Herbert Howells
– Rhapsodic Quintet
– Violin Sonata No 3
– Clarinet Sonata
– Harp Prelude
Mobius
(Naxos 8.557188)
‘Howell’s Rhapsodic Quintet for clarinet and string quartet is one of the most beautiful clarinet works of the 20th Century. Robert Plane plays with a ravishing range of tone and natural warmth….’
The Guardian 2004
‘The Clarinet Sonata, Howells’s last major chamber work was completed in 1946. The dedicatee was Frederick Thurston, and the wonderfully idiomatic 1980 recording by his wife and pupil Thea King has certainly stood the test of time. Robert Plane’s poetic account is possibly finer still, with its entrancing poise and liquid tone. Plane shines too in the coquettish miniature A Near-Minuet and sublime Rhapsodic Quintet.’
Gramophone 2004