Music from Malmö, Volume 1: Three New Concertos for Bass Clarinet

5 reviews for Music from Malmö, Volume 1: Three New Concertos for Bass Clarinet

1. MusicWeb International :

   ‘These performances are all authoritative, though I should note that this is not the first recording of Prometheus. It has previously appeared on an all-Gordon disc entitled Mythologies and Mad Songs, which was warmly received by my colleague Nick Barnard (review). It is perhaps also the highlight of the present disc, though all these works are worth hearing. I look forward to more concertos for the less common instruments. This disc is listed as Music from Malmö Volume One, so perhaps there will be.’

   —Stephen Barber, MusicWeb International

2. MusicWeb International :

   ‘Credit, then, is due to all three composers and the excellence of bass clarinettist Carl-Johan Stjernström that this unlikely solo instrument emerges so impressively. This Toccata Next disc is titled “Music from Malmö, Volume One” and is designed to showcase the musicians of that fine orchestra. Stjernström is the principal bass clarinet of the orchestra and an interesting thread emerges from these three concertante works. The composers contribute useful liner notes and a recurring theme is them being buttonholed at a performance in Malmö by Stjernström suggesting that now might indeed be the time for them to write something for his instrument. Clearly his passion is persuasive, because the results are the works given here. […] Credit [in Concerto for Bass Clarinet and Orchestra] is due to both composer and engineers who manage the soundscape so effectively. […] Phibbs acknowledges the jazz-influenced style contributing to an entertaining and unbuttoned conclusion to this attractive – and very well performed – work. […]

   Schmid is one of my favourite violinists, not just because he has a superlative technique but he is one of a handful of great players who is genuinely at ease across a wide range of idioms from straight classical through to contemporary and jazz. […] Stjernström’s playing is notable for the warmly even tone he produces across the entire range of the instrument and of course in this he is matched by Schmidt’s supremely beautiful lyrical playing. […] the performance here [of Tandem: Concerto for Violin and Bass Clarinet] is as skilled and sensitive as could be.

   […] I noted how successfully Gordon – as does Phibbs – creates ‘windows’ in the full orchestral texture to accommodate the tessitura of the bass clarinet. Likewise, Gordon points to a quasi-symphonic rather than concertante approach to this four-movement work and returning to this piece after a significant gap it does impress all over again. Both soloists – Stjernström here and Laurent Ben Slimane with Martyn Brabbins and the Philharmonia – are genuinely excellent. […] Certainly, the engineering on this new Toccata disc is excellent at maintaining a realistic balance between soloist and the large orchestra and the Malmö players perform with great skill and commitment. Again, the poise and beauty of Stjernström’s tone across the dynamic and pitched range of his instrument is striking with the final fade out into bleak darkness is perfectly poised. Although this is not a work I had returned to since my previous review, reacquaintance confirms the positive impressions.

   Overall, this is a very interesting and stimulating disc with three diverse works receiving performances and recordings of exemplary quality. If the future releases in this series prove to be as rewarding then the stature of the excellent Malmö Symphony Orchestra will be increased.

   —Nick Barnard, MusicWeb International

3. Fanfare :

   ‘Toccata Next titles this disc Music from Malmö, Volume 1. It is an attractive collection of concertos for bass clarinet, which isn’t usually thought of as a solo vehicle. Carl-Johan Stjernström is principal bass clarinet of the Malmö Symphony Orchestra, and based on this disc, has a strong enough musical personality to make an impression in these three new works, written between 2018 and 2025, one each from an American, English, and Swedish composer. […]

   Phibbs is an English composer born in 1974, and his piece is well crafted, imaginatively scored, and inventive enough to hold the listener’s attention. […] I also hear a jazz influence in the playful rhythms that underlie much of the score. It is this playful quality that I very much enjoyed. […]

   Clarinetists and woodwind players in general will certainly want to explore this release, as will those who are curious about new music for an instrument rarely heard in solo form. Stjernström is a brilliant player, and the performances overall are first-rate, as is the recorded sound. Toccata always provides excellent program notes.’

   —Henry Fogel, Fanfare

4. Opus :

   ‘Carl-Johan Stjernström är en förstklassig solist som vårdar klangen föredömligt. Malmö symfoniorkester tar sig an musiken med övertygande fokus och utmärkt samspel medan Musica Vitae’s ljusa stråkar har en tilltalande luftighet. Ljudupptagningarna av samtliga tre verk är utmärkt balanserade.

   Joseph Phibbs konsert har en fin blandning av vacker lyrik och lekfull spänst, medan Dafgårds dubbelkonsert (Benjamin Schmid är en utmärkt violinsolist) är mer avskalad ren komposition. Båda verken har sitt uttrycksfulla centrum i långsamma mellansatser.

   Mest varierad, snarare en symfoni i förklädnad, är dock Geoffrey Gordons Prometheus-konsert. Tonsättaren utgår från Franz Kafkas prosafagment med olika tolkningar av myten.

   Det inspirerar Gordon till verkligt dynamisk, ofta dramatisk musik, där även slagverk och bleckblås är en del av orkestersatsen. Det är skivans mest varierade verk, med en mer aktiv dialog mellan solist och ensemble, som också stannar längst i minnet.’

   English translation:

   ‘Carl-Johan Stjernström is a first-class soloist who cultivates the tone admirably. The Malmö Symphony Orchestra approaches the music with convincing focus and excellent ensemble playing, while Musica Vitae’s bright strings have an appealing lightness. The recordings of all three works are excellently balanced.

   Joseph Phibbs’s concerto offers a fine blend of beautiful lyricism and playful vitality, while Dafgård’s double concerto (Benjamin Schmid is an excellent violin soloist) is more stripped down and purely constructed. Both works have their expressive center in the slow middle movements.

   The most varied work, almost a symphony in disguise, is Geoffrey Gordon’s Prometheus concerto. The composer draws on Franz Kafka’s prose fragment with different interpretations of the myth.

   This inspires Gordon to create truly dynamic, often dramatic music, in which percussion and brass are integral parts of the orchestral texture. It is the most varied work on the disc, featuring a more active dialogue between soloist and ensemble, and it is the one that lingers longest in the memory.’

   —JÖRGEN LUNDMARK, Opus

5. Fanfare :

   ‘Phibbs is an English composer born in 1974, and his piece is well crafted, imaginatively scored, and inventive enough to hold the listener’s attention. […]

   Clarinetists and woodwind players in general will certainly want to explore this release, as will those who are curious about new music for an instrument rarely heard in solo form. Stjernström is a brilliant player, and the performances overall are first-rate, as is the recorded sound. Toccata always provides excellent program notes.’

   —Henry Fogel, Fanfare, Jan 2026