Clarinet Album

Portraits:

• The Clarinet Album

This album features clarinet concertos by Copland, Spohr, and Cimarosa, plus arrangements of short pieces. Andreas Ottensamer, clarinet, is accompanied on the recording by the Rotterdam Philharmonic under Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

The selections are:

Amy Beach:

• Berceuse, Op. 40 No. 2

From Three Compositions for violin and piano op. 40, arr. for clarinet and orchestra by Stephan Koncz

Cimarosa:

• Clarinet Concerto in C minor

freely arranged by Arthur Benjamin

Aaron Copland:

• Clarinet Concerto

Debussy:

• Préludes – Book 1: No. 8, La fille aux cheveux de lin

From Préludes, Book 1, arr. for clarinet and orchestra by Stephan Koncz

George Gershwin:

• Prelude No. 1

From Three Preludes for piano solo, arr. for clarinet and orchestra by Stephan Koncz

Spohr:

• Clarinet Concerto No. 1 in C minor, Op. 26

Performed by Andreas Ottensamer (clarinet), with the Rotterdam Philharmonic, Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducting.

This CD takes us on a journey from the early-Romantic period of Louis Spohr to the jazz inflections of Aaron Copland, and from the operatic gestures of Cimarosa to the serenity of Claude Debussy. It includes a prelude by Gershwin, Debussy’s evocative ‘La Fille aux cheveux de lin’, and a Berceuse by Amy Beach.

In 2009, Andreas Ottensamer interrupted his liberal arts studies at Harvard University to become a scholar of the Orchestra Academy of the Berliner Philharmoniker. He is now principal clarinetist of the orchestra and is also a part-time model.

The specific tracks are as follows:

Gershwin – 3 Prelude for piano solo
1. Allegro ben ritmato e deciso

Copland – Clarinet Concerto
2. Copland: 1. Slowly and expressively
3. Copland: 2. Rather fast

Debussy – Prelude
4. La fille aux cheveux de lin

Domenico Cimarosa – Oboe Concerto in C
5. 1. Introduzione ? attacca
6. 2. Allegro
7. 3. Siciliana
8. 4. Allegro giusto

Three Works for Violin and Piano, Op.40
9. Beach: Berceuse

Spohr Clarinet Concerto No. 1 in C minor, Op.26
10. 1. Adagio – Allegro
11. 2. Adagio
12. 3. Rondo (Vivace)

Here is Andreas Ottensamer, as he performs Gershwin’s Prelude No.1, from ‘Three Preludes’:

And next, here is the artist, playing the music, and talking about this CD:

Tags: Andreas Ottensamer, Portraits, Louis Spohr, Aaron Copland, Cimarosa, Claude Debussy