Loeffler's Forgotten Octet: Unpublished, Unrecorded, Unheard Since 1897
In April 2020, clarinetist Graeme Steele Johnson discovered the unpublished manuscript to a forgotten, 127-year-old Octet in the archives of the Library of Congress by the Berlin-born, Boston-based composer Charles Martin Loeffler (1861-1935), one of the most performed American composers of his time. Johnson spent a year reconstructing the Octet's score from the 75-page manuscript, creating the first critical edition of the music and revealing a kaleidoscopic piece, newly recorded and performed by a stellar group of musicians in its long-awaited New York premiere. Graeme Steele Johnson, clarinet, David Shifrin, clarinet, Bridget Kibbey, harp, Stella Chen, violin, Siwoo Kim, violin, Matthew Lipman, viola, Samuel DeCaprio, cello, and Sam Suggs, double bass, with Emi Ferguson, flute.
Claude Debussy, Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun (arr. Graeme Steele Johnson for flute, clarinet, harp, string quartet, and double bass)
Jean Sibelius, En Saga (reconstruction of original version for flute, clarinet, string quartet, and double bass)
Charles Martin Loeffler, Octet for two clarinets, harp, string quartet, and double bass (New York Premiere)
Loeffler Octet. Photography by Evan Chapman