Clarinet Concertos - Box Set 14CDs

Label : Briliant
Format : Flac track
Cover : Front + Back

Many of the composers in this set wrote for the clarinet at times when the orchestral status and design of the instrument were still in transition: the 18th century saw the gradual establishment of the clarinet as a more-or-less standard orchestral feature, its range being continually expanded in parallel.

Of course, nobody was more aware of these evolutions than clarinettists themselves, who are represented here by two instrumentalist-composers, the Swedish-Finnish Bernhard Crusell, whose three concertos make use of the clarinet’s full range, and Heinrich Baermann, the dedicatee of Weber’s works blessed with a wonderful personal idiom.

Other names which may be less familiar to listeners include Charles Villiers Stanford, a leading figure in the late-19th-century renaissance of British music who is often overshadowed by Elgar and Vaughan Williams, and Julius Rietz, most closely associated with Mendelssohn, both of whom contribute concertos with clear influences (Brahms and Mendelssohn respectively) that still retain their individuality.

Mendelssohn himself is not often associated with the clarinet, but features here via his Concert Pieces for clarinet, basset horn and piano, alongside other unexpected figures such as Rossini and Mercadante (both better known for their operas) and Franz Anton Hoffmeister, most famous as a music publisher. The other multiple-soloist compositions come from the pen of Carl Stamitz, a prolific composer who contributed more than ten concertos featuring the clarinet. Equally prolific was Franz Krommer, whose concertos are among the most unpredictable and imaginative in the set.

Also notable for its innovative style is Copland’s Concerto, influenced by jazz and written in response to a commission from famous jazz clarinettist Benny Goodman. By contrast, Bruch, despite living through the diverse innovations of the late 18th and early 19th century, remained steadfast and consistent in his compositional approach.

Baermann, Heinrich

Concertino in C minor for clarinet and orchestra, op.29
Concertino in E flat major for clarinet and orchestra
Concertstuck in G minor for clarinet and orchestra
Sonata in D for clarinet and orchestra
Bruch, Max

Concerto in E minor for clarinet, viola and orchestra, op.88
Busoni, Ferruccio

Concertino for Clarinet and Small Orchestra, op.48
Copland, Aaron

Clarinet Concerto
Crusell, Bernhard

Clarinet Concerto no.1 in E flat major, op.1
Clarinet Concerto no.2 in F minor, op.5 (Grand Concerto)
Clarinet Concerto no.3 in B flat major, op.11
Finzi, Gerald

Clarinet Concerto, op.31
Hindemith, Paul

Clarinet Concerto
Hoffmeister, Franz Anton

Clarinet Concerto
Sinfonia concertante
Krommer, Franz

Clarinet Concerto in E flat major, op.36
Concerto for 2 Clarinets in E flat major, op.35
Concerto for 2 Clarinets in E flat major, op.91
Mendelssohn, Felix

Concert Piece in D minor for clarinet and basset horn, op.114
Concert Piece in F minor for clarinet and basset horn, op.113
Mercadante, Saverio

Clarinet Concerto in B flat major, op.101
Clarinet Concerto in E flat major, op.76
Concertino for Clarinet & Orchestra in C minor
Sinfonia Concertante for flute, clarinet, horn and orchestra
Sinfonia Concertante no.1 for flute, 2 clarinets, horn and orchestra
Molter, Johann Melchoir

Clarinet Concerto no.1 in A major
Clarinet Concerto no.2 in A major
Clarinet Concerto no.3 in G major
Clarinet Concerto no.4 in D major
Clarinet Concerto no.5 in D major
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus

Clarinet Concerto in A major, K622
Nielsen, Carl

Clarinet Concerto, op.57 FS129
Rietz, Julius

Clarinet Concerto in G minor, op.29
Rossini, Gioacchino

Introduction, Theme and Variations in B flat major for clarinet and orchestra
Spohr, Louis

Clarinet Concerto no.1 in C minor, op.26
Clarinet Concerto no.2 in E flat major, op.57
Clarinet Concerto no.3 in F minor, WoO19
Clarinet Concerto no.4 in E minor, WoO20
Stamitz, Carl

Clarinet Concerto no.1 in F major
Concerto for 2 Clarinets in B flat major
Concerto for clarinet and bassoon in B flat major
Stanford, Charles Villiers

Clarinet Concerto in A minor, op.80
Tansman, Alexandre

Clarinet Concerto
Weber, Carl Maria von

Clarinet Concertino in E flat major, op.26 J109
Clarinet Concerto no.1 in F minor, op.73 J114
Clarinet Concerto no.2 in E flat major, op.74 J118

Tracklist : Clarinet Concertos