[ABOVE: William Grant Still; Photo is the sole property of William Grant Still Music, and is used with permission; BELOW: “The Toledo Clarinets”; Greg Klaas, clarinet; Jocelyn Langworthy, clarinet; Shannon Ford, clarinet; Kevin Schempf, clarinet; Chelsea Tipton II, clarinet; Elliott Ross, clarinet; Greg Kostraba, piano; William Grant Still: “Quartet for Four B-Flat Clarinets” (15:18), “Christmas in the Western World (Las Pascuas)” (18:51); Cambria CAMCD-1190 (2009)]
ToledoBlade.com
Article published January 07, 2010
By Sally Vallongo
Special to The Blade
“Two new classical recordings with local connections say a lot about the diversity and quality of the music scene in northwest Ohio. The Toledo Clarinets - Georg Klaas, Jocelyn Langworthy, Shannon Ford, and Kevin Schempf - have just released their eponymous first album on the Cambria label (cambriamus.com). Works by American composers of today and yesteryear make for a refreshing hour of music by instruments rarely heard outside either symphonic or big-band venues.
“Two new classical recordings with local connections say a lot about the diversity and quality of the music scene in northwest Ohio. The Toledo Clarinets - Georg Klaas, Jocelyn Langworthy, Shannon Ford, and Kevin Schempf - have just released their eponymous first album on the Cambria label (cambriamus.com). Works by American composers of today and yesteryear make for a refreshing hour of music by instruments rarely heard outside either symphonic or big-band venues.
“Jerome Moross (1913-1983), a major composer for Hollywood films and Broadway productions, is represented with his Sonatina for Clarinet Choir. Chelsea Tipton II and Elliott Ross, bass clarinet, join the quartet for this piece. Two works by major African-American composer William Grant Still (1895-1978) reveal his great gift for melody and ingenious orchestration. A quartet by Sean Osborn, the premier American clarinetist and composer, and 'De Profundis,' by area musician Christopher Dietz round out this innovative album.
“Produced by former WGTE-FM 91.3, music director Greg Kostraba, the selections reveal a fresh approach to music rarely heard, either in public or on recording, and may open a few ears to the appeal of clarinet music as a solo option. The album is priced online at $18. For lovers of classical music, a new 37-CD boxed set titled 'Josef Haydn: The Complete Symphonies,' recorded by Toledo native and world-renowned conductor Dennis Russell Davies with his Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, may just become a must-have.” [William Grant Still (1895-1978) is profiled at AfriClassical.com, where a complete Works List by Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma is found.]
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