Working with Joan Enric Lluna

On Tuesday evening, the SCO Winds (plus a rogue cello!) performed in the Orchestra's CL@SIX series with director and clarinettist Joan Enric Lluna. The programme featured Dvorák's Wind Serenade and Strauss' Suite in B-flat Op 4.

I have known Joan Enric Lluna for a long time. He was my teacher at the Escuela de Musica de Barcelona and later on in London as more or less my private teacher, complementing the education I had at the Royal College of Music. I have always been an admirer of him as a clarinettist, great communicator and fantastic teacher. His personal style of making music, and his love for the instrument made him a very important person in my career.

I have played together with him in many concerts around Europe; two clarinets and piano, chamber music with his group Moonwinds and at the Orquesta de Cadaques. With Moonwinds we recorded Mozart's Gran Partita for Harmonia Mundi. So, I could say I know him quite well!!

Working with him at the SCO has been an extreme pleasure for me and I speak for everybody involved in this fantastic programme. During rehearsals he was very inspirational and let us play with a good sense of freedom. He just goes beyond the music itself looking for that "expresivo" quality with a warm group sound and lot of character!

I hope we might see him back before too long in a full orchestra programme. I certainly will see him very soon in more projects together.

Maximiliano Martín - Principal Clarinet