Finnish clarinetist Kari Kriikku is one of the new Scandinavian virtuosi, with recordings of difficult standards by Weber and others to his credit. Here he takes an offbeat detour into the international traditions that have fascinated so many classical performers in recent decades: klezmer, tango, Portuguese fado, and Arabic music, among others. Bizarre Bazaar is something of a modern counterpart to the "encores" albums released by violinists in the old days, when a piece like Hora Staccato would enliven the end of a ...
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Finnish clarinetist Kari Kriikku is one of the new Scandinavian virtuosi, with recordings of difficult standards by Weber and others to his credit. Here he takes an offbeat detour into the international traditions that have fascinated so many classical performers in recent decades: klezmer, tango, Portuguese fado, and Arabic music, among others. Bizarre Bazaar is something of a modern counterpart to the "encores" albums released by violinists in the old days, when a piece like Hora Staccato would enliven the end of a concert. The parallel is pretty close: Kriikku is not playing in authentic popular styles, but what you get in exchange is an intensified level of virtuosity in the solo part. The clarinet slides of klezmer music, say, are given a very athletic twist in Kriikku's playing. The arrangements, by a group of Kriikku's associates, feature orchestral accompaniment from the hot Tapiola Sinfonietta, which seems to be enjoying itself as much as Kriikku. These arrangments work reasonably well in the...
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Add this copy of Bizarre Bazaar to cart. $27.06, new condition, Sold by newtownvideo rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from huntingdon valley, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by Ondine.