historical clarinets

“Maryse Legault shows excellent technical command of her 11-key clarinet, and produces a smooth and flexible sound. She excels when the music asks for a cantabile approach (…). An auspicious beginning for the career of Maryse Legault as a performer on historical clarinets, and certainly bodes well for what we can expect from her in the future.”

— Jane Ellsworth, The Clarinet (International Clarinet Association), March 2024

“Utmost lyricism, charm, and an immaculate sense of timing. (…) In Baermann’s Introduction and Polonaise and, especially, Nocturne for Clarinet and Piano, Legault unleashes the expressive gamut of her instrument, channeling a true 19th-century virtuoso. (…) Legault varied articulation and sensitivity, her ability to shape each note, allow [Mendelssohn’s] Sonata to reach – and perhaps even exceed – its full potential.”

— Jacob Jahiel, Early Music America, March 4, 2024

“Throughout the album, Legault plays with a clear, bright sound that sings beautifully. Her ability to move agilely through all registers of the clarinet is enviable even by the standards of a modern instrument.”

— Madelyn Moore, Nineteenth-Century Music Review, 2025

“’Mr Baermann does wonders on the clarinet, but he charms as much as he amazes.’ These words quoted by Legault from a review published in the Gazette de France in 1818 might well (…) be applied to Maryse Legault herself. (…) Not only does she own to an exceptional technique but equally a beautiful evenly produced tone across the range.”

— Brian Robins, Early Music Review, December 2023

“She can really play the ten keyed period clarinet (…) with assurance and subtlety (…). Most convincing is the Andante con Moto from Weber’s Grand Duo Concertante, Op. 48, where Legault assumes the proper role as diva, reaching high and low for expression. (…) The Grand Duo is her tour de force.”

— Max Christie, The WholeNote, September 11, 2023