The Romantic Clarinet

04/11/2012
Howard Smith
Music & Vision Daily (UK)

'The Romantic Clarinet' spotlights clarinettist Paul Dean and regular accompanist Stephen Emmerson, two of Australia's acclaimed instrumental soloists. The gravitas of Dean's interpretative abilities together with his comprehensive scope of tonal resources make him a canny interpreter of Brahms' tumultuous clarinet sonatas...

As I basked in 'The Romantic Clarinet' I could find no compelling reason to prefer the best of earlier recordings... 

For tracks 5-7, Dean turns to simpler structures with transcriptions of three songs from Brahms' 8 Lieder and Songs, Op 57, revelling in their striking lyrical radiance and poetic ebb and flow...

If you seek the best of nineteenth century music for clarinet and piano, look no further.