{"product_id":"0884501094740-european-adventure","title":"European Adventure","description":"\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEDITORIAL REVIEWS \u003cbr\u003e Reviews: 'Fanfare' Magazine: Review July\/August 2010 The clarinet is an unforgivingly treacherous instrument. In the wrong hands and lips it can create sounds matching chalk scraping on a blackboard. In the right hands, it can create sounds the subtlety and supple expressiveness of which inspired both Mozart and Brahms. The first thing that struck me in auditioning this release was Jennifer Showalter's sheer beauty of tone. The second was the ease with which she could modulate it's colors to the demands of the music. With the contrasting but satisfying sounds of the likes of Stanley Drucker, Gervase de Peyer, Karl Leister, David Shifrin, Emma Johnson, Richard Stoltzman, and Harold Wright ringing in my inner ears, I can say without hesitation that the young Jennifer Showalter belongs in this august company. Singers and all instrumental practitioners share one thing in common-the very sound that they produce, bereft of their interpretative instincts, goes a long way toward defining their appeal, or lack thereof. Some years ago, while discussing the cellist Yuli Turovsky in these pages, I stated that were he playing only scales and arpeggios, the result would be musically arresting. Again, Showalter's sound alone has more than a dollop of this kind of magic. Her choice of repertoire on this, her first CD, is telling-a mix of the familiar and the obscure; the acerbically minimalist and the lushly Romantic. Of the comparatively little-known, she offers Malcolm Arnold's 1951 Sonatina, op. 29. Arnold is justly renowned for his orchestral music; I found this alternately piquant and lyrically haunting foray into chamber music, composed with clarinetist Frederick Thurston in mind, utterly disarming. Stravinsky's spiky and challenging Three Pieces for clarinet solo, composed in 1919 for Swiss clarinetist Werner Reinhart, presents further challenges for any clarinetist. It breathes the same air as A Soldier's Tale, but with it's chamber ensemble boiled down to a single one-line instrumental voice. Here Showalter is verily working without a net, but is fearlessly up to the task. Of Debussy's familiar Première Rhapsodie for clarinet and piano, the best praise I can bestow onto Showalter and her piano collaborator, Joel Clifft, is that they sound quintessentially French. This is, indeed, a sweet and beguilingly colorful performance of the piece. Showalter\/Clifft's performance of Brahms's op. 120\/2 sonata is one of the most ruminative and subtly expressive performances of this warhorse to come my way. The op. 120 sonatas are, to me (if you will excuse my chronological license here), Brahms's parallel to Richard Strauss's Four Last Songs. How the young Showalter found such insights into this profoundly autumnal work-music so full of nostalgia, of Brahms's palpable sense of impending death, and of his bittersweet resignation over it all-can only be chalked up to the miracle of the art of music, and to Showalter's uncanny sensitivity to what it's mere notes on paper can convey. The final piece, Donato Lovreglio's (1841-1907) Fantasia da Concerto, based on motives from Verdi's La Traviata, should, by rights, be a mere piece of musical fluff offered up at the end of a recital as a sort of musical dessert. It is all that here, but once again, Showalter, in her realization of it's moments of touching lyricism, offers so much more. Throughout this release, her partner, Joel Clifft, is hand in glove with her. Here Clifft, who has made an impressive career as an accompanist, conjures up the ghost of Gerald Moore. The sound is excellent, easily conveying both Showalter's and Clifft's timbral subtleties. My 800-horsepower system smiled many times in the course of playing this disc, as did I. -William Zagorski 'The Clarinet' Magazine: Review September 2012 Los Angeles-based clarinetist Jennifer Showalter delivers clean and crisp performances of standard repertoire in her premiere CD, European Adventure. Currently adjunct professor of clarinet at Azusa Pacific University, Showalter previously served on the faculty of California State University Long Beach, Biola University, Long Beach City College and Pasadena City College. Showalter maintains an active studio of pre-collegiate clarinet students, filled with musicians who regularly earn first chair in honor ensembles. In addition, she is a member of the Pasadena Symphony Mentor and Tempo programs, and is the clarinet curriculum developer for Maestro Concept. Showalter's pedagogical background makes her repertoire selection a natural choice. This disc contains standard works that are studied by advanced clarinetists: music by Arnold, Debussy, Stravinsky, Brahms and Lovreglio's La Traviata Fantasia. Throughout the recording, Showalter places emphasis on technical precision, and her interpretations stay true to the printed page. At no point does she utilize excessive rubato or emotive filigree. In addition, her technical prowess is evident, as she handles every line with fluidity and grace. Technical integrity is never compromised to achieve a melodic line, yet her phrasing is sweet and delicate, providing a true rendition of the composer's intentions. The disc opens with a stunning performance of Malcolm Arnold's Sonatina. The flashy finger work of the outer movements is displayed with integrity, while the middle movement displays a tenderness of line and phrasing. In the Debussy Premiere Rhapsodie, Showalter stays true to the printed tempi while evoking the ethereal quality of Impressionism. In particular, the long lines of the opening section sound effortless, as do the arpeggios of the final page. The Three Pieces by Stravinsky allows Showalter the opportunity to again display her technical prowess, especially in the third movement. The entire work is effortlessly performed, belying the difficulty level of the composition. The second Brahms Sonata provides a break in the otherwise technique-filled recording. Showalter handles the phrasing well. Good interplay with the pianist is evident, and emphasis is placed on evoking the chamber qualities of this work. Finally, Fantasia on Themes from La Traviata by Lovreglio affords both listener and performer the opportunity to engage in musical fun, the hallmark of every fantasy on 19th-century operatic themes. Throughout, Showalter takes care to clarify the main ideas while performing the technical passages with integrity. European Adventure is a lovely addition to any music library. It is particularly relevant for clarinet students and teachers, as it contains five standard works. The interpretations are accessible, and provide a good foundation for students learning these pieces. Showalter admirably handles both the technical and musical aspects these works, and is to be commended for her recording. -Michelle Kiec Audiophile Audition: Review December 2011 An appealing musical travelogue very well performed. An impressive debut for Jennifer Showalter. -Lee Passarella 'Bravo to Jennifer Showalter on her beautiful playing throughout this CD! I know how challenging it is to play the different styles of Debussy to Stravinsky to Brahms.and she did it all so well. I also really liked the CD design and the extensive program notes. Ms. Showalter can be very proud of how this project turned out and I wish her continued success!' -Gary Gray, Recording Artist, UCLA, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra 'I find a real musical freshness in Ms. Showalter's playing. She finds the thread to bringing the musical essence out of each work. Her work on the clarinet brings all the elements of each composition together blending the technical and musical aspects into a most satisfying presentation for the listener.' -Ken Grant, Eastman School of Music, Rochester Philharmonic 'Ms. Showalter's fresh approach to the featured selections by Arnold, Debussy, Stravinsky, Brahms and Lovreglio shows incredible precision and technique, unsurpassed by others who have attempted such major works. Her fine interpretation and\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rarewaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41015852204129,"sku":"0884501094740","price":8.65,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/orig_7533975_857974_jpg.jpg?v=1723658171","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/0884501094740-european-adventure","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}