Commercial Recordings
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dis/entanglements
Released in October, 2023, dis/entanglements includes two sonatas, major works by Clipper’s dear friend, Randy Bauer. Showing jazz influences, Randy’s expert writing for the instrument and beautiful musical language work perfectly to showcase Clipper’s ability to produce myriad pianistic colors.
In Randy’s words: “This music was composed at the height of the pandemic. Here was a chance to express becoming mercilessly entangled in the situation, all while working out a route toward disentangelment. The first sonata expresses chaos, but also reflects order through being cast in a traditional, tautly regulated form. Like other works, it also reflects my children (aged 1 and 3 when this all started); despite frequent density and tension in the piano writing, there’s also much positive headstrong energy in the piece, which reminds me of my son as he was growing from toddler to schoolkid. As for the titles: I live next to the Mississippi River, and I’ve experienced its seasonal cycles. When life floods, we take refuge ‘above the river’ and have to trust that after things unravel, we may begin anew and ultimately triumph.”
He continues, “If the first sonata is about entrapment, the second steers toward deliverance. The first movement draws us into its vigor; the second movement abandons this tension, yielding a very tenderhearted lullaby. The last movement is like a flowing dance – a steady climb toward optimism. This piece is also about my daughter, who will fly high as she grows. The lullaby is especially for her.”
Praise for dis/entanglements in Take Effect:
“A body of work that explores elation as well as tension, Erickson’s execution is stunning, and Bauer’s vision captures this difficult time with much insight and poise.”
Listen Now:
Playlist:
Randy Bauer
Piano Sonata No. 1: “Above the River”
- The Flood
- The Night Journey
- The Unraveling
- The Triumph
Piano Sonata No. 2: “Brighter Dreams”
- Drawing In
- Rocking, Ever Rocking
- Flying Higher
Release Date: October 13th, 2023
Catalog #: NV6562
My Cup Runneth Over:
The Complete Piano Works of R. Nathaniel Dett
Released in November 2015, My Cup Runneth Over: The Complete Piano Works of R. Nathaniel Dett is the culmination of a three-year project of research and performing.
Dett’s piano suites embrace almost all of his creative life, from “Magnolia,” written soon after his graduation from Oberlin, to the “Eight Bible Vignettes,” written during the last two years of his life. They show a great development, variety, and richness of style; truly reflecting his struggles, triumphs, and deepening philosophical interests.
Gramophone UK Editor’s Choice for January 2016:
The piano works of Robert Nathaniel Dett (1882-1943) span his entire creative life, from early ragtime influences to the complexity and substance of his final works for the instrument. Given his importance as one of the first composers of African descent to achieve a sophisticated and serious fusion of Negro folk music and spirituals with European art-music traditions, not to mention his skills as a concert pianist, it’s surprising that no one until Clipper Erickson has essayed Dett’s complete piano output on disc. However, the wait was worth it, for this music is simply wonderful, while Erickson’s idiomatic, colourful, technically adroit and caring interpretations do the repertoire full justice. While one easily perceives Dett’s stylistic influences, the music’s consistent creativity always holds interest, even in such early pieces as the Magnolia Suite (1912); it’s hard not to get pulled into The Deserted Cabin’s brooding atmosphere and dark bass-register chords or the quirky virtuoso outbursts that keep you guessing in The Place Where the Rainbow Ends. No less a figure than Percy Grainger championed In the Bottoms (1913), from which he recorded the sprightly yet demanding Juba Dance that Erickson so dashingly tosses off.
With the two four-movement suites Enchantment (1922) and Cinnamon Grove (1928), Dett’s harmonic and textural palette considerably expands, while Tropic Winter (1938) conveys both charm and contrapuntal refinement. However, Dett’s valedictory Eight Bible Vignettes digs deepest of all. The seventh piece, ‘Other Sheep’, is a nearly-10-minute masterpiece packed with intensely lyrical polyphony, jagged declamatory unison statements, percussive passages and the kind of gravitas one finds in Brahms’ late piano pieces. This historically and musically important release not only fulfills a crucial catalogue gap but sets reference standards. No serious aficionado of the history of American piano music can afford to miss it.
Jed Distler
Editor, Gramophone UK – January 2016
Other Praise for My Cup Runneth Over:
“This is some of the most enjoyable, stylistically varied, and indivual music I’ve heard in a while. I can’t think of any music-loving friend I wouldn’t recommend it to. Erickson, a student of John Ogdon, is simply a fabulous pianist, the perfect guide to Dett.”
