Ludus – Daniel Molina & Javier Negrin

Ludus is the first album by Tenerife-born clarinettist Daniel Molina, created in collaboration with pianist and Odradek artist Javier Negrin. Together, they present a programme in which the soloist reveals the many faces of the clarinet, with recent and world-premiere recordings rubbing shoulders with works by Prokofiev and Lutoslawski.

Alongside a transcription of the Sonata for flute and piano by Prokofiev, Sonata by Salvador Brotons, and theDance Preludes by Witold Lutoslawski, the album features the World Premiere Recordings of the Sonata by Pablo Diaz Sanchez and thePieza lirica for violin and piano by Armando Alfonso, with whose transcription for clarinet this duo contributes to the dissemination of the work of this little-known composer admired by both, and championed by Javier Negrin on a previous Odradek release. This harmonically rich piece is dedicated to the composer’s great-niece who, like Javier Negrin, studied at the Royal College of Music in London.

Prokofiev’s sonata is as classical as it is lyrical. and brilliant in its workmanship, conveying a carefree spirit in some of its rustic, dancing moments, while Lutoslawski’s Preludes de danse of 1954 are based on highly contrasting folk songs. Sanchez’s two-movement sonata is versatile and wide-ranging, embracing multiphonics and other extended techniques and culminating in an ironic and animated scherzo. Brotons’s sonata features a static clarinet recitative and a second movement that effectively combines two movements in one, ending with an energetic finale.

Daniel Molina stands out among his generation as a soloist and chamber musician, performing in the most prestigious concert halls throughout Spain and in national and international festivals alongside pianists and chamber groups of the highest level. Molina combines his concert activity with pedagogical work, giving masterclasses in higher education centres all over Spain, and since July 2023 he has been Artistic Director of the Aguere International Chamber Music Festival.