Crusell: Clarinet Concertos & Introduction et air suédois

Featuring

Michael Collins
Svenska Kammarorkestern
Bernhard Henrik Crusell

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Instruments

Crusell commissioned various eight- to eleven-keyed clarinets from the great Dresden maker Heinrich Grenser, one of which survives in the Swedish Museum of Performing Arts.

Composer Biography

Bernhard Henrik Crusell (1775-1838), a Finnish clarinettist and composer, is considered one of the most important figures in Finnish music before Sibelius.

Compositional Technique

Crusell's compositions for clarinet were considered more ambitious than those of his contemporaries, Anton Stadler and Heinrich Baermann.

Performer Biography

Michael Collins, the soloist and conductor on this album, was awarded an MBE in 2015 for his services to music and plays exclusively on Yamaha clarinets.

Notable Performances

Crusell gave the first known performance of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto, KV 622, after its publication in 1802, and the first documented public performance of the 'Kegelstatt' Trio, KV 498, four years later.

Critical Reception

More than fifty extant concert reviews of Crusell's performances contain not a single negative comment, highlighting his exceptional skill as a performer.

Composer Biography

Crusell was an excellent linguist with a keen interest in literature, translating ten operatic libretti into Swedish, for which he received the Swedish Academy's Gold Medal in 1837.