Clarinet Quintet Op. 10

Description

This quintet is an early work, composed in 1895. Compared to the more familiar quintets of Mozart, Weber and Brahms, this composition is not as well known. However, it is every bit the equal of it’s more famous brothers, and deserves to receive more recognition. The first movement alternates dark and troubled sections with livelier, folk dance like music with almost the feeling of Dvorak’s slavonic dances. The second movement features a long melodic line, which is decorated with increasingly elaborate lower parts. The third movement is a frenetic and nervous scherzo, which switches between 9/8 and 3/4 times giving it a stuttering feeling at times. The finale returns to the minor key dramatic feel of the first movement, with much use of the scotch snap rhythm adding another folk music-like flavour. Overall, stylistically this piece fits beautifully between the Weber and Brahms quintets, and should be more widely performed. This piano reduction has been produced with the aim of making this lesser known work more accessible to clarinettists. The piano part is relatively straightforward yet still captures the essential moments of the original string quartet accompaniment. It is hoped that in this format more clarinettists will be able to try this unknown gem in the repertoire, and eventually lead to more performances of the original scoring.