In his short life, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart changed the shape of music for centuries to come. Even his final year was one of his most prolific. He churned out the opera “The Magic Flute,” his Piano Concerto in Bb, the last of his string quintets, and most of his unfinished masterpiece, “Requiem.”
He also composed one of the most important pieces for the clarinet: the Concerto in A Major, K. 622.
Mozart wrote the piece for his friend and fellow Freemason, Anton Stadler, in October 1791, just two months before his death. In fact, he wrote it specifically for an instrument that Stadler played.
“Stadler played on a clarinet of his own design that had a low extension; this is why some of Mozart’s clarinet parts call for an extended range (e.g., the obbligato in ‘Parto, parto’ from La clemenza di Tito, K.621),” explains clarinetist Casey Schreck. “Nowadays we call this instrument with the low extension a ‘basset clarinet,’ but I feel like that gives it a legitimacy it doesn’t really deserve; in reality, it’s a weird made-up clarinet that Stadler liked to play on, and now it’s a pain in the neck for clarinetists hundreds of years later.”
The extended range was also a pain in the neck for clarinetists hundreds of years ago, and the original published version had to be edited to be playable on a standard clarinet by bringing the lower notes up an octave. Mozart’s original manuscript was reportedly lost (possibly pawned by Stadler), leaving much to interpretation.
The Clarinet Concerto in A Major has three movements: Allegro, Adagio, and Rondo: Allegro. These movements follow a fast-slow-fast structure, and the full concerto lasts approximately 29 minutes.
The modern scoring for the work includes two flutes, two bassoons, two horns, and strings to accompany the solo clarinet. Mozart begins the first movement with the orchestra making a statement of the main theme, which is then played by the soloist. The slower Adagio movement flips the script with the clarinet opening with the movement’s primary theme.
“The descending notes of the answering theme are more elegiac, and are, like the first, repeated by the orchestra,” Classic Cat states. “The development, in which the solo part is always to the fore, exploits both the chalumeau and clarion registers, and is frequently performed with a final cadenza, which is often a section of the Larghetto of Mozart’s clarinet quintet.”
Finally, the Rondo features a bright refrain that returns in various forms. The upbeat theme exploits the full range of the instrument in the coda with leaps, trills, and figurations.
Today, we’re sharing an exquisite performance of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto in A Major by the Iceland Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Cornelius Meister. Soloist Arngunnur Árnadóttir draws out all of the joy of the piece as she performs it from memory. This performance from 10 years ago has been viewed over 23 million times, proving that Mozart’s genius and legacy is alive and well.
Watch the concert and follow along with the sheet music for Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto in A major, K.622:
