Various Composers - Balagan (Noa Wildschut; Pablo Barragán; Frank Dupree)

Information

• Paul Schoenfield - Trio for clarinet, violin, and piano
• Claude Vivier - Pièce pour violon et clarinette
• Béla Bartók - Contrasts
• Ernest Bloch - Prayer
• Eden Ahbez - Nature Boy
• Béla Kovács - Greetings from the Balkan

Noa Wildschut, violin

Pablo Barragán, clarinet

Frank Dupree, piano

Anton Spronk, cello (Béla Kovács' Greetings)

Date: 2024

Label: Accentus Music

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Review

The American composer and pianist Paul Schoenfield (1947-2024) combined classical music with folkloristic elements, especially klezmer music. He composed his clarinet trio on commission from the clarinettist David Shifrin. Schoenfield mixed the musical borrowings in this trio so cleverly with classical elements that the whole thing became an incredibly well-crafted piece. The first movement, Freylakh, is based on one of the best-known dances of Eastern European Jewry. The three soloists, Wildschut, Barragan and Dupree, plunge the listener headlong into the music, which bursts with energy. Schoenfield described the second movement, March, as « bizarre and somewhat diabolical ». It takes up motifs from folk music and thus caricatures a march at a Hasidic court. In this interpretation, the bizarre takes on a fascinating character. The third movement, Niggun, is pensive and at times quite gloomy and sad. This mood is blown away by the last movement, Kozatzke – a Cossack dance often used by Jews at wedding celebrations – and the music takes on a very refined and immediately appealing character in this gripping interpretation.

Claude Vivier’s Pièce pour violon et clarinette from 1975 is a short piece that alternates between agitated and lethargic states and is given a captivating performance by Noa Wildschut and Pablo Barragan.

Bela Bartok’s three-movement piece Contrasts was commissioned by jazz clarinettist Benny Goodman. At the premiere, violinist Joseph Szigeti played the violin part while Bartok himself sat at the piano.

The piece is a mixture of elements of Hungarian folk music, interwoven with jazz and blues influences. The title refers to the different timbres that each instrument can offer. The performers on this recording exploit these contrasts to the maximum and the music comes to life.

After this intensity, Ernest Bloch’s Prayer is played very lyrically and movingly expressive in Thomas Beijer’s arrangement.

The two pieces Nature Boy by Eden Ahbez and Greetings from the Balkans by Béla Kovács have been masterfully arranged by Frank Dupree and are played with captivating spontaneity and vitality.

— Remy Franck

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Noa Wildschut (born 9 March 2001) is a Dutch violinist. She began studying violin at age four and trained in Amsterdam and Berlin, completing her studies under Antje Weithaas. A former member of Mutter Virtuosi ensemble, she has appeared at major festivals and performed with leading orchestras worldwide, collaborating with renowned conductors and chamber musicians. Wildschut has received prestigious awards from an early age, including ECHO Rising Star recognition. She performs on the historic Giuseppe Guarneri 'del Gesù' "Ex Lady Stretton" Violin (Cremona, ca. 1730) on loan from the Stretton Society.

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Pablo Barragán (born 1987) is a Spanish clarinetist. Trained in Seville with Antonio Salguero and Matthias Glander, he gained international attention after winning the Prix Crédit Suisse Jeunes Solistes in 2013. Barragán has performed with major European orchestras and leading conductors, and is highly sought after for chamber music collaborations at prestigious venues and festivals worldwide. His critically acclaimed recordings Balagan and Szinergia has further strengthened his international profile. Since 2020, he has served as Professor at the Barenboim-Said Academy in Seville and is an artist for Buffet Crampon.

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Frank Dupree (born 1991 in Rastatt) is a German pianist, conductor and composer. Trained at the University of Music Karlsruhe, he gained early recognition through competition successes, including the Hans von Bülow Competition and the Deutscher Musikwettbewerb. Dupree performs internationally, collaborating with leading orchestras and appearing at major festivals and concert halls worldwide. An award-winning recording artist, he is particularly acclaimed for his interpretations of Nikolai Kapustin. Since 2023, Dupree has served as Artistic Partner of the Württembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn.

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