German magazine ensemble: Magazin für Kammermusik has a review for our recent release In Friendship with Joan Enric Lluna.
Review is translated below:
In Friendship
Repertoire: 5/5 stars
Sound: 4/5 stars
Interpretation: 5/5 stars
The collaboration between the 30 year old American Alexander String Quartet and the Spanish clarinetist, Joan Enric Lluna has lasted just as long as the friendship with the composer César Cano. Thus the name of this CD “In Friendship” is truly appropriate. Mr. Cano has composed a Clarinet Quintet for the musicians that has been recorded here for the first time, immediately following its World Premier in 2011. It is an impressive creation fusing the intricate and essential rhythmic underpinning of the strings with the melodic soulfulness of the clarinet yielding a persuasively complex and nuanced whole. The twenty minute and four movements are filled with wonderful ideas, yielding a fabulous celebration in the musicians’ championship of a stunning new work bringing us closer to a wonderful composer whom we should know better. The traditional structure presents such magnificent and expansive ideas that one is tempted to want to hear even more than one wind instrument. These brilliant artists were able to present a truly pampered, timeless and loving interpretation to the mix with Brahms at the highest level without compromising any quality. It’s a wonderful CD. Unfortunately the Alexander String Quartet’s CD recordings are currently only available in Europe though Internet sources.
Purchase In Friendship: