Weber: Clarinet Concertos, Clarinet Quintet - Fabio Di Càsola - 2009

Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826)

Concerto for clarinet and orchestra no.1, in F minor, Op.73

Clarinet Quintett in B flat major, Op.34

Concerto for clarinet and orchestra no.2, in E flat major, Op.74

Fabio Di Càsola, clarinet

Russische Kammerphilharmonie St. Petersburg

Juri Gilbo, conductor

Recording: 21-23 July 2008, Festeburg Kirche, Frankfurt, Germany.

“The clarinet's multi-faceted character is virtually unrivalled among orchestral instruments, its wheedling tones able to convey the most dramatic shifts of expression, from pious sobriety to almost comic insouciance. Carl Maria von Weber took advantage of this unlimited scope in the quintet and two concertos written for his friend, the clarinet virtuoso Heinrich Baermann, and deftly recorded here by the young Swiss player Fabio di Càsola. He's particularly adept at the slower, subtler passages: the 1st Concerto's limpid Adagio are realised with dreamlike sensitivity, the clarinet floating weightlessly over the horn chorus, contrasting with the more jaunty, birdlike nimbleness of the ensuing Rondo. Likewise, the brooding Romanze is the standout section of the 2nd Concerto.” (Andy Gill, independent.co.uk)

Gramophone Magazine Editor's Choice - October 2009 >>> “For his third album for Sony Classical Fabio di Càsola has recorded works by Carl Maria von Weber, accompanied by the Chamber Philharmonic of St. Petersburg under the baton of its principal conductor Juri Gilbo. Weber came to know and love the clarinet through his friendship with Heinrich Baermann, a famous clarinettist of his day. The three most important works dedicated to Baermann are brought together on this CD: the two Clarinet Concertos and the Clarinet Quintet, which is to be heard on our recording in a version for clarinet and string orchestra.”

“…Fabio di Càsola's performances are dazzling and Juri Gilbo's persuasive partnership in slow movements is romantic in the best Weberian operatic style. The twirly-whirly Menuetto capriccio of the arranged Quintet is deliciously done, and the closing gioioso is wonderfully infectious.” --Gramophone Magazine, October 2009

Posted by robertofthepampas at 18:37