Mozart: Clarinet Concerto, K. 622 & Clarinet Quintet, K. 581

Featuring

Sharon Kam
Isabelle van Keulen
Ulrike-Anima Mathé
Volker Jacobsen
Gustav Rivinius
Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Did you know?

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Composition History

While many consider the Requiem to be Mozart's last work, his Clarinet Concerto was actually his final completed composition.

Compositional Technique

Mozart's Clarinet Quintet and Concerto exemplify a 'late style' characterized by melodic depth and refined simplicity, moving away from noisy forte openings.

Composer Biography

Mozart and Anton Stadler, the clarinettist who inspired these works, were both members of the Freemason lodge in Vienna, which served as a social network.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Mozart became a passionate admirer of the basset clarinet, an instrument with an extended bass compass, and actually composed his Clarinet Concerto and Quintet for it.

Performer Biography

Sharon Kam, the clarinettist on this album, made her orchestral debut at age 16 with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under Zubin Mehta and won the 1992 International ARD Competition.

Composition History

Mozart's Clarinet Concerto and Clarinet Quintet were inspired by his friendship with Anton Stadler, a renowned clarinettist, and were composed in Mozart's final years.

Instruments

The clarinet was a relatively new instrument in Mozart's time, and he only recognized its full potential after hearing a modern orchestra in Mannheim in 1777.