John Williams wrote his Clarinet
Concerto for Michele Zukovsky in 1991. The recording is from a live performance
with John Williams Conducting and Michele Zukovsky as Clarinet Soloist. This
work remains unpublished. Williams has received forty-three Academy Award
nominations, making him the Academy's most nominated living person. He has been
awarded five Oscars, three British Academy Awards, eighteen Grammys, three
Golden Globes, four Emmys and many gold and platinum records. Principal
Clarinetist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic MICHELE ZUKOVSKY has appeared
frequently at the Hollywood Bowl and at the Music Center, and she has been a
guest soloist with orchestras throughout the world. Ms. Zukovsky also performs
regularly at the Philharmonic's Chamber Music Society concerts and she has
participated in a number of premieres as a soloist with the Orchestra's New
Music Group. She gave the world premiere of John Williams's Clarinet Concerto
with the Boston Pops which was written for her. She collaborates with a number
of chamber ensembles, most notably the Angeles and St. Petersburg String
Quartets. She has appeared in New York with Concerts at the Y, Ravinia, Lincoln
Center, and "Mostly Mozart" ensembles. Ms. Zukovsky tours worldwide
as a chamber musician and soloist, and gives master classes throughout the
world. She is currently on the faculty at the University of Southern
California. She studied clarinet with her father, Kalman Bloch, a former
principal with the Orchestra. Ms. Zukovsky has recorded for London/Decca,
Avant, Nonesuch, and Summit records.
Two CD versions of this work: one CD
includes the Bartok Contrasts and the Corigliano Clarinet Concerto, and the
other version is paired with the Mozart Clarinet Concerto. Just specify which
version you want.
Write me to order the CD - the cost
is $12.95 + $2 shipping to the US. International postage costs $5.
Write me at blummy@(NOSPAM)comcast.net (remove the ( nospam)
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An
important addition to the repertoire Reviewer: Marcus Paus - Norway
With his concerto for clarinet and orchestra, John Williams has certainly made
an important contribution to this instrument's repertoire. The work is a
beautifully crafted and highly memorable one, full of elegance and charm,
characterized by an athletic yet always lyrical approach to the clarinet,
pitted against an orchestra handled with Williams' signature expertise of color
and texture. The concerto displays Williams' intimate knowledge of the clarinet
and its literature, at times giving the concerto a quality that for Williams is
typical: Instead of sounding like a pastiche of existing pieces, it becomes a
piece of musical "myth", capturing perhaps even more eloquently and
poignantly the aspirations and ideas of the history and tradition of clarinet
writing. In many ways, John Williams can be seen as a musical mythologist, a
Joseph Campbell, or perhaps more accurately, a Robert Graves of the sonoric
world; a composer whose musical language seems imbued with an ancient sense of
beauty and wisdom, a craft beyond mere style and technique. We should be very
grateful for this CD, the only recording of the concerto to date. The concerto
is another gem from John Williams' concert catalog, and is bound to find its
place as an important addition to the repertoire. The concerto is accompanied
by Bartok's "Contrasts" and John Corigliano's clarinet concerto, all
brilliantly performed by Michele Zukovsky.
Reviewer: CD Baby (Classical Staff Reviewer at
CDBABY)
While we don't normally feature albums of artists who have already "made
it" and who don't necessarily need any more exposure, this album is such a
gem that it can't be resisted. This disc features the personal, classical and
non-film music of Hollywood's soundtrack guru, John Williams. It is quite a
treat to peer into the creative life of this man and his genius in such a way;
with no need for the music to serve some other art form, this work allows us to
get a glimpse into the "other" sound world of this truly brilliant,
historic composer. And if that wasn't enough incentive to encourage a listen,
the concerto is followed by Bartok and Corigliano (also highlighting the
clarinet), making this disc one of the highest profile classical treasures
here.
An
important addition to the repertoire
