the hanick hawley duo
Clarinetist Richie Hawley and pianist Conor Hanick explore boundary-pushing music both new and old.
Through their collaboration with some of music's leading composers and their integration of this work with the classic music of the genre, the Hanick Hawley Duo seeks to reinvigorate the repertoire for clarinet and piano.
A gentle notion
“A Gentle Notion represents the past, present and future of American music for clarinet and piano and strives to revitalize the sound of classical music recordings.” – Hanick Hawley Duo
With A Gentle Notion, the Hanick Hawley Duo celebrates the past half-century of American music for clarinet and piano. A radio-friendly collection that marks their duo album debut, the new recording presents clarinetist Richie Hawley and pianist Conor Hanick in the clarinet sonatas of Aaron Copland, Jennifer Higdon and Pierre Jalbert, together with Wings – Joan Tower’s tour-de-force for solo clarinet – and the title track, an evocative Higdon miniature. Both this short piece and Jalbert’s sonata, which was commissioned and written for the duo, are heard here in world premiere recordings.
By working with two of today’s greatest living composers and integrating their work with modern classics of the genre, the duo hopes to reinvigorate the repertoire for their instruments. Released on April 30, 2021 by Hawley’s own label, Il Pirata Records, A Gentle Notion was produced by the clarinetist himself. Eschewing traditional classical production methods for innovative recording and mixing techniques, he places the listener directly alongside the musicians, capturing the resonance, texture and immediacy of an authentic onstage experience.
A GENTLE NOTION
Jennifer Higdon
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