Weber: Clarinet Concertos & Quintet [Hybrid SACD]

Weber: Clarinet Concertos & Quintet [Hybrid SACD]

Weber: Clarinet Concertos & Quintet [Hybrid SACD]
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CD Details

Composer: Carl Maria von Weber
Conductor: Jean-Jacques Kantorow
Orchestra: Tapiola Sinfonietta
Edition: Music CD
Format: Hybrid SACD - DSD, Import
CD Release Date: 2006-11-21
Music Label: Bis
Soundtracks:
  1. Clarinet Concerto No. 1 in F minor, J. 114 (Op. 73): I. Allegro
  2. Clarinet Concerto No. 1 in F minor, J. 114 (Op. 73): II. Adagio ma non troppo
  3. Clarinet Concerto No. 1 in F minor, J. 114 (Op. 73): III. Rondo. Allegretto
  4. Quintet for clarinet & strings in B flat major, J. 182 (Op. 34): I. Allegro
  5. Quintet for clarinet & strings in B flat major, J. 182 (Op. 34): II. Fantasia. Adagio ma non troppo
  6. Quintet for clarinet & strings in B flat major, J. 182 (Op. 34): II. Menuetto. Capriccio presto
  7. Quintet for clarinet & strings in B flat major, J. 182 (Op. 34): III. Rondo. Allegro giocoso
  8. Clarinet Concerto No. 2 in E flat major, J. 118 (Op. 74): I. Allegro
  9. Clarinet Concerto No. 2 in E flat major, J. 118 (Op. 74): II. Romanza. Andante
  10. Clarinet Concerto No. 2 in E flat major, J. 118 (Op. 74): III. Alla Polacca
  11. Concertino for clarinet & orchestra in E flat major, J. 109 (Op. 26)

Music reviews of Weber: Clarinet Concertos & Quintet [Hybrid SACD]

Music Review: I do not believe there are points available for finishing first
Rating: 4 Stars

In The Clarinet and Clarinet Playing, David Pino comments that the Polacca of von Weber's 2nd Clarinet Concerto is "often nearly destroyed by performers who try to play it too fast". Destroyed is kind of a strong word for a performer of Martin Fröst's caliber, and Weber's pieces are the clarinet showpieces of choice, but still ...

In the First Concerto, Fröst is playing so fast he misses a few notes. Not many, and possibly not noticeable to the untrained ear, but still. The violins can't keep up with him towards the end of the third movement; notes which should be distinctly enunciated are run together and a little mushy. And that's in the accompaniment. I've played the accompaniment to this piece in its wind ensemble transcription, and it's not that interesting, unless you try to play it 20% faster than is at all rational. Even Sabine Meyer, who's consummate skill and artistry allow her to play things faster than most performers but still remain completely graceful, does not attempt to play Weber's 1st concerto at anything like this speed. Sharon Kam, whose brilliance as a clarinetist is matched by her good sense with tempi, finishes the 3rd Movement of the 1st Concerto almost an entire minute behind Martin Fröst (at about 6:22 to to Frost's 5:25). On the plus side, Kam's recording is comprehensible. Fröst plays this piece just a touch faster than what it sounds like he can perfectly manage, and way too fast for what the piece actually is.

I would make similar comments on Weber's 2nd. It's just too fast. The Polacca that Pino laments is in fact played too fast here in my opinion, but not quite to the over-the-top degree as the Rondo of the 1st. He finishes a good 45 seconds ahead of Sharon Kam, not unimpressive for a 6:30-7:00 minute piece. It feels faster than seems reasonable, but not out-of-control as the 1st did.

I cannot be said to be a huge fan of the Quintet, so I don't have any comments on that one.

Although I've grown fonder of Weber's two Concerti over the years, the Concertino is still my favorite of his clarinet music. Oddly, after racing through the two concerti, the Concertino is played at a more reasonable speed - finishing in about 9 minutes, essentially the same as Sharon Kam and Charles Neidich. Probably what held Fröst up here is that he insists on articulating every single note in many of the highly technical passages. Just because you can do a thing does not mean that you should; it stops being all that impressive when you're doing it all the time. To me, Kam's performance is much more interesting and satisfying on Sharon Kam Plays Concerti. But, I did enjoy his interpretation of the Concertino, where with the Concerti (especially the first) mostly all I noticed was how fast he was trying to play it.

So, four stars, because Frost is brilliant clarinet player with a great, highly personal tone quality and tremendous musical agility, and because these are some of the cornerstone pieces of the clarinet repertoire.

But he still plays most of them too fast to really explore their musicality. He has done far better work; his recording of the Mozart "Stadler" Clarinet Quintet is particularly moving, and his Brahms Sonatas are my favorite recordings of those pieces. But I'll stick to Meyer and Kam when it comes to Weber.

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