The Inside Story: Joshua Ranz and THREE CELLO SUITES

THREE CELLO SUITES from clarinetist Joshua Ranz and Navona Records is a truly groundbreaking take on Bach’s legendary works; In this album, for the first time ever, listeners may enjoy three unabridged cello suites by Bach arranged for the bass clarinet. Ranz selected Suites 1, 4, and 2 for this recording because, together, they form a cohesive and dynamic whole. Ranz holds the chair of principal clarinet for the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and has played on such blockbuster soundtracks as Toy Story 3 and 4, and Star Wars episodes VII and IX. He can be heard prominently featured in La La Land, Catch Me If You Can, and An American Pickle. Ranz lends a fresh voice to Bach’s profoundly-beautiful music in THREE CELLO SUITES.

Today, Joshua is our featured artist in “The Inside Story,” a blog series exploring the inner workings and personalities of our composers and performers. Read on to learn about the stimulation Joshua receives from golfing, and the similarities he finds in bass clarinet and cello.

When did you realize that you wanted to be an artist?

Not until I got accepted to Yale for my master’s degree. As an undergrad at Harvard, I played in the orchestra and chamber music ensembles but did not consider pursuing a career in performance until senior year when I applied to graduate programs. Getting accepted to Yale gave me the affirmation that I was at a level that could succeed in the career with some more intensive practice.

What was your most unusual performance, or the most embarrassing thing that happened to you during a performance?

Once in a Pacific Symphony concert we were playing Shostakovich’s 10th Symphony. In between the first and second movements, I shifted my music over and the music fell into a little reed table below that had a little water container. Both the water and the music fell to the ground! The conductor, everyone in the orchestra, and audience had to wait as I collected both wet music and the empty water container and positioned them both back into place. It was pretty embarrassing!

What is your guilty pleasure?

I am an obsessive golfer. To me, walking 18 holes is one of the most mentally and physically stimulating experiences. Recently I have been getting out very early in the morning, taking in the smell of fresh cut grass and dew. It completely transforms me into a different world. My 11 year old son Nathan has recently taken it up and loves it also. Unlike me, he has a beautiful swing and exhibits enormous patience. I have no doubt in a few years he will be beating me on a regular basis!

If you could spend creative time anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

When I was having trouble finishing the recording, my dear friend who recently passed away, clarinetist Steve Roberts told me, “you need to go up to Monterey with just your golf clubs, bass clarinet, recording equipment, and a pencil. Find a quiet studio with good acoustics and quarantine yourself for a few months.” That sounds like a truly blissful experience — although I’m sure I would actually get lonely and miss my family after a few days!

In truth, it was the mandated quarantine last spring that helped me see the recording to completion. I was about 80% done before last March and Covid helped push me over the finish line.

What does this album mean to you personally?

It means a lot to me to have the first recording of complete suites on the bass clarinet. Although it might seem unusual for most listeners to hear this rendition, those in the bass clarinet world know how important these suites are to learning bass clarinet. Over the years I would check to see if anyone was releasing a recording and no one did. There are many YouTube videos of very fine bass clarinetists playing various movements, but never complete suites. I hope this recording will inspire other bass clarinetists to learn these amazing gems. I expect to see others record them in the future and I look forward to hearing different interpretations.

Is there a specific feeling that you would like communicated to audiences in this work?

I would love those not familiar with these works — other than the 1st Prelude, which everyone knows — to hear them and fall in love with them from a fresh set of ears. For those who know them intimately, I hope they can hear them as a totally unique experience from that of the cello. I feel that it is important to remember that while the bass clarinet has many similar qualities as the cello and share the same register, they are each unique instruments with different personalities. I would hope that listeners can embrace the wonderful qualities of the bass clarinet and not compare them to those of the cello, which has its own unique beauty.