Luminos: Contemporary Music for Clarinets

This CD is based around four new pieces that clarinettist Ronald Woodley had written for him since the beginning of the first Covid lockdown in 2020. Alongside these there are three compositions dating from an earlier period. I reviewed this disc in chronological order.

The earliest work on this CD is Elisabeth Lutyens’s Five Little Pieces, op. 14/1 for clarinet and piano, dating from 1945. It is not surprising that “Twelve Tone Lizzie” has conceived these gnomic numbers as serial music. That said, she has brought her own unique interpretation to this modernist technique that does not eschew lyricism. They are short and concise and reflect on a single idea: Lirico, Drammatico, Doloroso, Pastorale and Declamatorio. And do not worry, the “pastorale” does not have a cow pat in sight or sound. They were written for Frederick Thurston.

Percussionist and composer Morris Pert is barely recalled nowadays. His career was wide-ranging, from classical to jazz fusion by way of being a sidesman to Bryan Ferry, Wings and Caravan amongst many other pop and rock performers. Luminos completed in 1972 is a significant study for basset horn and piano. It is certainly a work of its time, with a functional balance between modernism and nods to past eras. The liner notes explain that the “[musical] lines are at times questing and lyrical, at other times rising to a relentless energy; Messiaen-like block chordal movement sits alongside jazz-inflected points of relaxation and rather trippy, semi-improvised wanderings…” Certain “extended” techniques are used such as playing inside the piano with fingers and mallets. It is a valuable exposition in classical terms of the “cosmological" inspiration that was informing progressive rock bands fifty years ago.

Three years later Lutyens wrote her This Green Tide, op. 103 for basset horn and piano (1975). It was inspired by the eponymous book of verse published by the artist Valentine Dobrée (1894–1974). The book title itself was derived from a pamphlet published by John Ruskin during the 1870s and 80s, Fors Clavigera which set out his “social and moral vision [for] the workforce in Britain.” The sound-world balances moments of tranquillity, with much protest and defiance. The liner notes provide a good hermeneutic for appreciating this piece. They cite Ruskin scholar Paul L. Sawyer’s view that “Comparing the “green tide” with the “black and sulphurous tides” of English rivers and with “Death, and Hell also, more cruel than cliff or sea”, [Ruskin] presents a world on the brink of that Moment when “the Sea shall give up the dead which are in it, and Death, and Hell, give up the dead which are in them.” There is, therefore, a spiritual as well as an environmental aspect to this music.

Despite Christopher Fox’s pretentious programme note, I found his This has happened before, for four multitracked bass clarinets (2020) long-winded and frankly boring. It may be played by four clarinettists or one multi-track performer. The technicalities involve canonical entries, variable speeds of “melodic” patterns and “accidental” harmonies. It does not inspire or entertain. Hopefully, it won’t happen again…

Angela Elizabeth Slater’s piece for bass clarinet and piano was specially commissioned by the present performers in 2020. Slater writes that she “felt a sense of relentless timelessness and disconnection, with an overriding sense of foreboding about what was to come, almost as though world events were spinning out of control. At this time, I came across an article by NASA which reported that the sun is getting dimmer year on year, inspiring the title Around the Darkening Sun.” All very depressing musings. It is hardly surprising that there is little optimism in the progress of this music. That said, there is often considerable beauty in the interaction of the soloists. There is supressed energy at every turn, which is packed into just over five minutes duration.

Four brief numbers go to form Liz Dilnot Johnson’s The Space Between Heaven and Earth for basset horn and piano (c.2020). She explains that it is “a glowing, positive statement of hopefulness, embracing Greek mythology, medieval song, and a very modern response to human healing from trauma.” It majors on the story of the Greek nymph Daphne, her metamorphosis into a tree, her ability to heal and, finally, the restitution of her body. The movements are seasonal. Winter, the longest, is slow and expressive. Spring is vibrant, whilst Summer is a jocund dance. The finale, Autumn is positive and reflects the moment that “the healing role of the deep-rooted tree is complete – and Daphne is able to skip away.”  Johnson displays a deep understanding of the performative characteristics of the basset horn. The overall impact is positive. The style is modernist, often chromatic but always lyrical.

The longest piece on this disc is Edward Cowie’s Heather Jean Nocturnes completed for the present CD during April 2023 at “white hot speed.” These Nocturnes are a response to five paintings by Cowie’s wife, Heather. To get to grips with these five imaginative movements it is necessary to see the illustrations that inspired them. Fortunately, the CD cover features Earth Nocturnal as an example of her style. The booklet contains photographs of the other four. Cowie gives a long, detailed descriptive analysis which bears reading before exploring the music. The first four movements are The Singing Stream – Evening, Sun and Moon Dancing, Okavango Dream Streams and Lake Eacham Blue. Heather Cowie, discussing the work declared that “what moved me profoundly was the fact that the sense of mood and colour, as well as their formal integrity, was so beautifully articulated by the sonic (inter)relationships of the bass clarinet and piano.”

The liner notes by Ronald Woodley are helpful in every way. Dates of compositions in the track listing would have been helpful. They include resumes of both soloists. The recording is ideal. I found the performances illuminating and typically inspiring.

The advertising blurb perfectly sums up this disc: “This collection is a valuable addition for clarinet enthusiasts and music lovers, shedding light on the lesser-known gems…and showcasing the power of artistic collaboration across mediums, offering a glimpse into the evolution of British music.”

Track Listing:
Elisabeth Lutyens (1906-83)
This Green Tide, op. 103 for basset horn and piano (1975)
Angela Elizabeth Slater (b.1989)
Around the Darkening Sun for bass clarinet and piano (2020)
Morris Pert (1947-2010)
Luminos, op. 16a for basset horn and piano (1972)
Christopher Fox (b.1955)
This has happened before, for four multitracked bass clarinets (2020)
Elisabeth Lutyens
Five Little Pieces, op. 14/1 for clarinet and piano (1945)
Liz Dilnot Johnson (b.1964)
The Space Between Heaven and Earth for basset horn and piano (c.2020?)
Edward Cowie (b.1943)
Heather Jean Nocturnes for bass clarinet and piano (2023)
Ronald Woodley (clarinet, basset horn, bass clarinet); Andrew West (piano)
rec. 3–5 April and 24 July 2023, Ayriel Studios, North Yorkshire
Métier MEX 77118
With thanks to MusicWeb International where this review was first published.