Pablo Barragán, Noa Wildschut, Adrien de la Marca & Andrei Ionița

The Westdeutsche Zeitung had some beautiful words for him: “That evening, it was Pablo Barragán who enchanted the audience. Besides his flawless playing in every respect, it was precisely his soulful tone production that took your breath away.” Pablo Barragán – young, Spanish, clarinetist. Today, he joins three other musicians, including the spectacular young Dutch talent Noa Wildschut. The program is full of surprises and culminates in a Mozart clarinet quartet. This is somewhat less well-known than the immensely beloved clarinet quintet. But the piece, beautifully arranged by a Mozart-devoted publisher based on a violin sonata, is a welcome addition to the familiar repertoire.

Krzysztof Penderecki’s clarinet quartet offers a completely different world. Penderecki was a symbol of the Polish avant-garde in the 20th century and achieved great fame as a modern composer. He wrote his clarinet quartet in 1993 and has four movements: Notturno, Scherzo, Serenade (Tempo di Valse), concluding with an Abschied (Farewell). Gideon Klein’s String Trio is extremely lively, rhythmic, and accessible music; it recalls Janácek. The Czech composer Klein (1919-1945) organized cultural life in the Theresienstadt concentration camp. Another surprise is the 20th-century female composer Rebecca Clarke. She thins out tonight’s ensemble, leaving only clarinet and viola. Clarke, a professional violist, is best known for her chamber music featuring the alto.

„An diesem Abend war es Pablo Barragán, der in seinen Bann schlug. Neben seiner in allen Belangen perfekten Spielweise, war es gerade seine beseelte Tongebung, die in Atemhielt.“ (Westdeutsche Zeitung).

Program

Penderecki – Clarinet Quartet
Klein – String Trio
Clarke – Prelude, Allegro & Pastorale
Mozart – Carlinet Quartet KV 417d (arr.)