Clarinettist Martin Fröst’s eclectic tastes are part of what makes him such an interesting artist. Roots – loosely, an exploration of how folk and dance music filter into art music – sees those tastes leading him into very persuasive performances of folk-influenced works by Brahms, Schumann, Falla and others, but they also bring a few tracks on which “ancient” music is given a quasi-mystical, new-agey patina that renders it toothless. The opening track is a mix of ancient Greek chants and Hildegard of Bingen, in which Fröst duets with a distant-sounding girls’ choir; shades of Jan Garbarek and the Hilliard Ensemble, with less bite. Bartók’s Romanian folk dances, however, have all the teeth one could want. Piazzolla’s La Muerte del Angel, punchy and languid by turns, is another highlight, and it’s hard not to dance along to the rollicking Rolig Pers Polska, which begins with Fröst doing a spot of beatboxing.
