Alastair Stout - all isles excelling (2001)
all isles excelling
Bass clarinet, violin, violoncello & celesta
5 minutes
Commissioned by Contemporary Consort, with funds provided by the
Royal College of Music, and first performed in the Purcell Room, London,
as part of the Park Lane Group New Year Series on January 7th, 2002.
“...Switching clarinet for bass clarinet and piano for celesta opened up a whole
new array of timbres in this piece inspired by Purcell's song Fairest Isle and, more
obscurely, Johnny Cash's autobiography. The intriguing sounds were tapped with
sensitivity and wit by the young musicians.”
The Daily Telegraph, January 2002
“...clarity and fragility...”
The Guardian, January 2002
“Alastair Stout’s all isles excelling (2001), inspired by Purcell and Johnny Cash,
deals in fugitive gestures and pointillist timbres, suggesting a distanced recall of
the famous Dryden text.”
The Classical Source, January 2002
