Berg ∙ Brahms ∙ Poulenc ∙ Schumann: Sonatas for Clarinet and Piano

Featuring

Michel Portal
Michel Dalberto
Francis Poulenc
Robert Schumann
Johannes Brahms
Alban Berg

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Performer Biography

Michel Portal, the clarinetist on this album, is an eclectic musician known for his work in both classical music and jazz, and has composed film scores.

Recording & Production

This album was recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing a 'breath of fresh air' and a sense of continuity for the musicians during a time when the cultural world was largely shut down.

Performer Biography

Michel Dalberto, the pianist on this album, won the Clara Haskil International Competition and the Leeds International Piano Competition early in his career.

Interpretation

Michel Portal's playing is noted for its flexibility, influenced by his extensive experience in jazz and his mastery of rhythm.

Compositional Technique

Brahms's Second Sonata for clarinet and piano, like his other clarinet works, can also be performed on viola, with the composer making no distinction between the two instruments in his score.

Composition History

Poulenc's Sonata for clarinet and piano, which opens this disc, was composed at the very end of his life when he was gravely ill, making it a 'testamentary' work.

Recording & Production

This album is the culmination of over forty years of friendship and artistic collaboration between Michel Portal, a French clarinetist, saxophonist, and composer, and Michel Dalberto, a French pianist.