Clarinet Concertos – Part Two: Add-on – Programme 27

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In our second concerto programme, we followed the clarinet’s journey from its Classical beginnings with Carl Stamitz, through the drama of Spohr’s Romantic concerto, and into the twentieth century with Copland’s jazz-inflected masterpiece. These large-scale works showed the clarinet as a commanding soloist on the concert stage.
Today’s companion programme offers a more intimate view. Instead of grand concertos, we hear shorter works — each chosen to illustrate another shade of the clarinet’s tone. From sparkling virtuosity to warm lyricism, from salon charm to modern colour, these pieces reveal just how adaptable the instrument can be.

Conclusion
Together with the concertos of Stamitz, Spohr, and Copland, these miniatures give us a fuller portrait of the clarinet. We hear the same instrument that can hold its own against an orchestra also whisper in delicate colours, dance with wit and grace, or sing in poetic stillness.
The clarinet’s voice is many-sided: it is Classical and Romantic, lyrical and jazzy, intimate and powerful. Heard alongside the concertos, this selection completes the picture — reminding us why composers across centuries have returned again and again to its warm, human tone.
I would like to invite you to join me on Monday evening at 7:30, because I am going to feature the clarinet’s relative, the Saxophone, in a programme of most interesting music. Please join me!
7 Sep 2025 English South Africa Music History · Music Commentary

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