Bernhard Crusell's reputation grew swiftly, leading to court appointments and studies in Berlin and Paris with composers like Gossec and Henri-Montan Berton.
Performer Biography
Emma Johnson, a clarinettist, won the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition at 17 and has sold half a million CDs, broadening the clarinet repertoire by commissioning new works.
Composer Biography
Bernhard Crusell, born in Finland (then under Swedish rule), joined a military band as a clarinettist, which helped foster his musical gifts.
Compositional Technique
Crusell's Concert Trio, thought to date from early 1814, is a masterly composition perhaps intended for post-prandial entertainment, with each instrument given a chance to shine.
Composition History
Schubert's Octet was commissioned by Count Ferdinand Troyer, an ennobled and accomplished clarinettist, as a companion piece to Beethoven's popular Septet.
Composition History
Schubert completed his Octet on March 1st, 1824, and considered it, along with two quartets from the same year, as preparation for a 'grand symphony'.
Performer Biography
The Carducci Quartet, named after the town Castagneto-Carducci in Italy, has won international competitions and performed Shostakovich's complete string quartet cycle globally.
