Evan Ziporyn - This Is Not a Clarinet
One of the members of one of my favourite ensembles Bang on a Can All-Stars latches onto the clarinet (forget the title
) for the entirety of this album. This album is the reinvention of the clarinet. The only comparable artist that I can think of is Colin Stetson, and that's solely for inventive approach and mastery of the instrument reaching almost (but not quite) masturbatory lengths. Ziporyn is clearly a badass with all of the trills, tongue slaps, multiphonics, and other sounds that I wasn't aware a clarinet could make. All of the tracks but three are composed by Ziporyn, while the others were composed by other members of Bang on a Can All Stars. If you like classical, woodwinds, jazz, technically proficient musicians, or music I would recommend giving this album a glance. I can't find any jewtube vids, but it's on Spotify for those users.
Erika Haase - Ligeti: Works for Piano and Cembalo
A great series of etudes and interesting compositions by Gyorgy Ligeti, a modern classical composer. The music is jumpy, explores almost the full range of the keyboard on both instruments, and Erika Haase pays great respect to the pieces by playing them impeccably. Here's a live performance on the piano and cembalo: