NUBILARIA - NUBILARIA CLARINET ENSEMBLE

NUBILARIA ( CVLD209 )

Author : AAVV
Performer : NUBILARIA CLARINET ENSEMBLE

Notes

Original compositions by G. Greshwin, A. Piazzolla, P. Swerts, E. Grieg, C. McAlister, M. De Falla, B. Bartok, AJ Ellis/J. Pastorius. Arrangements by S. Bergamini, G. Forghieri.
Nubilaria Clarinet Ensemble: G. Forghieri clarinet, eb clarinet; M. Rossi clarinet; G. Formicola clarinet; A. Bondioli clarinet; L.Sacchetti clarinet; C. Calzolari clarinet; M. Fiorini clarinet, alto clarinet; A. Ponzi clarinet, alto clarinet, bass clarinet; S. Bergamini bass clarinet.
24bit/88.2 kHz original recording made at MagisterAreaStudios, Preganziol, Italy on January 8, 9, 2011.

The Nubilaria Clarinet Ensemble is a “clarinet choir”, that is, an ensemble formed exclusively by instruments from the clarinet family.
This ensemble is extremely versatile, second in this respect only to the large symphony orchestra, and its sound can be reminiscent of the organ; the actual instrumentation can vary greatly, from a minimum of five players to an indefinite maximum; in fact, there have been groups of more than 70 members. The clarinet choir can therefore be considered the wind instrument equivalent of the string orchestra.
The original repertoire for this ensemble was virtually non-existent until the second half of the 20th century, but it soon became clear that any piece could be transcribed, starting from the most disparate groups, from the symphony orchestra to the solo piano, from the string quartet to the wind ensemble. Percy Grainger, an important Australian composer, was very attracted by the arrangement for clarinet choir, and produced in his career several transcriptions of great beauty from compositions by JS Bach, Josquin des Pres, Alessandro Scarlatti and many others. The golden age of the clarinet choir began around 1950: many ensembles were created within all the major educational institutions in the United States and important composers who worked there began to write original pieces and new transcriptions, simultaneously strengthening the existing clarinet choirs and creating new ones, basing a good part of their teaching activity on them.
There are currently hundreds of active clarinet choirs all over the world, but their diffusion in Italy is still very limited, in fact there are very few experiences in our country, among which our formation is probably the only stable one. In this album we use the following instruments: a Piccolo Clarinet in E flat, seven Clarinets in B flat, two Alto Clarinets in E flat and two Bass Clarinets in B flat, variously combined.
So, why did we form a Clarinet Choir? The main reason is very simple: because it's fun! Furthermore, the clarinet choir combines the playful and educational potential of the band, the most widespread popular ensemble in Italy, with the musical quality that only the best orchestras and the best chamber ensembles can achieve. The attention to detail that characterizes us allows us to give new life and new colors to a repertoire that in many ways is now standardized, so Stefano Bergamini and Giuliano Forghieri have written and are writing new arrangements of important pieces from the classical and popular repertoire. Recently, the first composition written for us and dedicated to us also arrived, “In a Clearing” by the American composer Clark McAlister, which is included in this album.
Finally, a few words about the meaning of our name: Nubilaria is the ancient name (in Latin) of Novellara (Reggio Emilia), the city where our group was born in 2005 at the cultural association “Lo Schiaccianoci” (www.schiaccianoci.org), a name that probably has to do with the fogs that characterize this geographical area. However, we like to think that the name is the result of the juxtaposition of clouds and air, thus indicating something that metaphorically brings together meanings related to dreams, continuous movement and the sound produced by our instruments.

Production: VELUT LUNA & NUBILARIA ENSEMBLE
Executive producer: Marco Lincetto
Musical producer: Lisa Forghieri
Recording, mixing & mastering engineer: Marco Lincetto
Editing: Fabio Framba
Layout: the image
Marketing: Francesco Pesavento
Sales Manager: Moreno Danieli & Patrizia Pagiaro
Press Agent: Emanuela Dalla Valle
World wide contacts: Cristiana Dalla Valle