Weber Clarinet Concertos; Clarinet Quintet
A master clarinettist serves up a tempting dish of Weber
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Carl Maria von Weber
Genre:
Orchestral
Label: BIS
Magazine Review Date: 2/2007
Media Format: Super Audio CD
Media Runtime: 74
Mastering:
Stereo
DDD
Catalogue Number: BIS-SACD1523

Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra No. 1 |
Carl Maria von Weber, Composer
Carl Maria von Weber, Composer Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Conductor Martin Fröst, Clarinet Tapiola Sinfonietta |
Quintet for Clarinet and Strings |
Carl Maria von Weber, Composer
Carl Maria von Weber, Composer Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Conductor Martin Fröst, Clarinet Tapiola Sinfonietta |
Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra No. 2 |
Carl Maria von Weber, Composer
Carl Maria von Weber, Composer Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Conductor Martin Fröst, Clarinet Tapiola Sinfonietta |
Concertino for Clarinet and Orchestra |
Carl Maria von Weber, Composer
Carl Maria von Weber, Composer Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Conductor Martin Fröst, Clarinet Tapiola Sinfonietta |
Author: John Warrack
Martin Fröst's style of playing is well suited to Weber: he has a clear, fresh tone and fingers undefeated by even the most sensational of the applause music that ends some of these works. He is not afraid of considerable tempo variations within a movement, as Weber is on record as having wanted.
This all contributes to a charming, eloquent performance of the Concertino. However, the F minor Concerto (No 1) does not need its opening Allegro to be taken quite so fast for it to make its points, and the finale, here sounding like a brisk allegro verging on presto, is actually marked Allegretto, which gives the music more space and freedom. The slow movements of both concertos are played simply, without affectation, and Fröst remembers that the alla polacca of the finale of No 2 is a dance. He takes a bright lead in the Quintet; it is played here as a concerto with full strings, which is a pity but, given the quatuor concertant nature of the work, not as disastrous as it would be with Mozart. This is a fresh, amiable performance that responds to the music's varied nature.
Fröst also plays some cadenzas of his own, rejecting those which were later added by Carl Baermann, son of the much-admired dedicatee of the works, Heinrich Baermann. He further adds a few flourishes: unnecessarily, but there is no need to be too purist here. These are attractive, exhilarating performances, clearly recorded so as to do justice to the orchestral effects which were always part of Weber's exuberant invention.
This all contributes to a charming, eloquent performance of the Concertino. However, the F minor Concerto (No 1) does not need its opening Allegro to be taken quite so fast for it to make its points, and the finale, here sounding like a brisk allegro verging on presto, is actually marked Allegretto, which gives the music more space and freedom. The slow movements of both concertos are played simply, without affectation, and Fröst remembers that the alla polacca of the finale of No 2 is a dance. He takes a bright lead in the Quintet; it is played here as a concerto with full strings, which is a pity but, given the quatuor concertant nature of the work, not as disastrous as it would be with Mozart. This is a fresh, amiable performance that responds to the music's varied nature.
Fröst also plays some cadenzas of his own, rejecting those which were later added by Carl Baermann, son of the much-admired dedicatee of the works, Heinrich Baermann. He further adds a few flourishes: unnecessarily, but there is no need to be too purist here. These are attractive, exhilarating performances, clearly recorded so as to do justice to the orchestral effects which were always part of Weber's exuberant invention.
Discover the world's largest classical music catalogue with Presto Music.

Gramophone Digital Club
- Digital Edition
- Digital Archive
- Reviews Database
- Full website access
From £8.75 / month
Subscribe
Gramophone Full Club
- Print Edition
- Digital Edition
- Digital Archive
- Reviews Database
- Full website access
From £11.00 / month
Subscribe
If you are a library, university or other organisation that would be interested in an institutional subscription to Gramophone please click here for further information.