"A charmingly lyrical selection of single pieces, sonatas and fantasias from Derry-born composer Roma Cafolla. Cafolla was inspired to write by Leslie Craven, principal clarinet at Welsh National Opera, who plays here with his trademark creamy tone. "Stephen Pitchard, The Observer "The pieces of music on this double album are a great additions to the repertoire and the performances are excellent!" David Campbell, Clarinet and Saxophone Society Magazine Roma Cafolla was born in Derry, Northern Ireland, into a well known musical family and began composing at an early age. A life in the teaching profession gave way to ill health and it was then after a forced early retirement that her compositional talent blossomed. She has become an established composer and was a regular contributor to BBC "Children’s Hour". She was introduced to Leslie Craven (Principal Clarinet of Welsh National Opera) by her sister (herself a former member of Welsh National Opera) and this sparked a revival of her love of the clarinet and collaboration with him produced much of her recent music. Her music is lyrical, melodious, expressive, often passionate in mood with both Celtic and Italianate influences running through her family bloodline which is evident in her music. Her works include many for woodwind, strings and brass instruments and numerous ensembles of varied instrumentation. She has a particular love of song and has produced a wide portfolio with many different lyricists. She is a strong protagonist of music in education and interests include ballet, reading and gardening. Many of the works originally composed for clarinet and piano or clarinet and harp have been re-arranged to incorporate the virtuoso talents of friends Lana Trotovšek, Yoko Misumi, Katherine Thomas, Patrick King and Boris Bizjak. Roma also added pieces specially for this CD to enable recording engineer/producer Boris Bizjak to be part of the CD and to display the beauty of his flute playing. The double CD, titled Inspirations, is now available from Leslie Craven - www.lesliecraven.co.uk and from Roma Cafolla - www.romacafolla.co.uk. Roma Cafolla's music is currently published by Forton Music and Roma is prolific in her work, generating ideas for new compositions on a daily basis. Leslie Craven is Principal Clarinettist in the orchestra of the Welsh National Opera and teaches at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.He is co founder of the Clarinet Convention hosted by the University of Cardiff College of Music.He has given master classes in many establishments including the Royal College of Music, Trinity College of Music, Birmingham Conservatoire, the Clarinet Summer School (Hope University Liverpool) and as far afield as Cape Town (School of Music, Cape Town University) and Hong Kong (Academy of Performing Arts).He has played principal clarinet on recordings and for many performances with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philharmonia, the London Symphony Orchestra, London Musici and the BBC Concert Orchestra. Discography includes the CD Expressions, Romantic Trios with "2CELLOS" star Stjepan Hauser and Yoko Misumi and Rota Centenary with Michael Pollock and Yoko Misumi and Stjepan Hauser. He has recorded much of the music of Christopher Ball written for and dedicated to him - his Concerto for clarinet and chamber works including "Celtic Twilight" and the recently recorded (2013) "Quintet" for clarinet and string quartet. With flautist Anna Noakes he has recorded "Sonatine" by Andre Jolivet and "Choros no 2" by Villa Lobos. Commercial work includes film soundtracks for the original "Wicker Man", "Howards End", "The Pope must Die", "Mickey Blue Eyes","Pirate Prince" and many TV series including "House of Elliot", "Soldier Soldier", "Anna Lee" and many others. He is one of Great Britain's most sought after teachers and has written a pedagogical self-help book for clarinet : Instant Help for playing and teaching the Clarinet. Leslie's personal design mouthpiece is made by Bradford Behn in the U.S.A. and is played by many leading players in the profession in U.K. and overseas. Slovenian-born, London-based violinist Lana Trotovsek, described as "radiant" by Washington Post was a student of Ruggiero Ricci. In September 2014 she appeared in two concerts with Yuri Bashmet and the Moscow Soloists performing Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante and made her debut with Valery Gergiev and Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra in 2012 with Prokofiev Concerto No.1. Trotovsek has performed in the Wigmore Hall, Konzerthaus in Vienna, Teatro la Fenice in Venice, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Muziekgebouw Frits Phillips in Eindhoven and elsewhere in Europe, China, UAE and USA. Her performances have been broadcast on BBC Radio 3, Arte TV (France) and RTV (Slovenia). Lana has recorded for Meridian, Signum, Champs Hill and Hedone records. Her performances in 2015/16 include a coffee concert recital in the Wigmore Hall in June, Tchaikovsky concerto with RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra and conductor George Pehlivanian, Tchaikovsky concerto with Sarajevo Philharmonic and conductor Uros Lajovic, Brahms concerto with Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, Michigan in USA, Beethoven concerto with Zagreb Philharmonic in Lisinski Hall with conductor Hans Graf and Mendelssohn concerto with Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia and Dirk Brosse in USA. Trotovsek has already performed with a number of orchestras including the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, Moscow Soloists, Slovenian Philharmonic, Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, RTS Symphony Orchestra