Following the recent release of his album ‘Lonely Landscape’, clarinettist Robert Plane was invited to speak to the Thoroughly Good Classical Music Podcast about Pamela Harrison, the gifted and unjustly neglected mid-century British composer whose music he has championed.

Known for his revivals of forgotten British composers, Robert took inspiration from his former teacher Thea King, whose work to draw long lost clarinet music from the shadows resulted in many pieces entering the modern clarinet repertoire. He spoke to host Jon Jacob of his “instinctive desire” to bring this music back to life, and revealed that his relationship with Harrison began when her son Tim contacted him to ask him to play at his music festival. With this invitation came the proposal that Robert might be interested in seeing the score of her clarinet quintet, and so began his journey with her work.

Speaking about Harrison’s musical character, Robert acknowledges its place within the English pastoral tradition yet firmly rejects the stereotype of ‘English femininity’, noting its influences from French romanticism to Bartók.

Telling the story of how she was neglected by the musical establishment, Robert says that “her life musically and socially was such a reflection of the times”, and ponders how her musical voice would have developed had she shared the regular programming that her male peers enjoyed. He responds to a “touching honesty” in her music, written for her own edification in the absence of the performance opportunities that her music clearly deserved.

Excerpts from the recording are played throughout the episode, which may be heard on Spotify and Apple. Asked about the experience of recording works that have not previously been recorded, Robert replied that it is “liberating, in a way, to be doing something for the first time”. Robert’s recordings of Pamela Harrison’s chamber music have been broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and received critical acclaim, the first disc in collaboration with the Gould Piano Trio being praised by Gramophone for its “adept and sympathetic” performances. Find more details of each album by following the links below.

Pamela Harrison: Chamber Music
Lonely Landscape: Chamber Music of Pamela Harrison