Post by erik on Mar 2, 2024 18:23:17 GMT -5
Mozart is once more in the Classical Albums Spotlight, with a 1990 recording that includes the composer's beloved Clarinet Concerto.
Mozart: CLARINET CONCERTO; SINFONIA-CONCERTANTE FOR FOUR WINDS AND ORCHESTRA
Clarinet: SABINE MEYER
Oboe: DIETHELM JONAS
Bassoon: SERGIO AZZOLINI
Horn: BRUNO SCHNEDIER
Dresden State Orchestra/HANS VONK (EMI)
Throughout much of his (sadly abbreviated) life, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart did much to innovate every one of the forms he worked in, be it operas, concertos, symphonies, and even choral music. He was especially careful in innovating the wind section of the orchestra, having composed two concertos for the flute; one for the bassoon; and four for the French horn. He also established a significant friendship with the great clarinetist Anton Stadler, resulting in the Clarinet Quintet, and, in the midsummer of 1791, a work that is arguably the most popular concerto for a solo wind instrument in history, the much-beloved Clarinet Concerto. The work, structured in the traditional three-movement form, is distinguished by two outer movements of fine clarinet virtuosity in the home key of A Major, with a middle Adagio in D Major that is among the most poignant single movements of any kind in Western classical music. It is especially poignant when one is reminded that this concerto was the last work Mozart ever composed in any orchestral form, and one of the last things he was ever able to finish (he would sadly pass away before the end of 1791).
Although Mozart’s trip to Paris in 1778 was considered by him to be nothing short of disastrous (he was to lose his mother during that time), he was nevertheless able to commit to music, first with his Paris Symphony (#31), his biggest in that form in terms of orchestral size up to that time, and then with a three-movement Sinfonia-Concertante for four wind soloists and small orchestra. This last work is considered mysterious in nature, as a similar work by the composer Giuseppe Cambini had made its rounds, and Cambini went to great lengths to suppress Mozart’s work. Mozart’s was considered lost until a manuscript in the collection of musicologist Otto Jahn turned up in 1869. Its authenticity was, and continues to be, debated; but in general, the wind solo lines seem to be very much in line with Mozart’s particular style. It is structured as a three-movement concerto, with an inner slow movement sandwiched between two lively outer movements; but ironically, all three movements are in the home key of E Flat Major.
This 1990 recording is arguably the greatest that Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto has ever received, thanks to the renowned German-born clarinetist Sabine Meyer, who performs this work on a basset clarinet of the kind that Stadler used for the work’s performance in the fall of 1791. She and three members of her Sabine Meyer Wind Ensemble ably navigate through the Sinfonia-Concertante, along with the expert accompaniment of the Dresden State Orchestra under the direction of Hans Vonk. This recording indeed lives up to EMI’s claim of it being one of the great recordings of the 20th century.
Mozart: CLARINET CONCERTO; SINFONIA-CONCERTANTE FOR FOUR WINDS AND ORCHESTRA
Clarinet: SABINE MEYER
Oboe: DIETHELM JONAS
Bassoon: SERGIO AZZOLINI
Horn: BRUNO SCHNEDIER
Dresden State Orchestra/HANS VONK (EMI)
Throughout much of his (sadly abbreviated) life, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart did much to innovate every one of the forms he worked in, be it operas, concertos, symphonies, and even choral music. He was especially careful in innovating the wind section of the orchestra, having composed two concertos for the flute; one for the bassoon; and four for the French horn. He also established a significant friendship with the great clarinetist Anton Stadler, resulting in the Clarinet Quintet, and, in the midsummer of 1791, a work that is arguably the most popular concerto for a solo wind instrument in history, the much-beloved Clarinet Concerto. The work, structured in the traditional three-movement form, is distinguished by two outer movements of fine clarinet virtuosity in the home key of A Major, with a middle Adagio in D Major that is among the most poignant single movements of any kind in Western classical music. It is especially poignant when one is reminded that this concerto was the last work Mozart ever composed in any orchestral form, and one of the last things he was ever able to finish (he would sadly pass away before the end of 1791).
Although Mozart’s trip to Paris in 1778 was considered by him to be nothing short of disastrous (he was to lose his mother during that time), he was nevertheless able to commit to music, first with his Paris Symphony (#31), his biggest in that form in terms of orchestral size up to that time, and then with a three-movement Sinfonia-Concertante for four wind soloists and small orchestra. This last work is considered mysterious in nature, as a similar work by the composer Giuseppe Cambini had made its rounds, and Cambini went to great lengths to suppress Mozart’s work. Mozart’s was considered lost until a manuscript in the collection of musicologist Otto Jahn turned up in 1869. Its authenticity was, and continues to be, debated; but in general, the wind solo lines seem to be very much in line with Mozart’s particular style. It is structured as a three-movement concerto, with an inner slow movement sandwiched between two lively outer movements; but ironically, all three movements are in the home key of E Flat Major.
This 1990 recording is arguably the greatest that Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto has ever received, thanks to the renowned German-born clarinetist Sabine Meyer, who performs this work on a basset clarinet of the kind that Stadler used for the work’s performance in the fall of 1791. She and three members of her Sabine Meyer Wind Ensemble ably navigate through the Sinfonia-Concertante, along with the expert accompaniment of the Dresden State Orchestra under the direction of Hans Vonk. This recording indeed lives up to EMI’s claim of it being one of the great recordings of the 20th century.