Belgrade, Pilsen Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna Concert Verein Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Slovenian Philharmonic among others. Trotovsek has an extensive chamber music repertoire. She was the violinist of the Greenwich Trio, whose cellist was Stjepan Hauser (now member of the 2cellos) and pianist Yoko Misumi. They have won a number of prizes and awards including the George Solti Award and the Tunnell Trust Award and were protégées of Bernard Greenhouse. From 2011- 213, Lana was also the leading violinist of the Badke Quartet, the winners of Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition. She started to play the violin when she was 4. At the age of 17, Lana was taken under the auspices of Ruggiero Ricci, who was her mentor for 18 months. She has also been guided by Ivry Gitlis, Ida Haendel, Pierre Amoyal, Tasmin Little, Georgy Pauk, Edith Peinemann, Bernard Greenhouse and Menahem Pressler and has studied with Vasko Vassilev and Rivka Golani at Trinity College of Music and at the Royal College of Music in London with Itzhak Rashkovsky. Lana Trotovsek was the recipient of the Prešseren Award of the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, which she received for her performance of the Khachaturian violin concerto in Slovenian Philharmonic Hall with Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra under the button of George Pehlivanian in 2005. She plays on Pietro Antonio dalla Costa violin made in 1750 on a loan from a private benefactor. Born in Kyoto to a musical family, Yoko Misumi started her piano lessons as a young child, showing her talent and musicianship at a very early age. At 14 she was a prizewinner of the Kyoto Piano Competition. After graduating from the Kyoto Music High School, she moved to London to continue her studies with Nina Sereda and Martino Tirimo. As a soloist, Yoko has collaborated with conductors such as James Judd and Barry Wordsworth. She has performed in the Kyoto Concert Hall, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Wigmore Hall, Kings Place and Adrian Boult Hall. She has participated in master classes with Stephen Kovacevich, Menahem Pressler, Bernard Greenhouse, Dietrich Banhoeffer, Neal Larrabee, Elisabeth Dvorak-Weissmar, Kiri Te Kanawa, Ralph Kirshbaum, Rivka Golani, William Aide, Norma Fischer and Dmitri Alexeev. Yoko is the recipient of several prizes and awards, among them the First Prize of the John Longmire Beethoven Competition, Second Prize of the Beethoven Piano Society of Europe Intercollegiate competition. As a chamber musician and accompanist, Yoko has performed in Japan, New Zealand, USA and Europe and has recorded for Meridian, Hedone and Denmore records. For many years Yoko was a member of the Greenwich Trio, with violinist Lana Trotovsek and cellist Stjepan Hauser ( now a member of 2cellos). Together they won a number of prizes and awards and were protégés of Bernard Greenhouse. Katherine Thomas is a harpist who has performed with artists varying from Bryn Terfel and Rolando Villazon to Katherine Jenkins and the Manic Street Preachers. She has toured extensively as a soloist and with orchestras such as the Orchestra of the Welsh National Opera (WNO) with whom she is Associate Principal Harp. A graduate of Guildhall School of Music & Drama -where she studied the harp with David Watkins, Katherine plays the traditional celtic and triple harps as well as the pedal harp. Her recordings range from classical music, traditional Welsh music to contemporary recordings and she has featured on numerous broadcasts and recordings with WNO. Katherine has published several technical volumes for the harp (published by ALAW) and is a prolific arranger for the instrument. London-based Slovenian flautist Boris Bizjak graduated from the ENMP "Alfred Cortot" in Paris, where he obtained the "Diplôme Supérieur de Concertiste" guided by renowned French flautist Pierre Yves Artaud (CNSMDP). Boris is a 1st prizewinner of the International Flute Competition in Picardie, France. He has won 1st prize of the Slovenian national flute competition three times and was twice prizewinner of the Slovenian national chamber music competition. Boris was granted a number of concerts as the young Slovenian music artist winner as well as a scholarship for postgraduate studies abroad by the Slovenian Ministry of Culture. He has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in Slovenia, UK, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Cyprus, Croatia, Serbia, The Netherlands and China in halls such as the Beijing Concert Hall, Konzerthaus Berlin, Lisinski Concert Hall in Zagreb, Slovenian Philharmonic Hall and Gallus Hall in Cankarjev Dom. His performances were broadcast by Radio and Television Slovenia and Television de Nice. Boris was invited to tour China with Berliner Symphoniker in December 2013 and January 2014. He is currently performing as a soloist and chamber musician with pianists Yoko Misumi, Simon Lane and Maria Canyigueral. He recently performed as a soloist with City of London Chamber Orchestra and London Euphonia Orchestra. He is also a founder of Hedone Records. Patrick King is currently Principal Timpanist with Welsh National Opera and is based in Cardiff. He has held this position for five years, working under many great conductors including Sir Charles Mackerras, Andrew Litton and current music director Lothar Koenigs. Patrick studied at the Royal College of Music and on graduating received the Directors Prize for musical contribution. While at the RCM he was Principal Timpanist with the European Union Youth Orchestra, and then went on to a freelance career which involved playing with every major orchestra in the UK including the LSO, BBC Symphony Orchestra, LPO, RPO, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra and The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Patrick was percussion finalist in the BBC Young Musician of the Year in 2001, and winner of the LSO St Lukes Academy, which led to freelance work with the LSO. Track information CD1 1. Canzone has a tempo marking : “Larghetto” and is neo–classical/romantic in style. The clarinet has a beautiful sustained melody line complemented by the accompanying piano. The interplay between the instruments is close and ends in a gentle final pianissimo. This was one of the first pieces inspired by Leslie Craven and performed by him on several occasions with accompaniment by the composer. 