Clarinettist Robert Plane is pleased to announce the release of his latest album, ‘The Lily of Killarney‘.

Released on October 3rd on MPR, ‘The Lily of Killarney’ features largely unknown English and Irish Fantasias for clarinet and piano, and includes works by Thomas Dunhill, Howard Ferguson, Ruth Gipps, Joseph Holbrooke, Elizabeth Maconchy, Thomas Pitfield, Clarence Raybould and Ernest Tomlinson. The collection also features three Fantasias on operas by Michael Balfe, Julius Benedict and Vincent Wallace,  later known as ‘The Irish Ring’. Robert is joined on this recording by his longstanding collaborator Benjamin Frith (piano).

‘The Lily of Killarney’ comes as a natural continuation of Robert’s tireless commitment to British repertoire, which has ranged from his championship of lesser-known twentieth century works to the world premieres of new works by some of today’s leading British composers. This project has enabled him to explore the operatic fantasia for clarinet, an avenue that until now he had not yet explored.

The album has already received critical acclaim, with the British Music Society remarking that “there is much to enjoy here and the performances are beyond reproach” and Clarinet and Saxophone Magazine writing that “the passion that brought this album together is evident in listening to each piece, all carefully curated and programmed to build an inspiring performance”. The project was the subject of an in-depth article by Robert in the latest edition of Clarinet and Saxophone Magazine, more about which can be read by clicking here.