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Electric Clarinet
F. GERARD ERRANTE & BURTON BEERMAN
 Cover Photo: Chris Tompkins
Catalog Number: CPS-8607
Audio Format: Stereo, DDD
Playing Time: 60:46
Release Date: 1991
Track
Listing & Audio Samples
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Jane
Brockman |
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1. |
Ningana (9:03) |
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F.
Gerard Errante, clarinet |
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Burton
Beerman |
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2. |
Masks (6:19) |
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Burton
Beerman, clarinet |
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Vladimir
Ussachevsky |
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3. |
Four
Studies for Clarinet and EVI (5:46) |
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F.
Gerard Errante, clarinet |
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Burton
Beerman |
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4. |
Moondace (6:49) |
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Burton
Beerman, clarinet |
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Thea
Musgrave |
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5. |
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F.
Gerard Errante, clarinet |
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F.
Gerard Errante |
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6. |
Elegy
for Gilda (3:23) |
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F.
Gerard Errante, clarinet |
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Burton
Beerman |
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7. |
Wind
Whispers, Sounds, and Shouts (13:15) |
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Burton
Beerman, clarinet |
Also
Available on Capstone:
Reviews
20th Century Music -
January, 1998 - by Mark Alburger
"Just about any
instrument can be treated as a trigger for electro-acoustic adventures,
so why not the clarinet? One possible response is that by Burton
Beerman and F. Gerard Errante, in an entertaining album that sums
it up succinctly "Electric Clarinet" (Capstone).
Despite the multiple layers of sound, the singular instrumental
designation in the title is appropriate, as no more than one of
the performers is heard per piece. In any case, the results are
captivating, and the spirit behind the enterprise is likewise. Indeed,
the performers comments seem to capture the tone of our times.
"It is our hope that this is an album not about technology,
but about making music with the clarinet assisted by technological
extensions.
We have enjoyed the process of creating this
album and hope you will find it enlightening, edifying, and above
all, entertaining." The "Three Es" enlightening,
edifying, and entertaining are words to keep in mind. Beerman
takes his own god advice, beginning with "Masks," in a
plethora of voices and contrapuntal echoic vociferations. His "Moondance"
(1990), triggers a whole orchestra of percussion and strings, against
funky jazz licks in the manner of Richard Stoltzman, while "Wind
Whispers, Sounds, and Shouts" bounces along in its positively
joyous past-minimal manner. This latter ultimately stretches out
into a fat, heroic, droney chorale-like cadence coda, sprinkled
with upper-line fantasies.
Errante performs all the rest of the selections on the CD, starting
with the vivacious Eastern-tinged "Ningana" for clarinet,
electronics, and tape. Reflecting the "Three Es,"
this work is, dare we say it, "Fun"? Composer Jan Brockman
does: "[A] rather rowdy second movement (with tape) . . . was
designed to be fun to listen to and to play. Mr. Errante employs
a pitch-following device called the Pitchrider: it tracks the notes
played on the clarinet and rapidly sends note messages to a synthesizer.
The result is perceived as an ensemble performance." Yes. And
speaking of fun, "Hilarious" is never a word that Ive
linked up with Vladimir Ussachevsky, but it works here (although
"whimsical" is the word in the notes). This veteran of
tape music continues to impress in "Four Studies for Clarinet
and EVI" with sounds ranging from saxlike to sexlike.
True to its title, Thea Musgraves "Narcissus" (1986-87)
is by far the most introspective and self-indulgent, running a long
1530". Digital delay is utilized for the echo of reality
and myth, with a nice call-and-response between active arpeggic
and more lyrical material. The low-tech analog would be playing
in a super-reverberant stairwell, but occasionally interesting pulsating
effects are set up in the more insistent passages. The rippling,
watery arpeggios are perfectly appropriate to the storyline, and
also echo Crumbs flute-writing in the equally aquatic "Vox
Balaenae," while some of the more boogieing, rocketing phrases
at the end call to mind an unaccompanied Copland "Clarinet
Concerto" finale.
