Judge the tenor of Nielsen’s Concerto with the first cadenza (4'37") in the opening movement played by Ib Erikson (1954) – edgy, oratorical, pianissimo to fortissimo extreme, his realisation of passionato uninhibitedly harsh; and turning this unbarred episode into an improvisation of earthy vehemence. Picture the composer’s rural roots and the choleric obstinacy of the concerto’s dedicatee Aage Oxenvad. Modern clarinettists such as Stanley Drucker and Martin Fröst don’t hit the nails. Nor does Julian Bliss, partly because Mario Venzago’s tempo is too quick for Allegretto un poco, five points higher than the marking crotchet=72. Leonard Bernstein (Drucker) and Osmo Vänska (Fröst) also misjudge the speed. Weighty rhythm isn’t stressed, as it is by Mogens Wöldike (Erikson). And Bliss, though technically consummate, is emotionally narrow. Both musicians, however, range wider in the remaining movements, culminating in a finale of greater power.

Nielsen wrote for the A clarinet; so did Mozart, but for Anton Stadler’s extended instrument, today a basset clarinet as used by Bliss. He follows Franz Giegling’s conjectural restoration of the solo part with added personal touches but with no personal insights until the reprise of the second movement. A withdrawn tonal haze here bodes well for a reflective finale, where Venzago helps through a better awareness of orchestral detail and texture which continues into the two arias. Bliss, who adapted both soprano parts for standard clarinet, also orchestrated the existing piano reduction of K119. Consider these as encores where both musicians are at their finest.