Concerto for Clarinet, Viola, and Orchestra

Clarinet, viola, Max Bruch

Max Bruch composed the Concerto for Clarinet, Viola, and Orchestra in E minor, Op. 88, in 1911, when he was 73. It received its first performance in 1912, with Willy Hess (viola) and the composer's son, Max Felix Bruch (clarinet), to whom it was dedicated, as the soloists. It premiered on 5 March 1912 in Wilhelmshaven, but was published only in 1942. All three movements feature the Swedish folksong "Ack Värmeland, du sköna".:

1. Andante con moto (E minor, B major, 4/4)
2. Allegro moderato (G major, B minor, 3/4)
3. Allegro molto (E major, G major, 2/4)

Bruch also arranged the concerto for violin and viola. A typical performance lasts approximately 20 minutes.

Recordings

• Bruch: Concerto for Clarinet, Viola, and Orchestra; Eight Pieces for Clarinet, Viola, and Piano; Schumann: Märchenerzählungen / Tommaso Placidi (conductor), Steven Kanoff, Paul Coletti, Hanover Radio Philharmonic / 2005 / Asv Living Era
• The Clarinet in Concert / Alun Francis (conductor), Thea King, Nobuko Imai, London Symphony Orchestra / 1997 / Hyperion
• Bruch: Works for Clarinet and Viola; Concerto for Clarinet, Viola and Orchestra in E minor; Eight Pieces for Clarinet, Viola and Piano; Romance for Viola and orchestra in F major / Paul Meyer, Gérard Caussé, François-René Duchâble (piano), Kent Nagano (conductor) / 1988–1989 / Apex
• In the Borderland of Romanticism / Mats Liljefors (conductor), Dimitri Ashkenazy, Anton Kholodenko, Baltic Symphony Orchestra / 1996 / Artemis

External links

• Double Concerto in E minor (Bruch): Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
• Video on YouTube, Dani Häusler, clarinet; Adrian Häusler, viola, Ägeritalorchester (2012)