Mozart Clarinet Quintet, Schubert & Hummel

Viennese Vogue

HUMMEL Clarinet Quartet in E flat major, S.78 (1808)

SCHUBERT String Trio in B flat major, D.471 (1816)

INTERVAL

MOZART Clarinet Quintet in A major, K.581 (1789)

Witness a musical revolution! In the late 1700s, Vienna was seized by enthusiasm for the clarinet. Mozart fell in love with the sound of this fashionable new instrument, considering it the closest to the human voice, especially in the hands of the brilliant virtuoso Anton Stadler. He was moved by Stadler and clarinet builder Theodor Lotz’ latest invention, the basset clarinet, to compose his Clarinet Quintet, with its perfect proportions and melodic invention making it one of his best-loved pieces to this day.

Mozart’s repertoire for the clarinet put it on the map as a solo instrument, and inspired his former student and protégé Johann Nepomuk Hummel, a celebrated musician and composer in his own right. Hummel’s Clarinet Quartet is a beautifully balanced work of chamber music, and highlights his importance as a bridge between the Classical and Romantic eras.

We will also hear from Hummel’s friend and colleague Franz Schubert, and his unfinished String Trio D.471. Written at the start of one of the happiest and most creatively productive periods of his life, you can hear Schubert’s brilliance unfolding before your eyes in this lyrical gem.

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