–American Record Guide – February 2016
“My Cup Runneth Over offers a wonderful overview of R. Nathaniel Dett’s captivating solo piano compositions, magnificently performed by Clipper Erickson. A hearty bravo is in order – may these works find their way onto more recital programs!“
–BlackGrooves – June 2016
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Listen Now:
Playlist:
R. Nathaniel Dett
(1882 – 1943)
Magnolia Suite
In the Bottoms
Enchantment
Nepenthe and the Muse
Cinnamon Grove
Tropic Winter
Eight Bible Vignettes
After the Cake Walk
Cave of the Winds
Inspiration Waltzes
Release Date: November 13th, 2015
Catalog #: NV6013
Tableau, Tempest, and Tango
Tableau, Tempest, and Tango – images, drama, power, intensity, color, and dance! All these things make for great music. This album combines masterpieces of the past with great works from our era, whose roots grow from them. The captivating images in David Finko’s and Richard Brodhead’s wonderful works reflect the ultimate work of images in music: Pictures at an Exhibition.
David Finko’s works are intimately connected with Russian history. He grew up in Leningrad; his father held a top-secret post as a submarine designer for the Soviet Navy. The Fantasia on a Medieval Russian Theme is a narrative in music about the Mongol invasion and eventual triumph of Russia. David also loved Yiddish culture – Sonata No. 1 wonderfully portrays the art of Soviet actor and director Solomon Mikhoels. His Sonatas No. 2 & 3 were written after his coming to the United States. I promised my dear friend and colleague that he would live to see and hear his piano works preserved, and I am honored to continue to support his legacy.
Richard Brodhead is composer emeritus at Temple University in Philadelphia. His works express an extraordinary command of pianistic color and fantasy. Una Carta de Buenos Aires – Tango Sonatina was written for me in 2011 and is inspired by Latin tango dance, as his wife is a dancer and choreographer. His Sonata Notturna magically evokes the night, its sounds, and its experiences. The power and intensity of David’s music contrasts ideally with the color and delicacy of Richard’s.
Listen Now:
Playlist:
David Finko
(1936 – 2021)
Fantasia on a Medieval Russian Theme (1961)
Sonata No. 1 “Solomon Mikhoels” (1964)
Sonata No. 2 (1998)
Sonata No. 3 (2009)
Richard Brodhead
(1947 – )
Una Carta de Buenos Aires – Tango
Sonatina for Piano (2011)
Sonata Notturna – Piano Sonata No. 2 (2016)
Modest Mussorgsky
(1839 – 1881)
Pictures at an Exhibition
Release Date: July 13, 2018
Catalog #: NV6170
Reviewed in Fanfare:
TABLEAU TEMPEST & TANGO BY NAVONA RECORDS
Clipper Erickson, piano
Navona Records artist Clipper Erickson presents a solo piano album of works by composers Richard Brodhead (1947- ), David Finko (1936-2021), and Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881) entitled TABLEAU TEMPEST & TANGO.
The mostly Russian-themed album climaxes with Erickson’s masterful interpretation of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. The original version for solo piano precedes the iconic orchestrations by many composers, most notably Maurice Ravel. For Erickson, the piano is his orchestra, and he conducts it marvelously through every movement, down to the famed finale, The Great Gate of Kiev.
Stellar, too, is Erickson’s interpretation of Finko’s Fantasia on a Medieval Russian Theme, which is inspired by a grievous poem about the oppression of the Russian people. Mussorgsky also used this poem, incorporating it as part of the libretto for the Act I choral scene of his Khovanshchina (1880).
The severity, which is truly captured in Finko’s fantasy, is made spiritual by Erickson’s interpretation. Finko’s Sonata No. 1 Solomon Mikhoels is next. It has folk roots–budding from the composer’s interest in Yiddish and Slavic cultures. Erickson executes the polarity in dynamic contrast and rhythmic complexity with incredible manual dexterity. Finko writes that his Sonata No. 2 “expresses the acute feelings of a sensitive intellectual who goes through several stages of personal sufferings and struggle.” This journey is demonstrated by Erickson’s acute attention to mood, even in the subtlest of harmonic progressions. Finko’s Sonata No. 3, composed in 2009, is evocative of the evolution of the composer’s technique since his first sonata in 1964. Erickson, too, shows an evolution — the melodies become more fluid, the separation between each note more precise.
