The clarinet used on this recording is a copy of Richard Mühlfeld's own Ottensteiner clarinet, made from boxwood with a warm, grainy resonance, and fewer keys than a modern clarinet.
Interpretation
The performers use period instruments to achieve a more natural balance between the clarinet and piano, allowing both instruments to 'speak as equals'.
Composition History
Johannes Brahms composed his Clarinet Sonatas Op. 120 and other clarinet works in Bad Ischl, a spa town he frequented yearly, towards the end of his life.
Instruments
The piano used by Anthony Romaniuk is an 1875 Steinway, chosen to balance historical awareness with present-day realities, and features bass strings that are less overstrung than typical Steinways.
Interpretation
The interpretation incorporates 19th-century performance practices like arpeggiation and asynchronicity between the hands, used subtly to highlight expressive moments.
Composer Biography
Brahms was inspired to compose his late clarinet works, including these sonatas, by the playing of clarinettist Richard Mühlfeld, whom he affectionately called 'Fraülein Klarinette'.
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