Jack Stamp: Chamber Music, Volume Two
Celebrating his 70th birthday on March 5th, the American composer John Stamp (b. 1954) – universally known as ‘Jack’ – is a familiar figure in the worlds of the symphonic wind-band movement that flourishes in US universities and of the brass band on both sides of the Atlantic. When the Barcelona Clarinet Players asked him for a new work, and then proposed this album, he had to create the repertoire from scratch. The range of moods he has generated here is surprisingly wide, from gentle night-music that caresses the ear, via jaunty fugal textures and buoyant counterpoint, to catchy dance-rhythms that set the foot tapping.
Barcelona Clarinet Players
North Texas Percussion Quartet
Lauren Shuyler, soprano
Albert Guinovart, piano
North Texas Wind Symphony
Eugene Migliaro Corporon, conductor
Listen To This Recording:
- Convergence for clarinet quartet and percussion quartet (2023) (9:05)
Fragments (2022) (11:38)
- I. Shards of Glass (1:23)
- II. Chrestomathy (3:32)
- III. Whisping Particles (1:14)
- IV. A Sliver of Light (3:25)
- V. Morsel Dance (2:04)
- El Cariso: In Memoriam Bruce Leek for clarinet quartet (2023) (5:29)
Love’s Philosophy: Song-Cycle for Soprano and Clarinet Quartet (2023) (13:10)
- I. Long Time Past (4:33)
- II. Love’s Philosophy (2:16)
- III. Satan Broken Loose (2:05)
- IV. An Ariette for Music (1:30)
- V. Good-Night (2:46)
- Prelude 1983 (2023) (3:37)
Concert Piece for Clarinet Quartet and Piano (2023) (15:08)
- I. Conversation and Dance (3:12)
- II. Lament: Homage to Aaron Copland (4:24)
- III. Cadenza Tutti (3:42)
- IV. Determination (3:50)
- Rondo all BCP (2022) (7:54)
First Recordings
AllMusic :
‘[The music] is fresh and, in many places, delightful, with Stamp’s background in band music evident in the dense chordal textures but with an elegant sense of line throughout. Stamp writes that despite his background, his favorite medium is music for solo voice with accompaniment, and here, Love’s Philosophy: Song-Cycle for Soprano and Clarinet Quartet is a real standout. Soprano Lauren Shuyler is well acquainted with Stamp and delivers a lovely performance with perfect chamber dimensions. The Barcelona Clarinet Players are also obviously invested in their commissions, offering precise performances that have a certain freshness due, perhaps, to the idiom being new to the performers. Something of a sleeper of a chamber music release, this album is recommended to anyone who enjoys music for winds.’
—James Manheim, AllMusic
Fanfare :
‘The original collaboration with BCP, Fragments, is a group of short, theatrically infused works, which in a general sense can describe Stamp’s writing style—mainly, concise and tastefully constructed, a most admirable trait for any composer. What is more remarkable about this program, which Stamp created in less than two years in response to BCP’s request for additional repertoire, is the range of mood and the dramatic tenor of the music. There is a delightful homage to Mozart, Rondo alla BCP, a somber dirge in memory of a close friend, and a set of five lovely songs for soprano and clarinet quartet (sung by the beguiling Lauren Shuyler), with distinctively American folk elements. Perhaps best of all is the Concert Piece for Clarinet Quartet and Piano, a four-movement work of superbly contrasting character, highlighted for me by a moving tribute to Aaron Copland, with echoes of his beloved Clarinet Concerto.'
—Peter Burwasser, Fanfare