Recordings of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto in A major, K. 622, and Clarinet Quintet in A major, K. 581, are abundant enough that new takes on the music require some kind of real distinction. To a degree, that distinction is provided here by the fact that clarinetist Michael Collins, also leading the Philharmonia Orchestra, plays a basset clarinet, the instrument for which Mozart originally wrote these works. It has a wider range than a modern clarinet, and while Mozart's autograph has not survived, it's possible to make good ...
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Recordings of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto in A major, K. 622, and Clarinet Quintet in A major, K. 581, are abundant enough that new takes on the music require some kind of real distinction. To a degree, that distinction is provided here by the fact that clarinetist Michael Collins, also leading the Philharmonia Orchestra, plays a basset clarinet, the instrument for which Mozart originally wrote these works. It has a wider range than a modern clarinet, and while Mozart's autograph has not survived, it's possible to make good guesses as to what he had in mind. Other musicians have done this, and one probably wouldn't pick this recording on musical merits alone; even for those skeptical about applying historical performance techniques to Mozart, the Philharmonia Orchestra may seem overpowered here. The Clarinet Quintet, with the top-notch Wigmore Soloists, fares better, but there is an added attraction in the form of the contemporary concerto by Richard Birchall that fills out the program. Like Mozart's...
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