Clarinet Quintet

Description

Of the few clarinet quintets in the repertoire, those by Weber, Mozart and Brahms are by far the most commonly heard. To these fine works we would like to add the quintets of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, and this one by Max Reger, giving almost a series of snapshots of musical style from the early 1800’s to the early 1900’s. Originally written for a clarinet in A, this version has been transposed so that it can be played on a standard clarinet in Bb but with the fingerings remaining the same. This quintet is intense music, complex both harmonically and rhythmically, and at over half an hour long requires stamina from all players. The alto and bass clarinet parts are fully engaged at all times and cover the whole range of the instruments (a 3rd Bb clarinet part is included to replace the alto part if necessary). It is hoped this new arrangement will help to bring this unjustly neglected work to the attention of more clarinettists.