The listener is transported to Argentina where Erickson presents Richard Brodhead’s Una Carta de Buenos Aires, a truly dark tango. It is mysterious and vacant, but Erickson handles it like a delicate flower. The finale is Brodhead’s Sonata No. 2, Sonata Notturna, dark, too, in its presentation, but Erickson’s light shines on the meditation of terrors we hear at night.
As evidenced on his previous recording, 2015’s MY CUP RUNNETH OVER, Professor Erickson’s prodigious performances are not only products of his superior musicianship, but also the in-depth studies he completes on every work performed. This is the best collection of such works to date. TABLEAU TEMPEST & TANGO is a must-have for the collections of piano dilettantes and savants alike. As the LA Times notes, Erickson plays “with extraordinary dash and power and he never let[s] flamboyance obscure art.”
Other Praise for Tableau, Tempest, and Tango:
“One of the finest pianists of his generation… Highest recommendation. He plays ‘pictorially’ throughout the work, including just about the most ferocious-sounding ‘Baba-Yaga’ on recording, and the most resplendent ‘Great Gate’ imaginable… a superior recording, worthy to stand alongside the best of the many fine recordings of this masterpiece.”
-David Canfield – Fanfare
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“An incredible recording. The bells in Great Gate are amazing and even Debussyian in their evocativeness. You can even hear the ‘orchestration’ in your playing… a fountain of colour which is present in every work recorded. I just loved all of it.
-Kevin Wood, former director of Artists and Repertoire – Sony Classical
Of “Fantasia on a Medieval Russian Theme”: “Erickson fearlessly tackles its knotty polyphonic textures while imbuing his interpretation with world-weary resignation. Erickson’s rich palette of tonal colours bring each of the 16 imagistic sections to life, ending on a triumphant note with The Great Gate at Kiev that always quickens the pulse and stirs the soul.”
–Holly Harris – Winnipeg Free Press
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Of “Pictures at an Exhibition”: “This frequently recorded piece can amazingly still be interpreted anew… the pianist astounds us with is phrasings, tempi, rubati, and grasp which have a very personal character. An interesting interpretation which gives each scene its individual character! … Truly worth hearing.”
Of “Brodhead Sonata Notturna”: “Wonderfully touching and exciting interpretation.”
–Norbert Tischer – Pizzicato
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“A special gift for giving lesser-known works their due. Erickson reads a great deal of personal content into this familiar work and draws philosophical connections from its program to Finko’s compositions.
–Alex Baran – The Whole Note
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The Mystic and the Muse
“A triumph of light classical music”
In terms of sonics, you’ll rarely hear better recorded piano. That’s because the engineer is a true master of the recording booth. The same is true of pianist Clipper Erickson. He’s more than up to the challenge of making this light, pleasant music come alive.
In fine sound and matching performance, these are delightful works to have playing on your system. Play them for your friends on a summer afternoon and I’m sure you’ll get more than a few delighted comments. If you don’t, reconsider who your friends are!
Five stars.
– High Def Tape Transfers
Playlist:
Quilter 3 Studies, Op. 4
1 No. 1. Molto Allegro con moto 2:37
2 No. 2. Molto Allegro amabile 1:07
3 No. 3. Vivace misterioso e legato 2:26
Quilter 3 Pieces, Op. 16
4 No. 1. Dance in the Twilight 2:21
5 No. 2. Summer Evening 4:18
6 No. 3. At a Country Fair 4:24
Quilter 2 Impressions, Op. 19
7 No. 1. In a Gondola 4:36
8 No. 2. Lanterns 2:44
Quilter Country Pieces, Op. 27
9 No. 1. Shepherd Song 2:48
10 No. 2. Goblins 1:45
11 No. 3. Forest Lullaby 2:33
12 No. 4. Pipe and Tabor 1:42
Scott, Cyril
13 Carillon 2:03
Scott, Cyril
14 Rainbow Trout 4:49
Scott, Cyril
Zoo, “Animals”
15 I. The Elephant :50
16 II. The Squirrel :46
17 III. The Bear :52
18 IV. The Monkey :37
19 V. The Snake 1:10
20 VI. The Giraffe :37
21 VII. The Tortoise 1:20
22 VIII. The Rhinoceros :36
Scott, Cyril
23 Piano Sonata No. 2 17:43
Released with the Cooperation and Permission of DTR Recordings
Listen Now:
An Orchestra of One (Vol. 1)
Playlist:
Bach
Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring
Sheep May Safely Graze
Beloved Jesu, We Are Here
Rachmaninov
Lilacs, Op. 21 / 5
Daisies, Op. 38 / 3
Kreisler
Liebesfreud (Love’s Joy)
Margaret Bonds
Troubled Water
Gershwin
The Man I Love
Strike Up the Band
I’ll Build a Stairway to Paradise
Who Cares?
