"A Gentle Notion" represents the past, present, and future of American music for clarinet and piano and strives to revitalize the sound of classical music recordings. The album is anchored by Sonatas of Aaron Copland, Jennifer Higdon, and Pierre Jalbert, and capped by music of Joan Tower and the world premiere recording of Higdon's A Gentle Notion. The Copland is the “golden oldie” of the set and its influence is felt throughout. The Sonata's harmonic language, rhythmic interplay, and orchestration is the point of departure for the other music on the album and itself stands as a totem of the American style.
Jennifer Higdon’s Clarinet Sonata, adapted from the Viola Sonata written in 1989, is a contemporary classic of the genre and showcases Higdon's gifts for melody, texture, and structure. There's no doubt this work will sit alongside the Copland Sonata as a fixture in the repertoire. Finally, there's the most recently composed piece on the album, Pierre Jalbert's Clarinet Sonata, written for us in 2015. The work is extraordinarily crafted, and the writing, like all of Pierre’s music, is perfectly tailored to showcase the strengths of each instrument. © Il Pirata Records