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Clarinet concertos anyone?

I'm interested in hearing some of your favorite Classical Clarinet CD's.
Just picked up nice 3 CD set called Romantic Clarinet Concertos from Brilliant Classics. The 1st piece alone, Conc #1 in F minor Op73,played by Emma Johnson with the English Chamber Orchestra, is worth the price of this bargain priced set($14 at CD Universe).
(However it is a reissue & it's excellent quality is most fully revealed by reversing the polarity on my Spectral preamp.)
I am interested in hearing of other Clarinet concerto CD's
with similar feel to the music.(For Jazz Clarinet lovers Pete Fountains CD "Swinging Blues" on Ranwood Records in 1990 is a gem(analog recording). I'd enjoy others like it also.
psacanli
rushton's avatar
rushton
2,430 posts
 
You might also look at this earlier thread...

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?gmusi&1189734063
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eldartford
4,262 posts
 
Mozart A Major, K622 of course. (It's always Mozart). I have a SACD with Neville Marriner conducting, and his son Andrew on Clarinet. (Pentatone PTC 5186 048).

The clarinet was still in the process of evolution as Mozart was writing, and he designed the Quintet and Concerto for the instrument developed by his friend and fellow Freemason, the clarinet virtuoso Anton Stadler (1753-1812); the "bassett clarinet". This instrument was no success, but of course Mozart's music lived on - although in arrangements for other solo instruments notably viola, made after his death. Mozart's original solo part for the concerto is today vanished. For the solo part to be playable on the clarinet, the arranger had to do adaptations of the melodic material.

Viola players consider this concerto to be theirs, and are quite annoyed by the clarinet players stealing it. Poor things: so little is written for viola.
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j_evege
29 posts
 
I love the chamber music of Francis Poulenc which often features clarinet (as well as bassoon, oboe) very prominently.

Hyperion CDA67255/6

The 2nd half of the first disc (tracks 7-13) are some of my favorite classical recordings period. I just listened to them today. Tracks 7-9 is a sonato for two clarinets that is so beautiful and contemplative. I would give the recording quality 4 stars but the performance a 5. Happy hunting!
dcstep
1,518 posts
 
Stravinsky's "Ebony Concerto"

Mozart's fine, but let's dig a little deeper.

Dave
zinfan2
154 posts
 
Crusell's clarinet concertos are a lot of fun. Also, try out Beethoven's -- yes, of course, he didn't write one, but Mikhail Pletnev has arranged Beethoven's Violin Concerto for clarinet and conducts it on DG with Michael Collins as the soloist -- paired with, dare I say it, the ubiquitous (with a reason) Mozart.
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