FRANZ KROMMER

COMPLETE CLARINET CONCERTOS

THE FIRST WORLD COMPLETE RECORDING

This historically first complete recording of the clarinet concertos by František Vincenc Kramář (1759–1831), known in the European music world as Franz Krommer, offers a comprehensive portrait of the composer’s writing for an instrument that was undergoing rapid development at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. The double album includes three concertos for solo clarinet, two concertos for two clarinets, and a Concertino for clarinet and orchestra. Two of these works are presented here in world-premiere recordings: the E-flat major Concerto, Op. 52, in Krommer’s version for clarinet, and the Concertino for clarinet and orchestra. The well-known E-flat major Concerto, Op. 36, is complemented by two works that Krommer originally composed for other instruments and later reworked for clarinet: another E-flat major Concerto, originally written for oboe, and the dramatically charged E minor Concerto, originally intended for flute. The two concertos for two clarinets develop a dialogue between equal soloists, with the later work reaching its climax in a brilliant Alla Polacca finale. The album concludes with the previously unrecorded Concertino for clarinet and orchestra. Its score and instrumental parts were discovered in the archives of Czech Radio.

František Vincenc Kramář (1759–1831) – E-flat major Concerto for clarinet and orchestra, Op. 36; E-flat major Concerto for clarinet and orchestra, Op. 52 (world-premiere recording of the clarinet version); E minor Concerto for clarinet and orchestra, Op. 86; E-flat major Concerto for two clarinets and orchestra, Op. 35; Concertino for clarinet and orchestra (world-premiere recording); E-flat major Concerto for two clarinets and orchestra, Op. 91

Marek Švejkar – clarinet, Paul Meyer – clarinet, Hradec Králové Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Jiří Habart

BACH, BERIO, BOULEZ

MUSIC FOR SOLO CLARINET

The clarinet is one of the instruments with the broadest spectrum of sonic possibilities in terms of its range of dynamics and pitches. It received the greatest attention during the era of Classicism both in solo parts in concertos and in the roles of a chamber music partner and an orchestral instrument. It had to wait until the 20th century for works featuring its unaccompanied solo voice in its full range of colours. Outstanding among the composers who created such works are two figures who fundamentally shaped musical thinking in the latter half of the 20th century: Luciano Berio and Pierre Boulez. Commemorating the 100th anniversaries of both men’s birth, this recording covers their complete music for solo clarinet. Berio and Boulez sought new ways to organise music in time and space, and both took inspiration from poetry. Boulez gave symbolic expression to their quest: “It must be our concern…to jettison the concept of a work as a simple journey starting with a departure and ending with an arrival.” One of the things that inspired Berio’s idea of “polyphonic music for a monophonic instrument” were works by J. S. Bach. One of them, Partita in A minor for solo flute, is heard on this recording in juxtaposition with the modernism of the 20th century. 

The complete works of Boulez and Berio for solo clarinet: Pierre Boulez (1925–2016) – Domaines, Dialogue de l’ombre double. Luciano Berio (1925–2003) – Sequenza IX, Lied. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) – Partita in A minor BWV 1013 (orig. for flute).

CONNECTION

ANNÉES DE PÈLERINAGE

The debut album Connection is the result of more than a decade of concerts, musical partnerships, and complicated life journeys. The entire disc is structured as a guide to Czechia-French clarinet works, many of which have not yet been recorded on CD, making this a premiere release. The title has many meanings and is based on the imaginary connection between the Czech Republic and France, between which I have been traveling for the last ten years, and my music with me. It is a connection between French aesthetics and the richness of Czech culture, from which all my musical inspiration comes. I would like to present the clarinet, a forgotten gem of the wind instrument family for many of us, in a completely different light, combining a listener-friendly, virtuoso, and unusual repertoire for both musically uninterested listeners and the professional public.

PROGRAM FOR CLARINET AND PIANO: CHARLES-MARIA WIDOR (1844–1937) – Introduction et Rondo, Op. 72. OLDŘICH FLOSAMAN (1925–1998) – Zbojnická sonatina. GABRIEL FAURÉ (1845–1924) – Après un Rêve, Op. 7 (arr. Marek Švejkar). ADAM SKOUMAL (*1959) – Variations on a Gypsy Melody for Clarinet and Piano. CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS (1835–1921) – Sonata for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 167. ZDENĚK FIBICH (1850–1900) – Idyll (Selanka), Op. 16. PABLO DE SARASATE (1844–1908) – Carmen Fantaisie (arr. Nicolas Baldeyrou).