Steffen Schleiermacher, Volker Hemken - Stockhausen: Bass Clarinet & Piano (2007)

MDG's collection of Stockhausen works for solo piano, solo bass clarinet, and piano and bass clarinet includes some of his most popular and frequently performed music. The beautifully recorded disc is sonically pure and acoustically realistic; its natural, unadulterated sound quality is excellent for capturing the visceral element of Stockhausen's music. The three Klavierstücke (VII, VIII, and IX), dating from 1954 to 1961, have a timbral inventiveness that grew out of the sensitivities the composer had developed in his work in electronic music in the early '50s. They are highly abstract, but never random-sounding -- it's always possible to discern the musical logic that runs through them. Part of the credit for that clarity belongs to Steffen Schleiermacher, himself a composer, who clearly feels, and is able to communicate, the music's structural integrity. "Tanze Luzefa!" for bass clarinet is an excerpt from Michaels Jugend, which is an excerpt from Stockhausen's monumental opera Donnerstag, itself one of the seven operas that constitutes the gargantuan cycle Licht. Its colorful and playful assortment of extended techniques contributes to its dance-like character. Volker Hemken's remarkable performance of In Freundschaft is notable for his ability to alternate between melodies in the clarinet's extreme high and low ranges with virtually no break, creating the illusion of two instruments playing, and for his control of the loudest and softest dynamics. Tierkreis (Zodiac) is one of Stockhausen's most immediately appealing compositions, originally scored for six percussion and music boxes. In this version for bass clarinet and piano (one of many the composer created), several movements are played by a toy piano and music box, and the effect is quirky, charming, and often magical. Schleiermacher's and Hemken's spirited performances and MDG's outstanding sound make this a recording that should be of strong interest to Stockhausen fans.