Clarinet, Horn

For Mozart, wind instruments had their own voices, full of warmth and tenderness, as much as singers did, and his concertos are animated with an operatic sense of drama. His own experience as a violinist allowed him to write five concertos for the instrument that are full of sparky virtuosity, here conveyed with sovereign authority by Henryk Szeryng. This collection (originally released as part of the legendary Philips Classics Mozart Edition) is full of truly authoritative performances featuring internationally acclaimed artists.

French pianist Geoffroy Couteau moves with sovereign ease from one mood to another in these works, bringing out their vividly contrasting colours and emotions in perfect unison with his attentive partners. The clarinet sonatas mark the end of Brahms’s output of chamber music and perhaps its peak; their gentleness and tenderness combine gracefully with the twilight glow that emanates from these pieces, showing a disarming simplicity close to Mozart. The Horn Trio, on the other hand, expresses the ardour and energy of a composer in his early thirties and at the height of his artistic powers.

French pianist Geoffroy Couteau moves with sovereign ease from one mood to another in these works, bringing out their vividly contrasting colours and emotions in perfect unison with his attentive partners. The clarinet sonatas mark the end of Brahms’s output of chamber music and perhaps its peak; their gentleness and tenderness combine gracefully with the twilight glow that emanates from these pieces, showing a disarming simplicity close to Mozart. The Horn Trio, on the other hand, expresses the ardour and energy of a composer in his early thirties and at the height of his artistic powers.

Deutsche Grammophon is releasing 16 new e-albums comprising Claudio Abbado’s Complete Recordings on the Yellow Label – the legacy of a legend. Together these digital releases include over 250 hours of first-rate recordings and feature an A-Z of composers. Volume 9 in the series presents a comprehensive set of Abbado’s Mozart interpretations.