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The last and greatest of Mozart’s several wind concertos is the clarinet concerto, completed only weeks before his premature death. At this time he was inspired by the outstanding musicianship of the clarinettist Anton Stadler, composing this concerto—as well as a trio with viola and piano, a quintet and obbligato parts in two operatic arias—especially for him. Stadler, a close friend of Mozart and fellow-member of the Masonic Lodge to which he belonged, had recently developed a new type of clarinet with an extension of four extra semitones to the register which particularly fascinated him—the lowest. This basset-clarinet was the instrument for which Mozart originally composed both the concerto and the quintet, but it soon became obsolete. Also the manuscripts of both works were lost, so the concerto was published in an adaptation (by an unknown editor) for orthodox clarinet.
Mozart was the absolute professional in his treatment of every orchestral instrument, showing deep understanding of the special character and technique of each one. For instance, in this concerto he exploits the clarinet’s easy agility of movement from one extreme of its range to the other, often requiring the soloist to leap between high and low registers even on successive notes in a melody. Elsewhere alternating high and low phrases occasionally suggest an operatic dialogue between soprano (or mezzo-soprano) and baritone (or bass). In common with other works of Mozart’s last year—including The Magic Flute and the final piano concerto in B flat, K595—the clarinet concerto combines a new degree of simplicity with limpid grace and transparency of texture. The omission of oboes contributes to the mellower orchestral sound, while the key of A major—as in the K488 piano concerto—seems, for Mozart, to have been associated with a certain characteristic tone-colour. Many composers favoured a more classical purity of language in their late music, and of course one may wonder how Mozart would have continued had he lived beyond the age of thirty-five. However, we should guard against the notion that Mozart was aware of impending death when he completed works such as the K595 piano concerto or this clarinet concerto in 1791, because sketched material for the first movement of each work actually dates from about three years earlier. Anton Stadler gave the premiere in Prague on 16 October 1791.
from notes by Phillip Borg-Wheeler © 2019
Ce qui caractérise vraiment ce concerto, cependant, c’est qu’il constitue un aboutissement dans les réalisations inégalées de Mozart en tant que maître de la forme concertante, en proposant une réunion naturelle des éléments—cohérence structurelle, mélodie attachante, virtuosité, et un réel talent pour la caractérisation mélodique, hérité de son travail à l’opéra—grâce auxquels il avait pu faire du concerto un mode d’expression sophistiqué. Pourtant, ce qui impressionne le plus dans cette composition est peut-être sa simplicité. Voici de fait une oeuvre sans grandes surprises ni vraies sources d’étonnement, seulement une musique au charme mélodique indéniable et à la «justesse» structurelle évidente. Le premier mouvement a une dimension inhabituelle, avec ce même lyrisme tranquille qui caractérise les deux concertos pour piano que Mozart avait déjà composés dans la même tonalité. Le Finale est un rondo délicieux et plein d’esprit, avec un thème récurrent qu’on garde facilement en mémoire, mais c’est le mouvement lent central qui fournit une des plus belles musiques qui soient, non seulement dans ce concerto mais aussi dans l’œuvre de Mozart tout entière. La mélodie exquise avec laquelle il commence et se termine—présentée délicatement par le soliste au début, puis reprise dans la ferveur par l’orchestre—est du très grand Mozart, profondément émouvante, mais en même temps empreinte de noblesse et tout en retenue.
extrait des notes rédigées par Lindsay Kemp © 2021
Français: Pascal Bergerault
Was das Konzert allerdings wirklich auszeichnet ist der Umstand, dass darin Mozarts unübertroffene Leistung als Meister der Konzertform ihren Höhepunkt erreicht. Es ist ein müheloses Zusammenfließen aller Elemente—ob nun die Kohärenz in der Struktur, der ansprechende Melodienreichtum, die Virtuosität oder das Geschick für melodische Charakterzeichnungen, das Mozart von seinen Arbeiten für die Oper einbrachte—, mit denen er das Konzert zu einer anspruchsvollen Ausdrucksform entwickelt hatte. Das Beeindruckendste jedoch ist wohl die schiere Schlichtheit des Werks. Es birgt keine großen Überraschungen, sondern ausschließlich Musik von reizvollstem melodischem Charme und struktureller „Richtigkeit“. Der erste Satz ist ungewöhnlich ausladend, ihn zeichnet die gleiche entspannte Lyrik aus wie die beiden Klavierkonzerte, die Mozart in derselben Tonart schrieb. Das Finale ist ein geschmeidiges und geistreiches Rondo mit einem denkwürdigen, sich wiederholenden Thema. Im mittleren langsamen Satz jedoch erklingt mit die schönste Musik nicht nur dieses Konzerts, sondern im ganzen Schaffen Mozarts. Die exquisite Melodie, mit der er beginnt und endet—zuerst zart in der Klarinette, dann im warmen Widerhall des Orchesters—, ist Mozart in Reinform, zutiefst bewegend und zugleich erhaben und zurückhaltend.
aus dem Begleittext von Lindsay Kemp © 2021
Deutsch: Ursula Wulfekamp
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