Aaron Copland’s Clarinet Concerto was commissioned by the late clarinetist and bandleader Benny Goodman. Goodman also had diverse musical interests, and during his career went from big band to bebop and beyond.
But he was always interested in classical music as well, and recorded Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto, K. 622 in the 1930’s. Goodman also commissioned Béla Bartók’s “Contrasts” for clarinet, violin and piano; that piece, like the Copland and other works Goodman commissioned, has become part of the standard repertoire.
The Copland Concerto was premiered in November 1950, in a radio broadcast by Goodman and the NBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Frtiz Reiner. Two weeks later, clarinetist Ralph McClane gave the piece its public premiere with the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Listen now as clarinetist Andreas Ottensamer plays the clarinet concerto by Aaron Copland:
