Clarinet Trios

Alexander Zemlinsky lived from 1871 till 1942, born and bred in Vienna, and his whole life very much a child of his city. Vienna at the turn of the century was the scene of far-reaching cultural changes, the Romantic Era of Brahms, Wagner and Mahler came to a shattering end with the appearance of Schoenberg, Berg and Webern, establishing the Second Viennese School, abruptly breaking with tradition. Zemlinsky held on to his own personal style: although inevitably influenced by his contemporaries he continued the Late Romantic idiom. His Clarinet Trio is an early work, enthusiastically hailed by Brahms, whose influence is obvious (the late Brahms himself had a fondness for the clarinet, after meeting with the famous clarinetist Richard Mühlfeld, for whom he wrote clarinet sonatas, the clarinet Trio and Quintet). As a companion we hear the clarinet trio by Carl Frühling, a contemporary of Zemlinsky, a beautiful and melodious work, which deserves to be heard more often. Excellent performances by Davide Bandieri, one of Italy's foremost clarinet players. He already made several successful recordings for Brilliant Classics with works by Busoni and Hindemith.