Little Spectacle
Albany, 2021
8/10
The Clarinetists Jessica Lindsey and Christy Banks have been plugging away as Spatial Forces Duo for well over a decade now, and in that time they sure have pushed the boundaries of their instrument as they’ve commissioned a very diverse set of composers to write songs for them.
Alex Temple’s “This Changes Everything” opens the listen with Banks’ b-flat clarinet and Lindsey’s bass clarinet interacting playfully amid the intially busy atmosphere and retreats to calm further into the track, and “Bivalve” follows with a lower register as Lindsey’s bass clarinet is manipulated with much skill and poise.
Further on, the title track, by Corey Dundee, moves calmly, with much emotion in Banks’ b-flat clarinet, while “At Least One” buzzes more firmly with Lindsey’s b-flat prowess providing much towards the mood.
The final two tracks, “GEcho Chamber” and “Load Of Bull”, use electronics in a sci-fi sort of way that meshes with the classical spirit of the woodwinds in unpredictable and exciting ways, where the latter even sounds like a bull.
Both Lindsey and Banks have exceptional resumes, and their collective strengths make for a very atypical listening experience that you’re not going to hear anywhere else.
Travels well with: The Composer’s Voice- New Music From Bowling Green: Volume 8; George Rochberg- Caprice Variations