Counterpoint

‘Architecture begins when two bricks are placed carefully together,’ said Mies van der Rohe. This idea runs through the debut album by the brilliant English clarinettist Jonathan Sage. This is a captivating release by one of England’s finest young musicians, combining three different approaches to counterpoint, an elemental musical technique running through centuries of music. The American composer Steve Reich opens this vibrant new release with his minimal clarinet masterpiece New York Counterpoint. At times grand and spacious, Reich’s writing is propelled by exhuberant and joyful rhythms.