Music Web International, Paul Thomas

…

Ingeniously… for this disc, Ensemble 360 and soprano Claire Booth (something of a specialist in this type of repertoire) have marked [Schoenberg’s] sesquicentennial by not placing Pierrot Lunaire in the context of Schoenberg’s oeuvre, as most often seen, but in that of other musical Pierrot inspirations. The companions chronologically range from Robert Schumann to Thea Musgrave, with each of them revealing more about the character itself, and how other composers have drawn their own unique musical colours on Pierrot’s canvas.

…

“All the songs are sung with great panache by Claire Booth, with Tim Horton showing his tremendous versatility on this disc appearing as accompanist, soloist and chamber musician.”

Of the non-vocal pieces, while Tim Horton superbly performs Schumann’s ‘Pierrot’ from his early piano work Carnaval as the album’s opener and Amy Beach’s evocative Valse Amoureuse, it’s the two chamber pieces that stand out. Firstly, there’s Thea Musgrave’s Pierrot, a trio for Clarinet, Violin and Piano representing the triumvirate of characters in the Commedia, Pierrot, Columbine and the Harlequin.

“Each player, Robert Plane on clarinet, Benjamin Nabarro on violin and Tim Horton on piano plays their role to perfection and gives this wonderfully energetic and characterful piece the best possible advocacy. The arrangement of ‘Pierrot’s Tanzlied’ for cello & piano from Korngold’s opera Die tote Stadt features the gorgeously lush cello sound of Gemma Rosefield, and functions as a romantic amuse bouche immediately preceding the modernist main course.”

… [In Pierrot Lunaire] Claire Booth is entirely successful, managing to declaim the text in an incredibly engaging yet completely musical way… The instrumental parts are also handled with great care and skill by Ensemble 360, with their experience playing together as an ensemble giving huge dividends in this most complex instrumental score.

…

“Just as the Pierrot-ification of members of Ensemble 360 and Claire Booth on the wonderful cover brings the players to life, the musicians give life to Pierrot himself on this brilliantly conceived and executed disc.”