Jon Nakamatsu, the pianist on this recording, won the Gold Medal at the 1997 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and has released 12 CDs to critical acclaim.
Composition History
Beethoven's Trio in B-flat major, op.11, was dedicated to Countess Maria Wilhelmine von Thun, a musical patron who also hosted Mozart and Anton Stadler, a clarinettist for whom Mozart wrote his Clarinet Quintet and Concerto.
Composition History
Johannes Brahms, who had twice declared his composing life over, was inspired by clarinettist Richard Mühlfeld to write a sequence of new works, including the Trio in A minor, op.114.
Performer Biography
Jon Manasse, the clarinetist on this recording, was formerly the principal clarinetist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra under James Levine and has toured Europe with the Cleveland Orchestra.
Performer Biography
Clive Greensmith, the cellist on this recording, joined the Tokyo String Quartet in 1999 and previously held the position of principal cellist of London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Hector Berlioz described the clarinet as having "a proud quality tempered by noble tenderness," making it ideal for expressing poetic feelings and ideas.
Composer Biography
Unlike Beethoven and Brahms, who settled in Vienna, Carl Maria von Weber led a nomadic life, forming a strong attachment with clarinettist Heinrich Baermann during his travels.
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