The clarinet universe

In the first decades of the nineteenth century, Heinrich Joseph Baermann was one of Europe’s most celebrated clarinet virtuosos. Audiences were captivated by the extraordinary lyricism and technical brilliance of his playing, and some of the greatest composers of the era wrote specifically for him. One of them was Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, who composed his two Konzertstücke, Op. 113 and 114, for Baermann and his son Carl. Father and son engage in a dazzling musical dialogue, full of virtuoso display and operatic expression. Both works are among the most effective examples of Romantic repertoire for two instruments from the clarinet family.

We will also encounter Baermann as a composer. The famous Adagio comes from his Clarinet Quintet No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 23, and for many years was incorrectly attributed to Richard Wagner. This intimate miniature gives the clarinet a long, serene cantilena, allowing the soloist to showcase above all the beauty of the instrument’s sound, breath control and flowing phrasing – qualities for which Baermann was particularly renowned.

Nearly seventy years later, Johannes Brahms believed that he had brought his compositional career to an end. Everything changed when he heard Richard Mühlfeld, principal clarinettist of the court orchestra in Meiningen. Captivated by his playing, Brahms returned to composition and over the following years created four masterpieces of chamber music featuring the clarinet, including the Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op. 115.

The soloists will be Jean-Marc Fessard and Armand Fessard – father and son, just like Heinrich and Carl Baermann two centuries ago. Jean-Marc Fessard is one of France’s leading clarinettists. He is a professor at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels and has recorded dozens of albums for major European labels. Together with his son Armand, he has for years formed a highly regarded duo, continuing the tradition of musical collaboration between generations.

Their chamber partners will be Kwartet Śląski - one of Poland’s most distinguished chamber ensembles, with more than four decades of experience on the leading stages of Europe, America and Asia. The quartet has received numerous recording and artistic awards and has collaborated with many of the most important composers of our time. Its interpretations are now regarded as part of the international chamber music canon.

This is a concert in which history comes full circle. A father and son will perform music written two centuries ago for another father and son, while works inspired by the great clarinettists of the nineteenth century will be brought to life by artists carrying the same tradition into the present.