Bruce: Gumboots - Brahms: Clarinet Quintet Julian Bliss & Carducci String Quartet

• David Bruce (1970): Gumboots:
• 1 Part I 11:36
• 2 Dance I 02:02
• 3 Dance II 01:28
• 4 Dance III 01:57
• 5 Dance IV 03:00
• 6 Dance V 02:52
• Johannes Brahms (1833-1897): Clarinet Quintet in B Minor, Op. 115:
• 7 I. Allegro 11:57
• 8 II. Adagio 09:52
• 9 III. Andantino 04:26
• 10 IV. Con moto 08:48
• Total Runtime 57:58

Info for Bruce: Gumboots - Brahms: Clarinet Quintet

Julian Bliss and the Carducci Quartet pair two highly contrasting works – Johannes Brahms’s Clarinet Quintet and David Bruce’s Gumboots.

Written for bass clarinet and string quartet, David Bruce describes the origins of his work Gumboots: “... it was born out of the brutal labour conditions in South Africa under Apartheid, in which black miners where chained together and wore Gumboots (wellington boots) while they worked in the flooded gold mines, because it was cheaper for the owners to supply the boots than to drain the floodwater from the mine. Apparently slapping the boots and chains was used by the workers as a form of communication which was otherwise banned in the mine, and this later developed into a form of dance. If the examples of Gumboot Dancing available online are anything to go by, it is characterised by a huge vitality and zest for life. So this for me is a striking example of how something beautiful and life-enhancing can come out of something far more negative.”

"Bruce's piece pivots on the contrast between its elegaic first movement and the five dances that follow it, and Bliss and the Carduccis relish the expressive variety." (The Times)

"Clarinettist Julian Bliss and the Carducci Quartet are mot sensitive and elegaic." (Financial Times)

"Julian Bliss...flits seamlessly between regular and bass clarinet. The finale's joyous barrage could almost be out of a Falla ballet." (The Guardian)

Julian Bliss, clarinet
Carducci String Quartet

Julian Bliss
is one of the world’s finest clarinettists excelling as a concerto soloist, chamber musician, jazz artist, masterclass leader and tireless musical explorer. He has inspired a generation of young players as guest lecturer and creator of his Leblanc Bliss range of affordable clarinets, and introduced a substantial new audience to his instrument. Born in the U.K., Julian started playing the clarinet age 4, going on to study in the U.S. at the University of Indiana and in Germany under Sabine Meyer. The breadth and depth of his artistry are reflected in the diversity and distinction of his work. In recital and chamber music he has played at most of the world’s leading festivals and venues including Gstaad, Mecklenburg Vorpommern, Verbier, Wigmore Hall (London) and Lincoln Center (New York). As soloist, current performances include concerts with the Sao Paolo Symphony, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Paris, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia and London Philharmonic. In 2012 he established the Julian Bliss Septet, creating programmes inspired by King of Swing, Benny Goodman, and Latin music from Brazil and Cuba that have gone on to be performed to packed houses in festivals, Ronnie Scott’s (London), the Concertgebouw (Amsterdam) and across the U.S. Recent album releases receiving rave reviews from critics, album of the week spots and media attention, include his recording of Mozart and Nielsen’s Concertos with the Royal Northern Sinfonia. Recent chamber discs include a new piece for clarinet & string quartet by David Bruce – Gumboots – inspired by the gumboot dancing of miners in South Africa, and a recital album of Russian and French composers with American pianist, Bradley Moore.

Booklet for Bruce: Gumboots - Brahms: Clarinet Quintet