Brahms / Reger: Clarinet Quintets – Michael Collins

Although Michael Collins has made countless recordings, both as a clarinetist and as a conductor, one of the masterpieces of the clarinet chamber repertoire is still missing: Johannes Brahms’s Clarinet Quintet. Here he performs with the Escher Quartet, whose recent recording of Leoš Janáček’s quartets has been highly praised by critics. Although the combination of clarinet and string quartet offers rich potential, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s brilliant clarinet quintet casts a long shadow into which few composers dare to venture. Brahms’s Quintet, which he composed at the end of his creative period, is an elegant masterpiece. It exudes poignant nostalgia and an impressive sense of lost love, ultimately culminating in a melancholic serenity. Its emotional directness occasionally surprises without ever sacrificing subtlety. Max Reger drew inspiration from the works of Mozart and Brahms for his own clarinet quintet. In this final work before his untimely death, Reger pushes the boundaries of tonality without compromising the structure. Through the seamless integration of the clarinet, he creates a beautifully balanced ensemble capable of producing both powerful outbursts and delicate sonic textures. Reger’s remarkably rich body of work, composed on the threshold of the 20th century, is a profound tribute to the past.