Paul Hindemith's Clarinet Concerto was commissioned by and dedicated to the clarinettist Benny Goodman, who gave its first performance in 1950.
Composer Biography
Paul Hindemith, the composer of the Clarinet Concerto, was the son of a house-painter and studied violin privately before entering the Hoch Conservatory at age thirteen.
Composition History
Jan Van der Roost's Clarinet Concerto is a two-movement work commissioned by Musica Reservata vof, Belgium, and is dedicated to the soloist on this album, Eddy Vanoosthuyse.
Performer Biography
Eddy Vanoosthuyse, the clarinet soloist on this album, is the principal clarinet of the Brussels Philharmonic and a clarinet professor at the Royal Conservatories of Gent and Liège.
Composition History
Richard Strauss composed his Romanze in E flat for clarinet and orchestra at the age of fifteen, in 1879, during his school days.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Paul Hindemith, composer of the Clarinet Concerto, aimed to revolutionize concert-going with his concept of Gebrauchsmusik, or 'functional music,' and promoted new music.
Historical Context
Paul Hindemith's music was condemned by the National Socialist Party in 1934, and he was described by Goebbels as an 'atonal noise-maker'.
