Classical Music | Clarinet Music

Recorded on 07/01/2006, uploaded on 08/20/2009

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

Among the last of Mozart's compositions, the Clarinet Concerto in A major is one of the finest in the repertoire. Composed in 1791, it was written for the noted virtuoso Anton Stadler, also the recipient of Mozart's Clarinet Quintet of 1789. However, it was not until modern times that it was discovered that the published version of the Concerto was not Mozart's original version. Mozart originally composed the work for Stadler's basset clarinet, a special instrument Stadler had built in collaboration with Theodor Lotz extending the lower range of the clarinet by a major third. Since Stadler's instrument was unique, the publisher opted to transpose the passages of Mozart's concerto into the range of the normal clarinet. The original manuscript was subsequently lost and the Concerto, as conceived by Mozart and premiered by Stadler, remained unknown until the mid 20^th century. Yet, regardless of which form it appears in, Mozart's Clarinet Concerto is remarkable piece of charming beauty.

Cast in the traditional three movements, the first movement begins with an energetic orchestral exposition. However, once the clarinet enters, the music at times takes on a decidedly more melancholy tone. The first movement is relatively straightforward in its design with the exception that there are no written-out cadenzas for the soloist. The middle movement, an Adagio and the best-known part of the work, begins with a beautiful lyric melody with lush harmonies in the strings. A large ternary design, the middle section displays brilliantly the best ranges of the clarinet. A cadenza, sometimes take from the Larghetto of Mozart's Clarinet Quintet, is often inserted before the return of the opening section. The final movement is a joyful sonata-rondo movement. Though the melancholic mood of the first movement makes its appearance, much of the finale is jovial and energetic.    Joseph DuBose

Courtesy of The International Festival-Institute at Round Top

Located in historic Round Top, Texas, The James Dick Foundation for the Performing Arts and its sole project, The International Festival-Institute at Round Top, were founded in 1971 by world-renowned concert pianist James Dick. Begun with a handful of gifted young pianists in rented space on the town square, the project is now an internationally acclaimed European-styled music institute for aspiring young musicians and distinguished faculty. Over a thirty eight year period and with the help of its patrons and friends, The James Dick Foundation for the Performing Arts has developed superb year round education and performance programs.