Phoenix Ensemble

Chamber Works of Henri Marteau

& Alexander Zemlinsky

 

Mark Lieb clarinet

 

OVERVIEW

 

Navona Records is proud to present PHOENIX ENSEMBLE: CHAMBER WORKS OF HENRI MARTEAU AND ALEXANDER ZEMLINSKY. The Phoenix Ensemble is a mixed instrument chamber music ensemble. Founded in 1991 by New York-based clarinetist Mark Lieb, the Phoenix Ensemble aims to “inspire a new and diverse audience for classical music.” They undertake this challenge by presenting two works by late romantic French composer Henri Marteau, who is relatively unknown in the music world, as well as presenting one work by Austrian composer Alexander Zemlinsky. Both composers were active at the turn of the 19th century.

 

The album’s three suites are presented in reverse chronological order, starting with the first ever recording of Henri Marteau’s Serenede, Op 20, which was penned in 1922. The four movement suite – which features 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet and 2 bassoons – begins with the delightful “Entranta,” a rollicking and regal composition that sets the tone for the entire nonet.

 

Next up is Quintet for Clarinet and String Quartet, Op 13, which Marteau composed in 1908. Like Serenede, the four movement work is again inspired by the light and charming work of French composers like Johannes Brahms and Antonín Dvořák.

 

With the selection of a mostly mysterious composer in Henri Marteau, the Phoenix Ensemble makes a lesser-known body of work sound like an old classic, and they educate modern listeners about a composer who has been largely unnoticed in his own era and forgotten by the passage of time. In the album’s liner notes, the Phoenix Ensemble claim that Marteau’s compositions remind them of “Les Six, the French musical movement of the day led by composers Francis Poulenc, Georges Auric and Darius Milhaud, whose aim was to rebel against the overly serious and complex grandeur of Richard Wagner.”

 

The second composer featured by the Phoenix Ensemble is Alexander Zemlinsky, presenting Trio Op 3, which Zemlinsky wrote in 1896 at the tender age of 25. Trio Op 3 is a stunning display of originality, presented as a chamber trio (piano and cello joining Lieb on clarinet). It begins with a stirring first movement, “Allegro ma non troppo”, that immediately captures the listener’s attention. “Andante,” the second movement, is more expressive and evocative and even a bit moody, before the rousing third movement, “Allegro,” guides the suite to its conclusion. It’s in “Allegro” that Zemlinsky’s imaginative writing truly shines. The Phoenix Ensemble feels right at home in their performance, each note filled with confidence and charisma.

 

By presenting somewhat obscure works from the early 20th century, Mark Lieb and the Phoenix Ensemble are able to educate their listeners on some of the lesser known composers of a past era while leaving their own imprint on the works.

 

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HIGHLIGHTS

 

Mark Lieb, the Founder and Artistic Director of the Phoenix Ensemble, is a New York-based clarinetist.  A graduate of both Northwestern University and The Juilliard School, he has been an active professional freelance musician, performing with many orchestras, opera companies, chamber ensembles, and new music groups in New York City

 

The Phoenix Ensemble is a mixed instrument chamber music group based in New York City.  The group aims to inspire a new and diverse audience for classical music through live performances, recordings, and innovative residencies that reach out to young people and adults in schools and underserved communities

 

The ensembles present over 40 concerts a year, primarily in New York City, reaching an audience of thousands. This includes residence at a wide range of venues, including NYC’s Greenwich House, the Aaron Copland School of Music, and the 92nd Street Y

 

“The Phoenix Ensemble is a cracker-jack band of New York-based wind, brass, string, and percussion players. They play with passion, commitment, and superb technique. I already cherish [Wind Music of Stockhausen and Schoenberg, 2012] as a splendid display of but one face of the wonderful world of 20th-century music.” - Fanfare Magazine

 

www.phoenixensemble.org

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CREDITS

 

All tracks recorded at Dreamflower Studios in Bronxville NY

Recording Session Producer Mark Lieb

Recording Session Engineer Jeremy Tressler

 

SERENADE, Op 20 (1922)

Recorded February 4, 2016

 

QUINTET FOR CLARINET AND STRING QUARTET, OP 13 (1908)

Recorded March 21 & 22, 2014

 

TRIO IN D MINOR, OP 3 (1896)

Recorded March 24 & 25, 2015

 

Executive Producer Bob Lord

Executive A&R Sam Renshaw

A&R Chris Robinson

Audio Director Jeff LeRoy

Engineering Manager Lucas Paquette

Art & Production Director Brett Picknell

Graphic Design Ryan Harrison

Marketing Scott Murphy

 

 

Release Date: February 10, 2017

Catalog #: NV6076

 

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TRACK INFO

 

SERENADE, Op 20 (1922)  HENRI MARTEAU

Catherine Gregory & Andrew Rehrig flute   Arthur Sato & Michelle Farah oboe

Mark Lieb & Moran Katz clarinet   Angela Shankar bass clarinet

Daniel Hane & Edward Burns bassoon

 

01 I.  Entrata 

02 II.  Adagietto

03 III.  Scherzino

04 IV.  Tema con variazioni 

 

 

QUINTET FOR CLARINET AND STRING QUARTET, OP 13 (1908)

HENRI MARTEAU

Mark Lieb clarinet   Igor Pikayzen & Bryan Hernandez-Luch violin

Eva Gerard viola   Carrie Bean Stute cello

 

05 I.   Andante -  Moderato assai

06 II.  Allegretto moderato

07 III. Andante sostenuto

08 IV. Andante sostenuto – Allegro molto

 

 

TRIO IN D MINOR, OP 3 (1896)  ALEXANDER ZEMLINSKY

Mark Lieb clarinet   Alice Yoo cello   Wayne Weng piano

 

09 I.  Allegro ma non troppo

10 II.  Andante

11 III.  Allegro 

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ALSO ON NAVONA RECORDS

 

(nv5874) Slices

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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REVIEWS

 

Phoenix Ensemble page with various review

blurbs of past recordings

 

Allaboutjazz review: on Babbitt / Feldman album (full review)

 

allmusic.com review: on Babbitt / Feldman album (full review)