One of the leading soloists on the international stage, British clarinetist Emma Johnson has won critical acclaim for her expressive playing and musical personality. Here, with her compatriot, the noted pianist John Lenehan, she presents a program that includes music by Sir John Dankworth, who wrote several pieces for her in the 1980s and 1990s. Born in 1927, Dankworth was the first student at the Royal Academy of Music to study both clarinet and saxophone, a crossover path that he carried over into a composition career that sought to dissolve stylistic barriers between classical and jazz. The opening work on the recital, Suite for Emma (1987), is a collection of five character pieces that as Dankworth writes, consists not of classical or jazz, but rather “music I would like to hear Emma Johnson play.” The music is vintage British neo-romanticism, much like the tonal ambience heard in film and television—picturesque, catchy, and pleasing to the ear, but nothing profound or memorable. Likewise, the closing work, Dankworth’s Picture of Jeannie is simply a short fantasy on the famous Stephen Foster song, ‘Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair’. In the Bernstein sonata, the Copland sonata (arranged from the 1943 violin sonata), and Copland’s early Nocturne—a 1926 character piece for violin and piano that the composer 50 years later republished for clarinet and piano—they bring their full artistic commitment to bear. This release, like many of her other recordings, may appeal to a wide audience. Patrick Hanudel - American Record Guide - July 2009

the playing is superb throughout—how could it not be when two such exciting and talented young players are at work [?] Bob Briggs - MusicWeb-International.com - May 2009