Presenting works by German, French and British composers of the 19th and 20th centuries, Arthur Campbell and Helen Marlais exhibit the enormous dynamic and sonic spectrum of the clarinet.

At the heart of this recording are the late works of the three French composers Claude Debussy, Camille Saint-Saëns and Francis Poulenc, who demonstrate equally the gentle and velvety character of the clarinet and the powerful, sometimes penetrating sound of the instrument. The increasing virtuosity which composers demanded from the clarinet during the course of the 19th to the 20th centuries is impressively demonstrated in the final movements of the works on this disc by Robert Schumann, Francis Poulenc and Malcolm Arnold.

Arthur Campbell was born in Canada and studied at the Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, USA, where he was taught by the renowned clarinettist and pedagogue Robert Marcellus. He has won numerous international and national competitions, including the International Clarinet Competition and the National Music Festival of Canada. An internationally sought-after clarinet virtuoso, he has toured throughout the USA, Canada, Europe and Asia. Arthur Campbell regularly presents international masterclasses at universities, conservatoires and conventions. He was appointed professor at the Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids Michigan, where he has been teaching a class of clarinet students from across the globe.