Clarinet, Horn

The four Mozart flute quartets make up a nicely tidy CD, and the Nash Ensemble's neat and pointed playing make it an enjoyable one too. Philippa Davies is a pleasure to listen to, clean and unusually even in tone, a tone which is round and full but not in the least watery; lively and rhythmic in her articulation. And the string players give firm, indeed sturdy support.

The award-winning Carion Wind Quintet returns with Dreams of Freedom, featuring the world-premiere recording of Borderless by Syrian refugee Moutaz Arian, alongside Mozart, Zemlinsky, Hindemith, Stravinsky and Part.

George Onslow - Consortium Classicum - Nonet Op. 77, Grand Septuor Op. 79
EAC+LOG+CUE | WV: 251 MB | Full Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: MDG "Gold" # 301 1480-2 | Country/Year: Germany 2008
Genre: Classical | Style: Classical Period

…Another major strong point of this recording is the sound; the German audiophile label MDG outdoes itself here in an old riding stadium that displays the music's serenade-like textures to beautiful effect. Chamber players should absolutely get to know this music. There is nothing in the individual lines that would challenge good student musicians, but they stand to learn a great deal about subtle balance and interaction by playing this music. And they'll give their audiences a pleasant surprise, too.

Mozart?s concerto actually began life as a concerto for basset horn (not basset clarinet) and was written in the key of G. The manuscript ended abruptly after the 191st measure of the first movement. Mozart rethought his plan, decided to recast the concerto in A, and overhauled the solo part for basset clarinet, an instrument developed by his friend Anton Stadler The version that entered the repertoire after Mozart?s death was an adaptation of the original.