Stamitz: Clarinet Concertos Nos. 3-5

Carl Stamitz’s Clarinet Concertos Nos. 3, 4, and 5 (as numbered by Friedrich Carl Kaiser) so far have not been available in a modern critical edition, which means that the recording premiere of these works on this album represents an important contribution to the reception and recognition of this composer. In aesthetic matters as well as in genre history and music history, Stamitz’s clarinet concertos are of a significance that is not to be underestimated, and it is also mainly because of them that he continues to be remembered in today’s music world. Although musicological research is not yet certain about the precise number of his clarinet concertos, eleven such works in all are assigned to him and are thought to have been composed between 1770 and 1790. Carl Stamitz’s compositional treatment of the clarinet demonstrates how he endeavored to exploit in full this instrument’s virtuoso side while viewing it primarily as an instrument of song character. He created a particularly highly effective work with his Clarinet Concerto No. 3, which is distinguished by extreme disjunctions and high technical demands. All three concertos are interpreted by Paul Meyer, who numbers among the world’s outstanding and most famous clarinetists.