The Clarinet

Alexander Stankovski: Linien II. Petra Stump-Linshalm, Bb clarinet, basset horn, bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet; Heinz-Peter Linshalm, Eb clarinet, Bb clarinet, bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet. Alexander Stankovski: Linien II. God Records, GOD 51. Total Time 28:00.

This disc is titled for the single work it contains, Linien II, by Austria-based composer Alexander Stankovski (b. 1968.) In his program notes from the premiere, Stankovski calls the work a “cycle of nine duos…expressive in different ways” and a “journey through all registers of the clarinet family.” Stankovski’s output spans small chamber works to orchestral pieces and often includes electronics and voices, spoken and sung. Linien II is the second of three sets of duos titled Linien, German for Lines.

The avant-garde miniatures comprising Linien II call for pairs of clarinets from contrabass to e-flat. The nine duos, firmly atonal, often have a spontaneous, improvisatory quality but are punctuated with passages of sinewy counterpoint. Stankovski masterfully explores the textural possibilities of two monophonic instruments. The duos are at times stark and desolate, at other times cacophonous and chaotic; silence is used to great effect. Each duo, bearing a characteristic title such as “stop and go” or “Déploration,” is a concise evocation, delving into extremes of disquiet, angst, and playfulness.

Clarinetists Petra Stump-Linshalm and Heinz-Peter Linshalm handle the extreme demands of Stankovski’s work with aplomb. Helming clarinets of all sizes with impressive agility, they traverse sweeping angular lines and seamlessly integrate extended techniques with ease. The pair prove an ideal match, both expressively and tonally. Their willingness to embrace intensity of expression in a compact format does justice to Stankovski’s style, and their limpid, crystalline tones exploit the spectral effects of Linien II to great advantage.
David Yandl