Many of Mozart's contemporaries found the experimental style of his 'Haydn Quartets' incomprehensible, though Haydn himself greatly admired them.
Composer Biography
Mozart met Joseph Haydn, 24 years his senior, after moving to Vienna, and considered him a teacher.
Compositional Technique
Mozart invented a new genre by writing the Clarinet Quintet for clarinet and a classical string quartet, a unique combination for its time.
Composition History
Mozart wrote the Clarinet Quintet in A major K581 for his friend Anton Stadler, a member of the Imperial Hofkapelle and a leading wind virtuoso.
Instruments
Anton Stadler, the clarinettist for whom Mozart wrote the Clarinet Quintet, had a special 'basset clarinet' built with an extended lower range.
Composition History
Mozart's String Quartet in D minor K421 is one of six 'Haydn Quartets' dedicated to his friend Joseph Haydn, and was the result of "long and laborious effort."
Performer Biography
Jörg Widmann, the clarinetist on this album, is also a composer who has won many prizes for his works, which are performed by leading musicians.
