Mendelssohn: Concert Piece No. 1 in D minor, Op. 114
Felix Mendelssohn shared with father and son clarinetists Heinrich and Carl Baermann a friendship based not only on common musical interests, but on culinary delights as well; in addition to their instrumental prowess, the Baermanns were evidently formidable dumpling chefs. Around Christmas 1832, Mendelssohn hosted the Baermanns at his home in Berlin, and they traded an evening of dumplings for a new piece to play together: a Concert Piece in F minor for clarinet, basset horn and piano. The evening was so enjoyable for all that they repeated the exchange, resulting in the Concert Piece No. 2 in D minor, Op. 114. The opening Presto sets a tone of operatic virtuosity and vocalism that will prevail for all three movements. The piano sits out for much of the honeyed Andante aria, and the Spanish-sounding finale evokes castanets amid swirling solo lines.
© Graeme Steele Johnson for the Yale School of Music
Felix Mendelssohn shared with father and son clarinetists Heinrich and Carl Baermann a friendship based not only on common musical interests, but on culinary delights as well; in addition to their instrumental prowess, the Baermanns were evidently formidable dumpling chefs. Around Christmas 1832, Mendelssohn hosted the Baermanns at his home in Berlin, and they traded an evening of dumplings for a new piece to play together: a Concert Piece in F minor for clarinet, basset horn and piano. The evening was so enjoyable for all that they repeated the exchange, resulting in the Concert Piece No. 2 in D minor, Op. 114. The opening Presto sets a tone of operatic virtuosity and vocalism that will prevail for all three movements. The piano sits out for much of the honeyed Andante aria, and the Spanish-sounding finale evokes castanets amid swirling solo lines.
© Graeme Steele Johnson for the Yale School of Music