Poulenc, Bernstein, Weinberg, Prokofiev: Boundless

Featuring

Pablo Barragán
Sophie Pacini
Francis Poulenc
Leonard Bernstein
Mieczysław Weinberg
Sergei Prokofiev

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Instruments

On this recording, Pablo Barragán plays a Backun Lumière clarinet, and Sophie Pacini plays a Steinway & Sons model D piano.

Album & Artwork

This album presents four musical universes that are both contrasted and interconnected, full of passion, irony, madness, humor, and heartbreaking pain.

Compositional Technique

In these sonatas, the piano is not merely a supporting instrument but is sometimes used as a solo instrument on equal footing with the clarinet, emphasizing their equal expressive force.

Composition History

Leonard Bernstein's and Francis Poulenc's clarinet sonatas were both inspired by the artistry of Benny Goodman, a famous American jazz clarinetist and bandleader.

Compositional Technique

The sonata form experienced a renaissance in the 20th century, with composers like Prokofiev, Weinberg, Bernstein, and Poulenc bringing this 200-year-old form into modernity.

Recording & Production

This album was recorded by SWR (Südwestrundfunk) from June 30 to July 2, 2021, at their Studio Kaiserslautern in Germany.

Composer's Artistic Vision

All four composers on this album—Prokofiev, Weinberg, Bernstein, and Poulenc—were not only gifted composers but also pianists who performed their own works.