2. Sonata Capriccio Lirico was inspired by, written for and dedicated to Leslie Craven. The first movement is a “Pastoral” in 6/8 time. The second movement is dark in mood and soul-searching, morphing into a gentle yet lugubrious melody. An unusual cadenza bridging passage composed by Leslie Craven, loosely based on thematic material of both second and final movements links the second and third movement. The third movement is flamboyant, virtuosic and challenging for the performers who appear to be vying for supremacy in the race to the finish. 3. Cara Gianna was written after the birth of the composer’s “miracle child” (so called because at the time Gianna was born the composer had been seriously ill). Roma describes her children as ‘absolute treasures’ and the work is written with the all the motherly love imaginable. The work opens with a hauntingly beautiful theme which develops into a serene middle section, recapitulating to an augmented, extended and peaceful close. 4. Ebony The second movement of the first Clarinet Concerto, this has become a favourite with players and audiences. Its haunting lament–like melody and swooping virtuosic phrases were designed to show off the tonal control and virtuosity of Leslie Craven for whom it was written and who is considered by the composer to be the definitive interpreter of this beautiful work. Each of the phrases in the opening grows out of the previous thought. The middle section of flowing crotchets is embellished by semiquaver flourishes then after a brief pyrotechnical episode of heart-searing, coruscating demisemiquaver scales returns to calm, finishing in totally serenity. 5. Ambidexterity was originally composed as a standalone solo. This piece became the third movement of the first Clarinet Concerto ‘Ambidexterity’. In this re-worked version for clarinet, violin, harp and piano it is a piece of great vitality. It is a fusion of Latin and Celtic idioms, humorously referred to by Leslie Craven as a “Gigatella” or “Taranta – Gig” The name came about because of the ambidexterity needed to master any instrument and because the composer is in fact ambidextrous. The opening flamboyant, jazzy flourishes give way to a reverential bridging passage of contrasting tempo and mood. After the slower section the piece returns to the jazzy virtuosity and ends in a triumphant mood. 6. Cantilena This piece displays the gentle virtuosity of the flute in a placid and contemplative melody with clarinet and harp exhibiting the lighter side of Roma Cafolla's works 7. Lost Childhood was inspired by thoughts and images of the composer’s childhood after a deep conversation with her mother. At that time the composer was very ill and her mother outlined her regrets and thoughts about life. This struck a resonant chord within the composer and this work is the product of the anguish caused by the conversation. Composed for clarinet and piano (also playable with harp) this piece explores the different moods of childhood and adolescence and is essentially autobiographical, reflecting the heartbreak of separation from her family when she was sent to boarding school. 8. Moto Perpetuo is a light-hearted virtuosic romp reminiscent of a comedic Sicilian gangster movie sound track. Loosely written in rondo form it explores the unique interplay possible when three exceptional musicians bring their talents together. Each player echoes the other and competes to embellish the theme with ever more extravagant augmentation. A fun piece inspired by Leslie Craven and his virtuosic friends Lana Trotovšek and Yoko Misumi. CD2 1. Tango Per Tre (originally written as a solo clarinet work for Leslie Craven) has strong rhythmic interest and interplay between the three instruments. It has a suggestion of smoky sensuality and is evocative of romance. 2. Coastal Suite was written after a visit to Innishowen, which overlooks the confluence of the Foyle River and the wild Atlantic. It is a place evoking magic and memories for the composer. Each piece is a cameo of the different moods of the coastline from dawn to dusk. 3. Three Fantasias for clarinet, violin and Piano. Contrasting in mood, these works range from quasi baroque to ornately florid Italian Rococo 4. Ella Lucia This piece is a beautiful serene melody which flows seamlessly between each instrument. Written for clarinet and harp to honour the birth of a granddaughter. 5. Gig-Saw opens with a beautiful, sadly introspective clarinet melody accompanied by harp interjections. This is followed by an upbeat bodhran, violin and harp “Irish Gig” (hence the name) which changes the mood completely. Both of these contrasting themes reoccur throughout the piece and are present in ever more intricate notation and rhythm. The clarinet and violin become more and more intertwined until they finally join to play the same melodic and rhythmic material in accelerating tempi as the piece modulates upward in semitone movements. The bodhran has a crucial rhythmic role and the ability to vary its pitch and the harp lends a truly Celtic flavour to this delightful work.