Anthony Pike - Vienna Calling: Sonatas and Minitures for Clarinet and Piano (2023)

This release features two of the UK's most distinguished chamber musicians in a programme united by strong connections to the city of Vienna. The programme places the late sonatas by Brahms alongside works by Alban Berg, Egon Wellesz, and Ernst Krenek, who Glenn Gould described as "a one-man history of twentieth-century music".

"Some years ago I recorded a CD of Reger's Complete Works for Clarinet and Piano for Clarinet and Saxophone Classics. The idea then was to imagine which directions Brahms might have taken had he lived into the twentieth century. The duo writing of Reger fitted this bill uncannily. Since then, I have had a chance to explore more twentieth century compositions involving the clarinet with the same 'What if?' Bramsian conceit. This CD is the result." - Anthony Pike

The performances demonstrate the development of music in Vienna from the late Romanticism of Brahms to the Serialism of Berg. They further shine a light on the two lesser-known sons of the city, Egon Wellesz, and Ernst Krenek both of whom were forced to flee in 1938.

Anthony Pike and John Lenehan began their duo partnership at the 1980 BBC Young Musician of the Year competition. Many of the pieces on this CD have featured in their recital programmes ever since, including in broadcasts for Radio 3. They are the result of years of careful thought and collaboration by two artists who are hugely in demand as chamber musicians.

Recorded by this extraordinarily creative and successful partnership spanning over forty years. The great Brahms clarinet sonatas and Berg's Vier Stücke are presented with rarely heard contemporaries Krenek and Wellesz.

A significant recording for 2022 released by a label dedicated to the clarinet and saxophone, celebrating its thirtieth anniversary.