Louis Sclavis & Benjamin Moussay – Unfolding

It’s not often that Louis Sclavis records in a duo setting, whether with piano or another instrument.

The fact that he has chosen Benjamin Moussay – with whom he also performs in quartet – is therefore an event, all the more so as two-thirds of the present repertoire – including the theme which gives the album its title – are written by the pianist, the rest by the clarinetist, who here favors the upright clarinet over the bass clarinet.

Benjamin Moussay is a major musician who, among others, accompanies singers such as Claudia Solal or Youn Sun Nah. It’s hardly surprising, then, that most of the themes on which the clarinetist deploys his sumptuous sonority have a cantabile dimension.

A dreamy atmosphere prevails in the majority of these compositions, and Moussay‘s refined touch blends admirably with the magnificent timbre of Sclavis‘s clarinets.

Whether in ethereal arpeggios or sophisticated chords, Moussay‘s subtle playing will delight all lovers of fine piano. And in this unprecedented context, Sclavis allows a lyricism to blossom that he doesn’t systematically bring to the fore in other contexts.

What we have here is the meeting of two highly singular temperaments and two generations who share a love of melody and a taste for cantabile improvisation.

It’s easy to fall under the spell of this rich duo, whose major opus has no equivalent on either side of the Atlantic. Admirable!