S. Pazarentsis, S. Trkulja, S. Balutel, O. Büyükberber, O. Pamukov, T. Klein, C. Puntin, S. Schorn
Many Languages – One Soul – Balkan Clarinet Summit (Piranha, 2015)
Six clarinet players representing 6 musical cultures were brought together to create the Balkan Clarinet Summit. The clarinet is deeply rooted in the Balkan region and this project features an ensemble of clarinet players exclusively, without additional musical accompaniment.
The project is the brainchild of Goethe-Institut Athina director Wolfgang Pöhlmann that was later picked up by the Goethe headquarters in Munich. Music journalist Guenther Huesman developed the idea further. Eventually, clarinet maestros Claudio Puntin and Steffen Schorn were named musical directors of the Balkan Clarinet Summit.
Claudio took to the road and spent 2 months seeking traditional clarinet maestros open to working with colleagues from various musical traditions.
To build the repertoire, every musician provided 2 to 4 traditional pieces or their own compositions. Steffen and Claudio then made the arrangements for this remarkable clarinet-only format. The project went live with 3 concerts in September 2012 in Athina, Braaov and Thessaloniki and continued in December, with performances in Sofia, Belgrade, Novi Sad, Sarajevo, Zagreb, Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir and once more in Athina.
The inspiring music on Many Languages – One Soul – Balkan Clarinet Summit is a seamless mix of classical, jazz improvisation and folk music traditions from the Balkan region. The selection is wide ranging and entertaining, combining introspective calm pieces with lively dance tunes.
The artists featured include Greek klarino player Stavros Pazarentsis; Slobodan Trkulja from Novi Sad in Serbia; Moldovan folk musician Sergiu Balutel; Turkish bass clarinet soloist Oguz Büyükberber; Bulgarian clarinetist Orlin Pamukov; Swiss jazz clarinetist Claudio Puntin; and German woodwind specialist Steffen Schorn.
Many Languages – One Soul – Balkan Clarinet Summit is a marvelous journey through the world of the solo clarinet.
Buy Many Languages – One Soul – Balkan Clarinet Summit
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
