Description
Having made numerous recordings for BIS bothas a clarinettist and as a conductor, MichaelCollins had yet to offer us one of themasterpieces of the clarinet chamber repertoire:Johannes Brahms' Clarinet Quintet. Here heperforms alongside the Escher Quartet, whoselatest recording, devoted to Janacek's quartets(BIS-2670), has earned critical acclaim.While the combination of clarinet and stringquartet offers rich potential, Mozart's gloriousclarinet quintet cast a long shadow that fewcomposers dared to enter. Composed at thetwilight of his career, Brahms's quintet is anelegiac masterpiece. It radiates aching nostalgiaand a poignant sense of lost love, ultimatelysettling into a melancholy serenity. Its emotionaldirectness is occasionally surprising yet neversacrifices subtlety.Max Reger modelled his own Clarinet Quintet onthose by Mozart and Brahms. In this finalcomposition before his untimely death, Regerpushes tonal limits without compromisingstructure. Seamlessly integrating the clarinet, hecreates a beautifully balanced ensemble capableof both powerful outbursts and delicate textures.Straddling the dawn of the 20th century, Reger'sremarkably rich work pays profound homage tothe past.
