Krommer: Works for Clarinet & Orchestra

Featuring

Howard Griffiths
Dimitri Ashkenazy
Şefika Kutluer
Kamilla Schatz
Royal Northern Sinfonia
Franz Vinzenz Krommer

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Performer Biography

Dimitri Ashkenazy, the clarinetist on this album, has performed with his father, Vladimir Ashkenazy, and his brother, Vovka Ashkenazy.

Compositional Technique

Krommer's Sinfonia concertante in E Flat Major op 70 features a concertante trio of flute, clarinet, and violin, showcasing his understanding of woodwinds and mastery of the violin.

Composer Biography

Krommer was the last musician in Austrian history to be appointed chamber-conductor and court composer, a position he received in 1818.

Compositional Technique

Krommer's Clarinet Concerto op 36 anticipates later works by Weber for the same instrument, rather than echoing Mozart's earlier concerto, by fully exploiting the clarinet's potential.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Krommer's compositions, particularly his quartets, were considered a viable alternative to Haydn's due to their originality, wit, and harmonic developments.

Composer Biography

Franz Krommer, born in Moravia in 1759, began his career in the orchestra of a country squire, a common path for musicians in the Austro-Hungarian monarchy.

Critical Reception

Musicologist Wilhelm Heinrich Riehl noted in 1878 that Franz Krommer's works were historically underappreciated, despite his popularity during his lifetime.