South Florida Classical Review

Clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein performed a recital with pianist Asiya Korepanova for Friends of Chamber Music of Miami Tuesday night in Coral Gables.

The clarinet is a difficult instrument to present in recital, in part because of limited solo repertoire and, at times, the ability of the player to command the spotlight for an entire program. 

These caveats certainly did not apply to Alexander Fiterstein, who presented an outstanding concert for Friends of Chamber Music on Tuesday night at Coral Gables Congregational United Church of Christ. Fiterstein, the new co-artistic director of the venerable chamber music series, was joined by pianist Asiya Korepanova, an outstanding player and one of the finest recital accompanists.

Fiterstein’s mellow sonic palette was immediately evident in Schumann’s Fantasiestücke, the program opener. The duo captured the romantic spirit of the opening movement with Fiterstein smoothly navigating the difficult passages in the instrument’s top range. Schumann marked the second section “lively, light” and Fiterstein and Korepanova did full justice to the music’s airy, lithe textures. Their teamwork was stellar. Korepanova breathed every bar in perfect sync with Fiterstein, just as she had recently in an FOCM recital with cellist Julian Schwarz. The rhapsodic patterns, melodic richness and emotional fire of the final movement were fully encapsulated.

The Schumann score was a warmup for performances of both clarinet sonatas of Johannes Brahms, the evening’s main event. Brahms had retired from composing but hearing clarinetist Richard Mühfeld play sonatas by Carl Maria von Weber convinced him to create works for Mühfeld and his instrument. A trio for clarinet, cello and piano and a quintet for clarinet and strings preceded the composition of the two sonatas in 1894. Those scores were his last chamber works.

The Clarinet Sonata No. 1 in F minor is passionate and imbued with depth of feeling. Fiterstein gave the long- breathed lines of the opening Allegro appassionato breadth and space. He could spin a lyrical phrase with winning sweetness and his leaps from the clarinet’s low range to the top register were smooth and perfectly articulated. Korepanova exhibited power to spare at the excellent Bösendorfer. 

Asiya Korepanova. Photo: Emil Matveev

After beginning the Andante un poco adagio, Fiterstein stopped because of noise from an audience member’s cell phone which had already manifested itself during the first movement. Following the patron’s being escorted out of the sanctuary, he started the movement over again. His meltingly gorgeous sound and astute shaping of one of Brahms’ most beautiful melodies proved entrancing. The graceful theme of the third movement Allegretto gracioso was rendered with lilting spirit. Vivace is Brahms’ tempo mark for the finale and Fiterstein, playing at rapid speed, made the music sound vivacious indeed with Korepanova giving equal thrust to the concerto-like piano writing. (Following intermission, the players repeated the sonata’s opening movement in order to get a tape of the performance unimpeded by cell phone interruptions.)

The Clarinet Sonata No. 2 in E-flat Major is more austere and autumnal in mood. Fiterstein brought out these vibrant overtones with restraint and feeling for the principal subject of the opening Allegro’s pastoral flow. Fiterstein’s command and mastery and Korepanova’s big-boned pianism fully expressed the final movement’s broad motifs with a fine distillation of Brahms’ eloquent and capricious spirit.

Weber’s Grand Duo Concertante is an unabashed showpiece replete with the composer’s typically catchy tunes which Fiterstein and Korepanova assayed with exactly the right mix of charm and brilliance. The carousel-like melody of the Andante con moto was an utter delight in the artists’ supple iteration. They tossed off the whirlwind figures of the final Rondo with pizzazz and showmanship, Fiterstein swaying as he played.

A standing, cheering audience brought the musicians back for two encores. Schumann’s Traumerei resounded with mellifluous timbres and emotional projection. The klezmer tune “Grandmother’s Tale” had the quintessential swerving, Eastern European flavor, demonstrating that Fiterstein’s talents extend to more than one musical genre. The concert was a fine demonstration of his instrument’s flexibility, songfulness and virtuosity.

The 2025-2026 season of Friends of Chamber Music will feature pianist Ken Noda and soprano Laura Leon; pianist Benjamin Grosvenor; saxophonist Valentin Kovalev; clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein; violinist Chineyre Grevious; the Goldmund Quartet; violinist Benjamin Beilman and pianist Giora Chien; the New York Philharmonic Quartet with Fiterstein; and the Balourdet Quartet with pianist Asiya Korepanova. There will also be a memorial concert in tribute to the organization’s late director Julian Kreeger.   miamichambermusic.org

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