Victoria Soames Samek

The CD includes a performance of Lingering Shadows by Tim Watts also included on the disc as a free music PDF file. Semplice – Italian for ‘simple’. Internationally renowned clarinettist Victoria Soames Samek presents over forty short pieces that are musically satisfying to listen to, yet can be performed by intermediate and junior players.

Semplice includes original clarinet works by established composers including Gade and Howard Ferguson. Also included are excellent arrangements of works by, Tchaikovsky, Elgar Debussy and others, some jazzy, some classical. Settings from the folk idiom include the haunting Scarborough Fair. Completing the programme are many of the best short compositions found in the clarinet tutors and popular collections enjoyed by students everywhere.

The Semplice series is the brain child of Victoria Soames Samek. Each item has been carefully selected for its quality and Semplice is both an invaluable resource for the clarinettist and a simple joy for the general listener.

As part of our 20th anniversary celebrations, Clarinet Classics is delighted to release Clarinet Chamber Music by Paul Harris – A Musical Celebration.

Paul Harris is well-known internationally as a composer and writer, with over 600 publications to his name. This world-premiere recording brings together a unique selection from both his serious and light-hearted compositions. The CD is rich in lyrical and melodic content, including a variety of instrumentation and enjoying the additional bonus of voice and narrator.

This is the second in the new Clarinet Classics series devoted to composers of today.

The artistic director, Victoria Soames Samek, a close friend of the composer, brings her unique and personal interpretation to the recording, accompanied by her duo partner Michael Bell, plus Robert Hardy, soprano Karen Radcliffe, Kimberly Easter and East Winds.

Recorded under the direction of the composer, this CD will be valued by clarinet players and music lovers all around the world. Don’t miss the added bonus of a live interview between Victoria Soames Samek and Paul Harris on www.clarinetclassics.com/home/media.htm.

Clarinet Classics is proud and delighted to honour one of the world’s most brilliant and versatile composers and musician. To celebrate his 75th birthday, Clarinet Classics is releasing a CD which features many of Richard Rodney Bennett’s works for clarinet.

This CD, a rich and diverse collection of works, will be of great interest to listeners who wish to hear some of Richard Rodney Bennett’s more serious music.

The founder and artistic director of Clarinet Classics, Victoria Soames Samek, whose many recordings are celebrated for their masterly and musical interpretation, is joined on this fascinating and colourful disc by duo partner and pianist Michael Bell. The Inspirity String Quartet and East Winds also perform.

Well known for his film music and interest in jazz, Richard Rodney Bennett's scores include Far from the Madding Crowd and Four Weddings and Funeral.

World Premiere recording for this CD of the Bass Clarinet Sonata, newly transcribed from his Sonata for bassoon and piano by permission of the composer.

His rarely heard Clarinet Quintet – a master work of the 20th century for this combination of clarinet and strings.

A personal note from the composer.

The beautiful and melancholic Ballad in memory of Shirley Horn

His dynamic and exciting Duo, performed on this CD with electric precision by Samek and Bell.