That Certain Feeling
Fascinating Rhythm
I Got Rhythm
Liszt
Valse de l’opéra Faust (after Gounod), S. 407 (LW A208)
Mussorgsky
Varlaam’s Song (Boris Godunov)
Bach
Chaconne in D minor
Listen Now:
An Orchestra of One (Vol. 2)
Playlist:
Bach
Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring
Sheep May Safely Graze
Saint-Saëns
Danse Macabre (Op. 40)
Wagner
Lohengrin: Elsa’s Brautzug Zum Münster
Mussorgsky
Boris Godunov: Pealing Bells and Glory
Ravel
Suite from Rodeo:
I. Buckaroo Holiday
II. Corral Nocturne
III. Saturday Night Waltz
IV. Hoe Down
Second Suite from Daphnis et Chloe:
I. Lever Du Jour
II. Pantomime
III. Danse Générale
Listen Now:
An American Journey (Vol. 1)
Reviews:
“A delightful disc. Clipper Erickson’s playing has a winning vitality and exuberance. Even the one chestnut, Gershwin’s ‘Rhapsody in Blue,’ sounds fresh and youthful. The sound is thoroughly realistic.”
–American Record Guide
“Erickson performs this wide-ranging program with technical aplomb [and] crafts polished interpretations. DTR captures Erickson’s playing in clear sound.”
–Camden Courier-Post
“Philadelphia pianist Clipper Erickson plays all of this music superbly, calm and caressing when called for, and explosive and brilliantly virtuosic by turn. The recording, as usual from this South Jersey label, is vibrant and realistic.”
–Philadelphia City Paper
Playlist:
Roy Harris
American Ballads, 1947:
I. Streets of Laredo
II. Wayfaring Stranger
III. The Bird
IV. Black is the Color of My True Love’s Hair
V. Cold Liver Isle
Rubin Goldmark
Prairie Idylls, 1915:
I. The First Anemone
II. The Meadow Lark
III. From the Old Mission
IV. In Prairie Dog Town
Quincy Porter
Sonata for Piano, 1930:
I. Allegro molto
II. Adagio quasi una fantasia
III. Presto giocoso
John Work
Scuppermong: Three Pieces for Country Folk, 1951:
I. At a Certain Church
II. Ring Game
III. Visitor from Town
R. Nathaniel Dett
In the Bottoms, 1913:
I. Prelude – Night
II. His Song
III. Honey
IV. Morning – Barcarolle
V. Juba Dance
Donald Dumpson
Variations on the Lord’s Prayer
George Gershwin
Rhapsody in Blue
Released with the Cooperation and Permission of DTR Recordings
Listen Now:
American Eclectic:
An American Journey Vol. 2
Playlist:
Amy Cheney-Beach
Ballad, Op. 6 (1894)
Charles Griffes
The Fountain of the Acqua Paola Op. 7, No. 3 (1916)
Clouds Op. 7, No. 4 (1916)
Thomas (Fats) Waller
Numb Fumblin’
James P. Johnson
Carolina Shout
Aaron Copland
Four Piano Blues:
I. Freely Poetic (1947)
II. Soft and Languid (1934)
III. Muted and Sensuous (1948)
IV. With Bounce (1926)
Roy Harris
Toccata (1950)
George Crumb
A Little Suite for Christmas, A.D. 1979:
I. The Visitation
II. Berceuse for the Infant Jesu
III. The Shepherd’s Noel
IV. Adoration of the Magi
V. Nativity Dance
VI. Canticle of the Holy Night
VII. Carol of the Bells
Daniel Barta
Suite for Piano (2001):
I. With conviction – Driving, with bounce
II. Playful
III. Gracious, with liberty
IV. Subtle, steady
V. Steady
Released with the Cooperation and Permission of DTR Recordings