’s ‘In Tune’ programme talking with Sean Rafferty and playing live with the Tippett Quartet. He has also performed live for the BBC in the Radio Three lunchtime recital. Peter has worked with Martin Cousin, Mark Bebbington, Julian Lloyd Webber performing for various music clubs and festivals around the UK including, the Windsor and Wooburn Festival, English Music Festival, Carlisle International Music Festival and the ICA ‘ClarinetFest’.
Dina Duisen - Piano
Kazakh-British pianist Dina Duisen was born into a family of musicians in Almaty, Kazakhstan. At the age of five, Dina started studying piano at Kulyash Bayseitova State Special School for Gifted Children together with her two brothers Ordabek and Ilyas, who are both violinists. By the age of thirteen she had made her debut with the Symphony Orchestra. After graduating from school, Dina continued her studies at the Kazakh National Academy of Music before being awarded a full scholarship on the Artist Diploma programme at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, from which she graduated in 2008. Dina started studying for the new Master of Arts Degree in Performance at the Royal Academy of Music, under the tutelage of Christopher Elton, Hamish Milne and Kathryn Stott, and graduated with distinction in 2011. Dina took part in Rome Music Festival, Oxford International Piano Festival, Sergei Babayan’s International Piano Academy in Cleveland Institute of Music, Vibrate Festival and George Enescu Festival.
String ensemble
20 April 2023
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