Search - Carl Maria von Weber, Yan Pascal Tortelier, Gerard Schwarz :: Carl Maria von Weber: Clarinet Concertos

Joie de vive

Larry VanDeSande | Mason, Michigan United States | 11/16/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Emma Johnson is well-known for her joyous readings of romantic era clarinet works and she fulfills that legend very well in this disk of Weber. She is not noted for extreme wonders of passagework and occasionally there is a smudge in her technique. These small moments do little to deter enjoyment of this issue.



I have heard these concertos performed by other clarinetists including Antony Pay, an Englishman that plays a period clarinet. Pay is a better technician than Johnson and performs everything very well. He does not match Johnson is her joyous approach to the music, however.



In particular the support for the two concertos (Clarinet Concerto No. 1 in F minor by English Chamber Orchestra conducted by Yan Pascal Tortelier and Clarinet Concerto No. 2 in E flat major conducted by Gerard Schwarz) is highly charged and romantic and suits Johnson's apporach perfectly.



The lesser items on this disk -- the Concertino for clarinet & orchestra in E flat major and the Grand duo concertante in B flat major for clarinet & piano accompanied by Gordon Back -- fill out a splendid disk of Weber clarinet music. I doubt you could find this much at this high quality in another collection."