F. Gerard Errantes "Elegy for Gilda" is in memory
of not the operatic character, but a dog. It takes its cue from
Musgrave in a solemn manner."
???
- by Dawn Ellen Whaley
The ELECTRIC CLARINET showcases the specialized artistry of F. Gerard Errante and
Burton Beerman. It contains seven selections exploring the multi-timbral
concepts of solo clarinet enhanced by a variety of electronics.
With two exceptions all of the pitch material is generated by the
single player, something at times difficult to believe.
Errante and Beerman are distinguished artists with highly contrasting
syles and approaches. Beerman typically plays his own original music;
Errante music written by others, usually for him. Both use like
equipment, but it is there that the similarity ends.
Beerman is featured here in three original works. Masks explores
small pitch cells which are built into large structures by the use
of multi-timbral effects. The contrasts between these cells as they
are layered creates textural and contrapuntal interest. Moondance exhibits a rhythmic, episodic style that seems to imply color
and movement. This is characteristic of much of Beerman's music,
juxtaposing fragments Eastern sounding raga with jazz idioms. Wind
Whispers, Sounds, and Shouts explores sequenced sounds added
to the processed clarinet solo. A repeated pattern derived from
the sequenced ostinato drives the piece. The imitative effects are
layered so thickly that it makes picking out the clarinet line a
challenge.
F. Gerard Errante is heard in four selections. Vladimir Ussachevsky's Four Studies for Clarinet and EVI is a classic duet for an
acoustic instrument and an electronic partner. Here there are four
short character pieces, delightfully witty and here played with
wonderful grace and style.
Jane Brockman's Ningana is amone the best of the "live
electronics" pieces. It is divided into two movements, the
first using only electronic processing of the clarinet line, the
second adding tape. Ningana is an audience pleaser, written
in an accessible entertaining style.
The short Elegy for Gilda is Errantes own composition for
clarinet using some extended technique and digital delay. It is
an emotional work written in memory of the death of a long time
companion pet. It is concise and well written.
Thea Musgraves Narcissus is a substantial programmatic work
written originally for flute and digital delay, but transcribed
for Errante by the composer. Closely following the Narcissus legend.
each delay effect evokes a specific aspect of the story. This is
made cleear to the performer by textural references in the score.
Unfortunately this aspect of the piece is lost here for any listener
unfamiliar with the piece. The words are not even listed in the
liner notes, a serious omission, I think.
Musgrave's score has very specific performance instructions concerning
the nature and type of each delay setting, all to portray the descriptive
elements of the Narcissus scenario. Unfortunately, I do not think
that all of these are re-created in this performance, and some of
Musgraves brilliant sound characterization is lost.
All of the selections except the Ussachevsky were recorded at the
Music Technology Studios at Bowling Green State University. Having
heard both artists live many times, I must say that Errante's tone
is much more consistent with his usual sound in live performance
on the Ussachevsky than on any of the others. The difference in
tone quality is quite narkedly perceptible. The quality of the engineering
is wonderful, but the warmth of tone that I know exists is somehow
absent on the BGSU engineering."
WINDPLAYER
- Volume 9, Number 1 - ???
"Here we have a
bright, uplifting program by two enterprising clarinetists
who are clearly on the hunt for heautiful sounds, not the usual
dour, ascetic avant-garde rhetoric. They revel in electronic possibilities
as they avoid cliches, using electronics as an exotic language not
a chromium-plated mimic of acoustic instruments.
Errante starts out on the right foot with Brockman's Ningana, a
lovely, rippling piece in which the digital delay-minded Errante
uses a Pitchrider on his horn to control a synthesizer. Errante
also gets the lengthiest display piece in Musgrave's "Narcissus,"
a surprisingly literal rendering of the myth where the treated solo
clarinet registers a query, then contemplation, then desperation,
and finally, spent silence.
Beerman's participation is limited to his own compositions, the
best being a concerto-like carousel of whirling, almost orchestral
electronics called "Wind, Whispers, Sounds and Shouts."
Don't let the whiff of academia in the liner credits put you off.
