The Bernstein Experience

Two works for clarinet reveal Bernstein’s innate feeling for jazz; his Clarinet Sonata has echoes of Aaron Copland while the Prelude, Fugue and Riffs, written for Benny Goodman, has become a much loved concert-work for our time. Touches, written for the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 1980, tests the pianist – literally! – in many different techniques but always with charm and wit. And as song-writer, Bernstein’s love of and feeling for words and his gift for melody come together perfectly.