Listen to a selection of recordings, including samples from most recent albums Grigori Frid: Clarinet Sonatas and French Holidays, and past album Clarinet Variations.
Grigory Frid’s politically and morally ambitious operas have made him known to a broader public even outside his native Russia. His chamber music is not so popular, but it too holds discoveries in store, as John Finucane and Elisaveta Blumina impressively demonstrate on this recording premiere of his two clarinet sonatas. Musical wit, tonal beauty, and virtuosity in the treatment of tonality and instrumentation reveal a compositional talent stimulated by exchanges with the greatest of Frid’s times.
“Finucane paints elegant lines with utmost control and nuance…”
“…magnificent…”
“An exceptionally elegant performance…”
“Finucane and Blumina’s performance of the sonatas is magnificent…”
John Finucane, Clarinet
Elisaveta Blumina, Piano
Ireland is not only the green island, but also the land of legends and singers. All this is reflected on the second Genuin Classics CD by the Irish clarinetist John Finucane. The exceptional wind player brings together music from his homeland from 1911 to the present day. Without exception, these are genuine discoveries, and not only because of the world premiere recordings and works written for John Finucane. Even in the most modern of times, the magic of the past is still alive, and contemporary musical language is inspired by the spirit of the Irish harpists: from Stanford to Bax, from Ferguson to Trimble. An Irish blessing!
“Masterful chamber music…”
“Their playing of this masterwork is effortless (Stanford Sonata)…”
John Finucane, Clarinet
Elisaveta Blumina, Piano
Works by C. Debussy, J. Françaix, G. Grovlez, G. Pierné, F. Poulenc, C. Saint-Saëns, D. -M. Widor
“Finucane and Alumina are exemplary collaborators…”
“Finucane demonstrates incredible control in the altissimo range and his intonation is excellent.”
“Poulenc Sonata… The second movement is stunning…”
“Polished and colorful performance of Debussy’s Première Rhapsodie.”
Françaix, Rossini, Boydell, Stanford, Potter
John Finucane has wowed Irish audiences for decades with his superlative clarinet playing. Now the legendary Irish virtuoso has committed his work to CD for the first time in his career. John Finucane has been the principle clarinettist of the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra since 1995. Yet due to his orchestral, chamber and teaching commitments it is only now that John has found the time to record a CD to centre stage his abilities. The music on John Finucane: Clarinet Variations reflects his musical interests and education. It is hard to resist the challenge of a piece that was described by the great clarinettist Jack Brymer as remaining unplayable until the shape of the human hand evolves, Finucane says about recording the Françaix concerto alongside the better known Stanford Clarinet Concerto and Rossini s Introduction and Variations. John has always been a champion of Irish composers and there is a really feeling of connection with the native music of Ireland on the CD As well as the Stanford composition, Brian Boydell s Elegy and Cappricio and Archibald Potter s Fantasy for Clarinet and Strings are included. These works reflect a true sense of place while also being utterly connected with early and mid-twentieth century musical life in Europe. John Finucane: Clarinet Variations is a marvellous introduction to a musician in his prime. It joins a growing stable of releases from RTÉ lyric fm, a label that is getting critical acclaim from reviewers at home (The Sunday Business Post/ The Irish Times) and abroad (Gramophone/ The American Record Guide/ The Strad/ Classical Music Magazine)