There is whimsy, pomposity, drama, intergalactic space
music and plenty of attractive lyrical solo work here, making this
one of the most enjoyable avant-garde wind discs to come my way
in a long time."
Living
Music - Winter 1992 - Volume 10, Number 2 - by Joseph Koykkar
"Capstane Records
has recently released a collection of seven works on CD which demonstrates
the impact of music technology on music-making with the clarinet.
Appropriately titled, Electronic Clarinet show cases the
performance skills of two top-notch players, Burton Beerman and
F. Gerard Errante.
Composer Jane Brockman is represented by a 9-minute composition, Ningana, scored for clarinet, tape and electronics.
This impressive work features skillfully woven textures created
by electronic timbres (primarily produced by synthesizers and digital
delays) and the clarinet's traditional sound. Aesthetically, the
composition displays Brockman's use of popular music idioms in combination
with a more formal style. A tonal composition with a somewhat loose
structure, Ningana is an accessible, entertaining production.
Burton Beerman performs his 1990 composition Masks which
combines virtuosic writing for the clarinet and MIDI-triggering
of sampled sounds. The composition vacillates between tightly structured
sections where motives are explored (as in the opening's descending
minor seventh Eb-F) and mare rhapsodic segments which have an improvisatory quality. Like Ningana, Masks is a tonal
composition that is very approachable, but here the overuse of sampled
vocal/choral sounds lessens its impact.
The late Vladimir Ussachevsky is represented on this CD by his Four
Studies for Clarinet and EVI. These four miniatures consist
of two duets and two solos which showcase the excellent technical
skills of clarinetist F. Gerard Errante and EVI player Nyle Steiner.
Moondance, composed and performed by Burton Beerman, is a crafty
display of the clarinetist's interaction via MIDI with numerous
sound modules which represent a small, yet timbrally-varied ensemble.
This work exhibits a hapsodic quality (like his composition Masks) while expressing hints of influences from the worlds of jazz
and ethnic dance music.
F. Gerard Errante performs his own composition Elegy for Gilda,
a brief evocative work which features expressive handling of the
solo clarinet
passages sans electronics in two extended sections. The use of digital
delays and microtonal inflections in the composition's other segments
are particularly effective.
Narcissus by Thea Musgrave is given an excellent performance
on this CD by Errante. The composition is a moody, dramatic work
which combines extended acoustic clarinet passages with sections
utilizing a digital delay in a very subtle manner. However, at almost
sixteen minutes in duration, Narcissus seems lengthy in relationship
to the materials employed in the work.
The third compositinn by Beerman, Wind, Whispers, Sounds, and
Shoutsis a technological tour de force exploiting a number of
sound modules controlled by the clarinetist using a Pitch-to-MIDl
converter and a MIDI sequencer (Unfortunately, the liner notes are
very sketchy about the actual equipment setup). Of the seven works
on the CD, this one best exemplifies an effective and elaborate
integration of music technology with live performance.
All in all, Electric Clarinet can be recommended as
a very interesting and enjoyable CD for anyone interested in hearing
how acoustic instrumental performance has been extended by music
technology during the last few years."
???
- by Dawn Ellen Whaley
"The ELECTRIC CLARINET showcases the specialized artistry of F.
Gerard Errante and Burton Beerman. It contains seven selections
exploring the multi-timbral concepts of solo clarinet enhanced by
a variety of electronics. With two exceptions all of the pitch material
is generated by the single player, something at times difficult
to believe.
Errante and Beerman are distinguished artists with highly contrasting
syles and approaches. Beerman typically plays his own original music;
Errante music written by others, usually for him. Both use like
equipment, but it is there that the similarity ends.
Beerman is featured here in three original works. Masks explores
small pitch cells which are built into large structures by the use
of multi-timbral effects. The contrasts between these cells as they
are layered creates textural and contrapuntal interest. Moondance exhibits a rhythmic, episodic style that seems to imply color
and movement. This is characteristic of much of Beerman's music,
juxtaposing fragments Eastern sounding raga with jazz idioms. Wind
Whispers, Sounds, and Shouts explores sequenced sounds added
to the processed clarinet solo. A repeated pattern derived from
the sequenced ostinato drives the piece. The imitative effects are
layered so thickly that it makes picking out the clarinet line a
challenge.
