J. Brahms: Clarinet Quintet in B Minor, Op. 115 (Kam/Jerusalem, Steffens/Scharoun) скачать в хорошем качестве

J. Brahms: Clarinet Quintet in B Minor, Op. 115 (Kam/Jerusalem, Steffens/Scharoun)

Sharon Kam with the Jerusalem Quartet: 00:00 - Allegro 13:30 - Adagio 24:49 - Andantino - Presto non assai, ma non sentimento 29:26 - Con moto Karl-Heinz Steffens and the Scharoun Ensemble Berlin 38:29 - Allegro 51:51 - Adagio 1:03:13 - Andantino - Presto non assai, ma con sentimento 1:07:56 - Con moto Johannes Brahms' final chamber work for more than two instruments, the Clarinet Quintet in B Minor, is part of a slew of late works inspired by German clarinetist Richard Mühlfeld, including the Clarinet Trio and two Clarinet Sonatas. Brahms famously declared that he would compose no more works after the Op. 111 Viola Quintet in G Major in 1890, only to go back on his word after meeting Mühlfeld; therefore, Mühlfeld is also indirectly responsible for the creation of the other late works by Brahms, such as the Op. 116-119 Klavierstücke (Piano Pieces), and the Op. 121 Vier Ernste Gesange (Four Serious Songs). The Clarinet Quintet instrumentation, pairing a solo clarinet with a string quartet, had been notably accomplished by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart over a century earlier, in his sunny K. 581 Clarinet Quintet in A Major. Brahms' entry in this genre is clearly aware of Mozart's composition, and pays homage by including a Theme and Variations last movement. Brahms' Clarinet Quintet is anything but sunny, however; a common analogy is drawn between the late Indian Summer period of Brahms' life, and the autumnal feeling that this piece is imbued with. When conducting an analysis of this piece, special attention should be drawn to the ambiguities in both key and structure. The first four bars of the first movement already introduce two of the main themes, while committing to neither b minor nor D Major. This blurrying of boundaries between keys, this haziness, is disorienting to the listener, but it allows for a Brahmsian experience in which we become acquainted with the development and essence of thematic elements without always being able to remember their origins. Although many other themes are heard in the exposition, and deployed canonically in the development for a haunting effect, it's these first four bars that set the stage for the movement's climax in the coda, a modally mixed but unmistakeable b minor. The second movement, a lullaby in the parallel major, revolves around an anguished yet sweet three-note sigh. With a nod backwards to the main theme of the first movement in this movement's transition, Brahms then presents a stark, Hungarian middle section, complete with written out clarinet improvisations. In the coda of the movement, these improvisations are once again alluded to, but this time they are subdued and nostalgic. The third movement is a sonata form in the disguise of a scherzo-trio. Similar to the first movement, Brahms plays upon the boundaries between b minor and D Major, by introducing a theme that can be used in both keys. The last movement, a humble theme and variations unequivocably in the home key of b minor, is understated but solemn in its melancholy, even permeating the one major variation. The main theme of the first movement is brought back in the coda one last time, almost in inevitable fashion, erupts once in a subito forte, before exhaling with its head bowed. Sharon Kam and the Jerusalem Quartet present a version of the Quintet that combines Bachian precision with a rich, saturated color palette that allows them to revel in their choices of slow tempi. Karl-Heinz Steffens with the Scharoun Ensemble as members of the Berlin Philarmonic turn in a heart-wrenchingly genuine version of the Quintet, where the balance and rapport of the group is front and center. Steffens improvisations in the slow movement are majestic without getting carried away and losing a sense of phrase. Efforts were made to also upload the recent recording with Alessandro Carbonare and the Quartetto Adorno, but it was blocked for some reason concerning copyright.