Yesterday was the centenary of the birth of Nino Rota, the Italian composer mostly known for his scores for Fellini, Visconti, Zeffirelli and Coppola, though he also wrote 10 operas, five ballets and several chamber works. Leslie Craven, principal clarinet of the Welsh National Opera, here brings his lovely warm, round tone to bear in Rota's seductive Clarinet Sonata and brisk, lively Trio, both far less profound than Brahms's familiar Op 120 Sonatas Nos 1 and 2 but delightfully playful and effortlessly tuneful nonetheless.
Brahms/Rota: Rota Centenary – review
Stephen Pritchard
Leslie Craven (clarinet), Michael Pollock (piano), Stjepan Hauser (cello), Yoko Misumi (piano)
(Dinmore)
(Dinmore)
Contributor
Stephen Pritchard
Stephen Pritchard has written on classical music for most of his 45 years in journalism. He was the Observer's first readers' editor, and prior to that was a managing editor and production editor
Stephen Pritchard
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