Brouwer’s musical wit, sense are in full play

Donald Rosenberg- Plain Dealer

April 25, 1997

     "Good for Margaret Brouwer. The new head of the composition department at the Cleveland Institute of Music didn t have an easy job succeeding dynamic Donald Erb last fall But Brouwer has brought bountiful energy and imagination to her duties.

     She is also a composer who deserves attention. Brouwer’s Prelude and Vivace, for clarinet and chamber ensemble, was the gale of fresh air on the Cleveland Institute of Music Contemporary Ensemble’s program Wednesday at Kulas Hall.

     Brouwer’s piece came to life in 1994 as the concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra which was written for Richard Stoltzman. The new version reduces the orchestration to chamber-music proportions but removes none of its haunting, cheeky personality. The two movements abound in radiant conversations between protagonist and friends. As the soloist traverses the extremes of the clarinet, the ensemble contributes scintillating sounds, including whistles and sirens.

     The second movement is a tour de force of jazzy and infectious rhythmic devices: The soloist even toots whimsically on his mouthpiece. (sans instrument) Brouwer’s wit and crystalline musical sense had a hero in clarinetist Daniel Silver, a Cleveland native active in the Baltimore area. Silver made nimble work of the solo part, swooping from top to bottom and evincing a keen command of clarinet possibilities. The ensemble, led by Timothy Weiss, exuded colorful allure.