A third piece on this album is a completion by Duncan Druce of an unfinished Allegro movement for a second Mozart clarinet quintet, offering a glimpse of what might have been.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Gordon Jacob, a composer whose career began in a WWI prisoner of war camp, aimed for conciseness and clarity in his compositions, contrasting with the pastoral style of his teachers.
Performer Biography
The Gaudier Ensemble, described as 'one of the world's elite ensembles' by the Sunday Times, was formed in 1988 by international musicians from the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.
Composition History
Mozart's Clarinet Quintet in A major, K.581, was written for his friend and muse Anton Stadler, a clarinet virtuoso in the Imperial Court Orchestra.
Instruments
The clarinet was a relatively young instrument in Mozart's time, having been refined from its predecessor, the Chalumeau, with added keys to extend its range.
Recording & Production
The clarinetist Richard Hosford used three different clarinets for this recording, including a basset clarinet extended by Jeremy Lowe for the Mozart Quintet, K.581.
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Mozart: Clarinet Quintet, K. 581; Weber: Clarinet Quintet, Op. 34
