Vibraciones del Alma - Maximiliano Martin - The Herald

There's an intriguing, if perplexing, musical byway in this new CD from the SCO's principal clarinettist Maximiliano Martín and the ever-incisive pianist Scott Mitchell. As fascinating, well-crafted and compelling as John McCabe's Three Pieces for clarinet and piano are, why are they here in a collection that explores the music of Martín's fellow Spaniards alongside great classics for the instrument? The display pieces by Widor and Romero are outstanding, but once Weber's fabulous Grand Duo Concertant takes off, driven by Martín's liquid virtuosity, which flows like oil, and with Scott Mitchell absolutely locked into the clarinettist, it wipes the floor with them all. Superb playing.