F. Gerard Errante is heard in four selections. Vladimir Ussachevsky's Four Studies for Clarinet and EVI is a classic duet for an
acoustic instrument and an electronic partner. Here there are four
short character pieces, delightfully witty and here played with
wonderful grace and style.
Jane Brockman's Ningana is amone the best of the "live
electronics" pieces. It is divided into two movements, the
first using only electronic processing of the clarinet line, the
second adding tape. Ningana is an audience pleaser, written
in an accessible entertaining style.
The short Elegy for Gilda is Errantes own composition for
clarinet using some extended technique and digital delay. It is
an emotional work written in memory of the death of a long time
companion pet. It is concise and well written.
Thea Musgraves Narcissus is a substantial programmatic work
written originally for flute and digital delay, but transcribed
for Errante by the composer. Closely following the Narcissus legend.
each delay effect evokes a specific aspect of the story. This is
made cleear to the performer by textural references in the score.
Unfortunately this aspect of the piece is lost here for any listener
unfamiliar with the piece. The words are not even listed in the
liner notes, a serious omission, I think.
Musgrave's score has very specific performance instructions concerning
the nature and type of each delay setting, all to portray the descriptive
elements of the Narcissus scenario. Unfortunately, I do not think
that all of these are re-created in this performance, and some of
Musgraves brilliant sound characterization is lost.
All of the selections except the Ussachevsky were recorded at the
Music Technology Studios at Bowling Green State University. Having
heard both artists live many times, I must say that Errante's tone
is much more consistent with his usual sound in live performance
on the Ussachevsky than on any of the others. The difference in
tone quality is quite narkedly perceptible. The quality of the engineering
is wonderful, but the warmth of tone that I know exists is somehow
absent on the BGSU engineering."
Fanfare
- November/December, 1991 - Volume 15, Number 2 - by Peter Burwasser
"If there is any
hope for contemporary music, it is because of albums like this.
Here is a group of recent works that are neither self-consciously
modern. in an academic, atonal way, nor condescendingly melodic
in the tired. minimalist fashion. There may not be a single masterpiece
on the whole CD, and yet this is all music that manages to retain
an artistic integrity while at once being truly entertaining. That
is no small feat.
Jane Brockmans Ningano is the weakest of the bunch, but it's
not bad. I would have guessed that Brockman is a Hollywood composer,
as her bio indicates. The piece conjures a generic theatricality
with its rolling arpeggios, and, later, a pulsating synthesized
rhythm track. This is basically sophisticated background music.
The clarinet is merely amplified, and not electronically manipulated.
Burton Beerman's music is more intrinsically electronic. In Masks he uses a synthesized wordless chorus as a backdrop to echoing
cascades of clarinet sound. Moondance draws on primal rhythmic
impulses. featuring jazzy riffing against an electronic patter of
drums. The last work on the program, Wind Whispers, Sounds, and
Shouts, is a pleasing hodgepodge of expertly assembled
effects, as the name suggests. Like the rest of Beerman's music,
the work has a sophisticated likability. but skirts any real emotioaal
substance.
The heart of the program is Thea Musgrave's Narcissus. originally
composed for four flutes, and here transcribed by the composer for
solo clarinet with computer generated delay. Musgrave has captured
the essence of the Greek myth of self-love with haunting power.
The digital delays that follow fluid solo plaints represent the
rippling reflections of Narcissus in water. The soloist, F. Gerard
Errante. explores this engaging impressionism with gorgeous legato
playing and a subtle sense for the mythic duality.
Two short works round out this CD. The late Vladimir Ussachevsky,
a pioneer of electronic music, contributes Four Studies for Clarinet
and EVI, a sort of contemporruy set of clasically inspired bagatelles.
F. Gerard Errantes brief Elegy for Gilda, written after the
death of his German Shepherd, is rather strange, but true dog lovers,
not to say new music lovers, will hear a responsive chord."
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