Brahms/Koncz: Sonatas for Clarinet and Orchestra

Daniel Ottensamer presents Brahms’ two legendary clarinet sonatas, reworked for clarinet and orchestra by Stephan Koncz, who also conducts the Berlin German Symphony Orchestra on this recording. Koncz’s orchestrations bring these masterful pieces out of the limited space of chamber music, presenting them in a new symphonic light. The album is rounded out by a hidden gem, Walter Rabl’s clarinet …

Romanza

Andreas Ottensamer, who recently announced he will step down as principal clarinet of the Berlin Philharmonic to focus on conducting, presents his latest album with pianist José Gallardo. Romanza features select movements from clarinet sonatas by Brahms, Poulenc, Saint-Saëns, Rota, and Joseph Horovitz. The album also includes Ottensamer’s own transcriptions of beloved classical melodies such as Satie’s Gymnopédie No. 1, …

Clara & Robert Schumann: Music for Clarinet and Piano

Julian Bliss is one of the world’s finest clarinetists, excelling as a concerto soloist, chamber musician, recitalist, and jazz artist. James Baillieu is one of the leading song and chamber music pianists of his generation. As a duo, they revel in the versatile chamber music delights of the husband-and-wife composers Robert and Clara Schumann. Selections include Robert Schuman’s Romances, Op. …

Mozart & Bruch

Clarinetist Patrick Messina, violist Lise Berthaud, and pianist Fabrizio Chiovetta pair works by Mozart and Bruch on this new release. The trio celebrates the evolution of an innovative instrumental configuration established in Mozart’s 1786 “Kegelstatt” Trio, K. 498. Inspired by clarinettist Anton Stadler and written for a circle of close friends, the trio combines virtuosity and sensitivity, capturing the essence …