Balkan Clarinet Summit - Many Languages: One Soul (2015)

The clarinet is the most popular instrument in South Eastern Europe besides the violin, yet numerous divergent performance techniques have emerged from area to area. The Balkan Clarinet Summit brings together local masters of the clarinet and important representatives of the international clarinet music scene to combine, contrast and mix the fascinating variety of this widespread folk-like instrument with the interpretive culture of both classical and jazz traditions.

Goethe-Institut Athina director Wolfgang Pöhlmann had the original idea which was then picked up by the Goethe-HQ in Munich. Music journalist Guenther Huesman developed it further and, finally, Claudio Puntin and Steffen Schorn were brought on board as musical directors. Claudio then went on a 2-month search for the right artists, seeking local masters who are rooted in tradition but are still flexible enough to work with colleagues from different musical heritages.

The next step was to compile the repertoire for the project. Every musician provided 2 to 4 traditional pieces or their own compositions. Steffen and Claudio then made the arrangements for this unusual acapella formation. Rehearsals proved tricky at first as finding ways to balance and complement the varied means and ways of adaptation was an art in and of itself! The project then all came beautifully together over 3 concerts in September 2012 in Athina, Braaov and Thessaloniki. The outstanding feedback saw the group hit the road for more concerts in December, performing in Sofia, Beograd, Novi Sad, Sarajevo, Zagreb, Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir and again in Athina.

The story thus far has been captured on this live-CD as well as a film, directed by Horacio Alcala. Both convey this extraordinary collaboration and are a moving testimony of artistic understanding beyond style definitions and national borders. The story will hopefully continue …