Amy Parks Simmons - Clarinet Music - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

László Kecskeméti was born in 1972 in Budapest and is proud to have been a pupil of László Czidra. Since completing studies in 1993, and in the class of Lõrincz László in 1997 in Szeged, he has performed frequently as a soloist and as a member of different early music ensembles. He also teaches at a music school in Budapest. Kecskeméti is joined in five of the concertos by oboist Lászlo Hadady. Undergirding these performances is the fine and often virtuosic harpsichord and cello continuo played by Borbála Dobozy and György Kertész respectively. The bassoon joins the fray in four of the concertos and is played by the redoubtable György Olajos. The two violinists are Attila Falvay and Katalin Párkányi. The little cadential flourishes that all the soloists make at appropriate moments are delightful.

Though it has a relatively short history, the clarinet is one of the most glamorous and tonally alluring of all instruments. It's origins lie in the effective but primitive chalumeau, which slowly developed through technical advances into the instrument of range, purity and flexibility that we know today. Leading performers inspired the greatest composers of their times to write imperishable masterpieces for the new instrument, exploiting it's fullest range, whether incarnating the swagger and opulence of an operatic diva, the autumnal lyricism of a poet, or the utmost in virtuoso bravura.

Various Artists - Clarinet Evergreens [COMPACT DISCS] date 10/05/2000