Joe Hagedorn wrote:

>It seems like every time I turn on the radio they're playing one of
>Weber's Clarinet Works.  This seems a very strange coincidence to me
>because Weber's my favorite composer and the clarinet is my favorite
>insrument.  Weber isn't a very popular composer any more either.  It seems
>he is most popular with other composers.  Wagner and Berlioz thought very
>highly of him.

I am very glad to read it when someone comes out and says that a
non-mainstream composer is their personal favourite.  Weber is one of
the underrated.

I started this clarinet thing by saying I didn't like the sound of the
instrument.  But, it has occured to me that there is one clarinet work,
hitherto unmentioned, that I like a lot (dare I say love).  I refer, of
course, to Micheal Haydn's clarinet concerto P54.

You might not have heard of this work because as far as I can tell it's
only been recorded once on Olympia OCD406 by Quodlibet Musicum with
Aurelian Octav Popa on clarinet.

The sound quality is diabolical.  The edits are appauling.  But what music
making this is.  Clearly performed by artists who like what they are
playing.

The work itself is superb.  Nothing profound here, this piece is meant
to entertain.  In the first movement the interplay between soloist and
orchestra is delightful.  Haydn re-used the theme from the adagio in a
symphony.  But, this does not detract from the enjoyment.  All three
movements are indeed very catchy.

If the name FJ Haydn was on the score this would be mainstream repertoire.
If the name WA Mozart was there it would be called a masterpiece.  It IS
in fact a masterpiece - of musical entertainment.

Bob Draper
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