Program Notes and Context of the Album
 

These recordings are the product of my work alongside the excellent tracks recorded by pianist Mohamed Shams. I recorded Hindemith Sonata in April 2022, Horovitz Sonatina in June 2021, and Honegger Sonatina in July 2022.
 

The conceptual core of this album brings together three fundamental 20th-century composers whose aesthetics, though diverse, share formal rigor, contrapuntal dexterity, and a profound understanding of the lyrical and technical possibilities of the clarinet in dialogue with the piano.
 

• Paul Hindemith: Sonata for Clarinet and Piano (1939)
   

Written during a period of profound personal changes and political exile, this work is a masterful exponent of the German composer's aesthetic. Structured in four movements, the sonata stands out for its formal solidity and the use of his characteristic expanded tonality. The clarinet moves from moments of dense and melancholy introspection to passages of great rhythmic vitality, always supported by a complex contrapuntal texture in the piano that demands absolute synchronicity between both performers. ​
 

• Arthur Honegger: Sonatina for Clarinet and Piano, H. 42 (1921)
   

Written during the effervescent years of the celebrated Groupe des Six in France, this brief yet intense piece condenses the spirit of the interwar Parisian avant-garde. A notable jazz influence and neoclassical freshness can be perceived throughout its three movements. The first movement features a fluid contrapuntal interplay; the second is a page of restrained and melancholy lyricism; while the final Vif unleashes a rhythmic, asymmetrical, and highly agile dialogue that explores the clarinet's most brilliant register.
 

• Joseph Horovitz: Sonatina for Clarinet and Piano (1981)
   

This work, which chronologically closes the album's triptych, has become a pillar of the 20th-century repertoire. With a strong traditional neoclassical imprint and a melodic grace akin to popular music and jazz, it features three clearly contrasting movements. The outer movements overflow with a rhythmic, cheerful, and technically demanding humor, while the central movement (Lento, quasi andante) offers a haven of deep expressiveness and cantabile flight, where the instrument displays all its timbral warmth.

Want to learn more about the history and structure of this works?

Read my analysis article (with video) on the blog about Hindemith's Sonata →

Read my analysis article (with video) on the blog about Honegger's Sonatina →

Read my analysis article (with video) on the blog about Horovitz's Sonatina →