It's okay.
Donald G. Hite III | Houston, Tx USA | 04/12/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I love Stoltzman because he plays everything over the top! Well, he doesn't really do this on the Mozart clarinet concerto and the result is just so-so... Honestly, it's still probably better than most people could play it, but considering the many amazing interpretations out there, it's not exceptional.
I like the Bassoon Concerto, but the clarinet is WAY to loud. It doesn't sound natural (perhaps he was overly miced or something). Also, his cadenzas seem a little uncharacteristic for the classical style (although I'm not really aware of what that means...) I'm just going by my gut based on cadenzas I've heard in the past.
Overall this isn't a bad CD, but it's not exceptional. I bought it because I like Stoltzman a lot and pretty much have all his CDs. I would consider this a luxury item (if you have the money and don't mind spending it - go for it... if you're trying to acquire staples of the repertoire, then maybe look elsewhere)."