The irresistible title of Prelude, Fnugg & Riffs refers to the opening work on this delightful disc of wind music, Leonard Bernstein's Prelude, Fugue and Riffs for clarinet and jazz ensemble of 1949. The Bernstein touches off a high-spirited and pleasingly international collection of wind pieces that keep the listener engaged and entertained even as they push into contemporary instrumental techniques. Øystein Baadsvik/Svein H. Giske's Fnugg Blue is a rare example of a composition (Baadsvik's Fnugg) further developed by a ...
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The irresistible title of Prelude, Fnugg & Riffs refers to the opening work on this delightful disc of wind music, Leonard Bernstein's Prelude, Fugue and Riffs for clarinet and jazz ensemble of 1949. The Bernstein touches off a high-spirited and pleasingly international collection of wind pieces that keep the listener engaged and entertained even as they push into contemporary instrumental techniques. Øystein Baadsvik/Svein H. Giske's Fnugg Blue is a rare example of a composition (Baadsvik's Fnugg) further developed by a second composer (Giske's Fnugg Blue). The word "fnugg," Baadsvik explains dryly, represents "how it may sound when I play with the various sounds of the tuba"; the original work, for solo tuba, incorporated Norwegian folk rhythms and sounds reminiscent of the Australian didjeridoo. Giske added band and synthesizer parts. The work embeds extended playing techniques in an accessible world music context. Advanced techniques are likewise artfully woven into Soviet composer Boris Diev's...
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