Fjarran in the Distance. Dalecarlia Quintet. Atoll CD
They are played by the Swedish-based quintet of Anna McGregor (clarinet) and Manu Berkeljon (violin), two Kiwis who now hold principal positions in Swedish orchestras, and three Swedish musicians - violinist Sophie Sunnerstam, Anders Noren (viola) and Tomas Blanch (cello), who are also orchestral principals.
Harris contributes the disc's title work Fjarran (2012) a Swedish word that means "far away''.
It is a four-movement work lasting just over 21 minutes.
The quiet and leisurely music has a reference in the opening bar to one in Brahms' Clarinet Quintet and it returns through the work.
I preferred Ritchie's 20-minute Clarinet Quintet (2006), in which the three movements are aptly named "Bright'', "Intense'' and "Uneasy''.
The distinctive and expressive clarinet sounds here are used to explore very convincingly the contrasting human psychological states.
The final track is the Dunedin composer's brief Purakaunui At Dawn (2014), a most impressive and shimmering evocation of the Otago coastal village in which the highest register clarinet sounds and string harmonics suggest tui with fading songs, possibly recalling the early Maori history of the area.
(The disc's cover photo portraying the beach area is by Tracy Jones.)
It is certainly commendable to hear New Zealand musicians who are brilliantly furthering their careers in other countries returning to record works composed by their fellow countrymen.
Their performance here certainly shows how well they command their instruments.
Verdict: Excellent compositions brilliantly played.
- Geoff Adams
