Krommer / Schubert Consort Amsterdam / Graaf - Clarinet Quartet Op.83 & Quintet Op.95 - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

New recordings of early-Romantic quintets by the supreme clarinet virtuoso of his day, an inspiration to Weber and Mendelssohn but also an accomplished composer in his own right.Heinrich Baermann followed in his father's footsteps as a military musician in Prussian Germany, but his career took off once he met Carl Maria von Weber in 1811. Weber was immediately taken with the French-accented brilliance and German richness of tone which Baermann drew from his instrument, and began to write a series of works - including two concertos and a concertino - which still rank among his most inspired instrumental pieces, as well as defining a new sound and reach for the clarinet as a solo instrument Mozart had made a poet out of the clarinet, with his pieces for Anton Stadler; now thanks to Baermann, it could take on multiple roles, as leader, jester, and magus-like figure to complement the likes of Paganini on the violin and Giuliani on the guitar.Weber pushed Baermann's technique to new heights of facility and eloquence, which in return inflected Baermann's own works for his instrument with comparable ambition. He wrote three quintets for clarinet and string ensemble, the first of them more concerto-like in character, the latter two full-scale chamber works. They have been recorded complete only once before, making this new album from a fine team of Dutch musicians all the more welcome.Especially impressive are the slow movements of the quintets, cast as arias without words in order to capitalise on the fluid legato of Baermann's playing, but formed with an economy of means which leaves their themes lingering in the mind's ear. The Adagio of the Op. 23 Quintet was misattributed to Richard Wagner for many years, which speaks for Baermann's craftsmanship, even if it's harmonic language evidently belongs to a generation or two after Mozart. Now restored to it's rightful place, th

Album Tracks 1. Quintet for Clarinet, 2 Violins, Viola and Violoncello in B-Flat Major, Op. 34 1. Allegro 2. Quintet for Clarinet, 2 Violins, Viola and Violoncello in B-Flat Major, Op. 34 2. Fastasia. Adagio 3. Quintet for Clarinet, 2 Violins, Viola and Violoncello in B-Flat Major, Op. 34 3. Menuetto. Capriccio Presto 4. Quintet for Clarinet, 2 Violins, Viola and Violoncello in B-Flat Major, Op. 34 4. Rondo. Allegro Giocoso 5. Quartet for Clarinet, Violin, Viola and Violoncello in E-Flat Major 1. Allegro Moderato 6. Quartet for Clarinet, Violin, Viola and Violoncello in E-Flat Major 2. La Seccatura. Allegro Molto 7. Quartet for Clarinet, Violin, Viola and Violoncello in E-Flat Major 3. Andante 8. Quartet for Clarinet, Violin, Viola and Violoncello in E-Flat Major 4. Rondo. Allegretto 9. Quintet for Clarinet, 2 Violins, Viola and Violoncello in B-Flat Major 1. Allegro 10. Quintet for Clarinet, 2 Violins, Viola and Violoncello in B-Flat Major 2. Andante 11. Quintet for Clarinet, 2 Violins, Viola and Violoncello in B-Flat Major 3. Menuetto. Allegro 12. Quintet for Clarinet, 2 Violins, Viola and Violoncello in B-Flat Major 4. Finale. Allegretto

After the success of the Red, Yellow, Blue and Pink collections (a total of 56 reissues), which brought the pearls from the Baroque catalogues of the house labels back into the spotlight, here are fourteen new titles offering a chance to rediscover more Baroque treasures and rarities. Like the last series, this fifth installment also opens up to the Classical (Mozart) or Renaissance (Dufay) repertories - recordings that are an integral part of Alpha's identity and history. This series' reissues are performed by the finest musicians in the field; most of these recordings received one or more awards on their first . The albums come with proper booklets, including notes in three languages (French, English, German). Photographers from many different backgrounds illustrate the covers of the series with their works this time the main theme is the color white. The present album features WA Mozart's Quintet for clarinet K 581 and Quartets K 380 and K 378 performed by Florent Heau and the Manfred Quartet.